Whirlpools appear and disappear as the Kimberley’s exceptionally high tides shift.
I’m floating on a small boat in calm waters, gently bobbing up and down in the West Australian sunshine. A short distance away, the water switches between a raging torrent, a bubbling cauldron and a smooth upsurge, often in a matter of seconds. Whirlpools appear and disappear; at other times sections of water seem to rise up, like something huge is about to burst through the surface, only to disappear again, leaving no trace.
It’s one of the most bizarre natural phenomena I’ve ever seen, like some unseen krakens are raging beneath the surface, angry at our intrusion.
These are the king tides of the Kimberley, the biggest in the southern hemisphere (the world’s largest are on Canada’s west coast in the Bay of Fundy). The tides I’m used to on east coast beaches are slow and gradual, gently making their way in and out over several hours. Here, where King Sound meets the Indian Ocean at the edge of the Dampier Peninsula, the tide is fast, violent and chaotic.
The shores of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.Credit:
We’re on an excursion from our accommodation at Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, a remote, but very comfortable, spot that’s still a working pearl farm. Our boat floats into a fast current and within a few seconds we’ve travelled hundreds of metres towards the open ocean, such is the strength of the tide. Nevertheless, the movement is gentle. That’s until our guide turns on the motor, bringing us back into the bay. We hit one of the small whirlpools at speed. It causes the entire boat to jerk violently, if briefly, to the right, giving us a taste of the power at work below the surface.
Glamping in the true sense, with air-con and private ensuite.Credit:
The tides, which can be up to 11 metres, are caused by the moon, of course, but also the unusually large continental shelf off the Kimberley, which stretches hundreds of kilometres into the Indian Ocean. The shelf causes the incoming tide to lift up, rising in height and coming further inland than it would otherwise. Conversely, this causes the tide to rush back out at greater intensity.
We arrived at the Dampier Peninsula earlier this morning after a one-hour charter flight with Air Kimberley from Broome, taking us along the coast where I looked down with envy at the beautiful, pristine beaches, one after another, along the way. Rarely – very rarely – I’d spot a solitary vehicle or a camp at one. My envy increased.
Simple without skimping on mod-cons.Credit:
But it would soon be alleviated after we touched down on a dirt airstrip to be met by Vanessa from Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm and checked into our glamping tents: true glamping, with hardwood floors, air -conditioning and a separate bathroom; not merely a tent with a bed in it.
The farm has been operating for more than 70 years and continues to do so, though it has only been open to the public since 2007. The farm produces South Sea pearls, among the world’s most valuable thanks to their size and quality. We pass the pearl farm, with its strings of enormous oysters, on our trip out to experience the tide.
The South Sea pearls harvested here are among the world’s most valuable.Credit:
After returning to the farm for lunch, we’re back on the water, this time with local Jarwi woman Rosanna Angus of Oolin Tours, to learn about the Indigenous history of the area.
We’re headed for Sunday Island, where Rosanna’s family previously lived. We pass the same turbulent waters we explored in the morning, waters that were navigated, somehow, by Rosanna’s ancestors in simple rafts made from mangrove wood.
Jarwi woman Rosanna Angus’ family lived on Sunday Island during the early mission days.Credit: Tourism Western Australia
A mission was established on Sunday Island in 1899, with the locals working there – the women as maids or seamstresses, the men farming or building – while children went to mission’s school. Although their only payment was rations, Rosanna says for the most part life was happy there. Locals were allowed to speak their own language and engage in traditional practices – a rarity in a time when white Australia was doing its best to stamp out Indigenous culture.
Closed in the 1960s, there are only remnants of the old mission buildings still standing. Rosanna takes us to where the old jetty was, before guiding us to a secluded cove called Goodngarngoon. She’s received permission to bring visitors to this special place, not just from her fellow Jarwi but the spirits of her ancestors too, who she says she can feel as soon as we enter the cove.
The sacred cove, Goodngarngoon.Credit: Tourism Western Australia
It’s a gorgeous spot, where reddish rock cliffs with high tide marks flank the narrow body of water leading to a white sand beach. We hop off the boat into the clear water and I kick off my thongs to feel the sand between my toes.
This is a mistake. Despite how attractive the sand looks, it’s coarse and painful to walk on. As it turns out, the beach consists primarily of quartz – a closer look reveals the sharp, transparent granules in the mixture. Great for exfoliating, but not exactly Whitehaven.
Nevertheless, it’s still a pleasant place to sit down for a picnic with Rosanna’s own homemade damper and local honey, before taking a swim in the blue-green waters. Afterwards, Rosanna guides us back through the waters to Cygnet Bay on her boat.
Not a soul in any direction: Chile Creek on the Dampier Peninsula.Credit: Tourism Western Australia
The next morning we depart for Lombadina, a small Indigenous community about 20 minutes’ drive southwest from Cygnet Bay. We’re met by local Bud Sibosado, who shows us around the village – population just 30 – before we hop into his 4WD and he takes us over the sand dunes and on to the beach.
The water is inviting, but we’re here to seek out something more significant. While Broome’s famous Cable Beach is known for its fossilised dinosaur footprints, here at Lombadina are the ancient footprints of Bud’s own ancestors. Imprinted in the flat, rocky landscape by a narrow channel, the prints follow a line along the coast. They’re believed to belong to a woman and child who passed this way as much as 6000 years ago.
Lombadina village – population 30.Credit: Tourism Western Australia
There’s no shelter from the heat here, so we head back to the beach and strip down to swim in the azure water. There’s not a soul to be seen in any direction, just our small group of four plus Bud and his 4WD. The waves are perfect – just large enough to bodysurf, but not big enough to knock you down. It’s hard to succumb to the need to get out, dry off and get changed, but we have another flight to catch.
Meeting us at a different air strip this time, we’re back on board Air Kimberley’s Cessna, heading back to Broome.
Coming from Melbourne, if I’d been told a week ago that Broome – with its population of about 15,000 – would feel like a big city upon my return, I wouldn’t have believed it. But after a couple of days further north, where bitumen is scarce and five people seem like a crowd, it suddenly feels like a metropolis.
The details
Fly
Qantas flies non-stop from Melbourne to Broome three times a week, while both QantasLink and Virgin Australia have multiple daily flights from Perth. Air Kimberley offers charter flights to the Dampier Peninsula (you can also drive there). See airkimberley.com.au
Stay
Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm offers a variety of accommodation from basic tents with shared facilities up to glamping and converted pearling shacks with multiple bedrooms. There’s also a campsite. The air-conditioned Village Safari Tents we stayed in sleep two and start from $455 a night, while basic tents start from $155.
Tour
Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm’s two-hour Giant Tides boat trip starts is $260 for adults and $145 for children. See cygnetbaypearlfarm.com.au
Rosanna Angus’ 4.5 hour Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tour is $379.64 for adults and $274.18 for children. See sundayislandtours.com.au
The two-hour Ancient Footprints tour from the Lombadina community is $50 for adults and $40 for children. See lombadina.com
The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism WA. See westernaustralia.com/au