The Great Kimberley Overland

Day 1: Broome / Dampier Peninsula / Cygnet Bay

Depart Broome in the early morning, travelling up the red 4WD track and learning about the region’s fascinating history with your local leader. The Dampier Peninsula is an extraordinary blend of stunning coastline and First Nations cultures. Your first stop is morning tea at the Beagle Bay Community – home of the Beagle Bay Church and its glimmering pearl shell altar. Next, visit the garden community of Lombadina, home to an old bush church, a local craft shop and a delightful community bakery – enjoy their fresh wood-fired bread for picnic lunch. Then head for the remote Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm. In 1946 Dean Brown skippered a rickety wooden lugger into an unknown frontier to discover this hidden paradise: his descendants continue to operate what is now the oldest Pearl Farm in Australia. Later embark on an extraordinary cruise through the Islands of the Giant Tides. This phenomenon is part of some of the world’s strongest tropical tides, creating standing waves and if you’re lucky, a waterfall in the ocean! 

Accommodations

• Permanent tented camp (shared facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

• Dampier Peninsula – King Sound & Giant Tides Cruise
• Dampier Peninsula – Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community & Church Visit
• Dampier Peninsula – Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm Visit

Meals Included

• Lunch
• Dinner

Special Information

Please note that the tour commences early this morning in Broome at our default pick-up location (details can be found in the Essential Trip Information document), unless you or your booking agent requests an alternative pick-up location well ahead of departure. We do not take responsibility for missed tours if we have not been advised of an alternative in advance and you are not at the default location on time. You may want to stay a night in Broome prior to the trip’s departure. Today’s drive will be approximately 250km / 3 hours.

Day 2: Dampier Peninsula / Broome

This morning, return to the pearl farm to gain an insight into this remote pearling industry on the Farm Tour, concluding with an in-depth pearl grading and appreciation session that will leave you feeling like a pearl expert! Next, head to Ardyaloon, or One Arm Point, which is home of the Bardi-Jawi people – a local community living on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. Visit the community’s aquaculture hatchery for barramundi, pearl and trochus shell. You’ll also enjoy the company and cultural insight of local guide Wossy, as he shares stories of growing up in the remote Bardi Jawi community and a few bushtucker secrets. After a picnic lunch visit the Round Rock viewpoint to search the bay for dolphins and turtles, while a refreshing dip at nearby Jologo Beach is a great way to finish up. Driving back to Broome in the afternoon, keep an eye out for local wildlife. Arrive back in town at approximately 5pm. 

Included Activities

• Dampier Peninsula – Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm Tour & Grading Session
• Ardyaloon/One Arm Point – Hatchery & Aquaculture tour

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch

Special Information

Today’s drive will be approximately 250km / 3 hours.

Day 3: Broome - Tunnel Creek

Embrace an early start this morning and leave Broome when the sun begins to rise. Enjoy a morning tea break by the Fitzroy River and visit the Derby ‘Boab Prison Tree’ and Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Cultural Centre. Continue along the Gibb River Road. The afternoon is devoted to exploring Tunnel Creek with a local Bunuba guide. Go inside this 750-metre-long cave system and discover stalactites, secret caves and a large variety of wildlife. You’ll also learn the legend of Jandamarra, an Aboriginal freedom fighter who used the tunnel as a hide-out in the late 1800s. From here you’ll travel to Windjana Gorge in time to set up camp and go for a walk down to the gorge itself where you’ll be able to spot freshwater crocodiles and enjoy the sunset over the Napier Range. Tonight, settle in for an evening under the Kimberley night sky.

 

Included Activities

• Tunnel Creek NP – Tunnel Creek National Park
• Dimalurru (Tunnel Creek) National Park – Tunnel Creek Walking Tour
• Derby – Mowanjum Aboriginal Art & Cultural Centre

Meals Included

• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 4: Mt Barnett Station

Rise and shine! Head for Bell Gorge early this morning. A hidden highlight of the West Kimberleys, this idyllic retreat boasts cascading waterfalls and crystal clear pools formed over millions of years. Spend a few hours enjoying the serenity, then continue slowly along Gibb River Road to Mt Barnett Cattle Station. On the way, make stops to explore the ancient King Leopold Range. Tonight, camp by the Manning River. 

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 5: Mt Barnett Station

Spend today exploring this wild paradise. Cross the Manning River and hike through the rugged King Leopold Ranges to arrive at Manning Gorge. Swim beneath the cascade of Manning Falls, relax in the deep clear pool, discover Aboriginal rock art and look out for wildlife on the edges of the water. Tonight, camp on Mt Barnett Cattle Station.

 

Included Activities

• West Kimberley Gorges – Manning Gorge & Falls

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 6: El Questro Station

This morning, drive the back end of the Gibb River Road into the Pentecost Range. Stop at a lookout for views over the mesas (flat-topped elevations) of the Cockburn Range with the Pentecost River snaking its way past the mountains out to the sea. Drive down to the Pentecost River for a photo opportunity, then cross the river to El Questro Wilderness Park. Get settled into your permanent camp.

 

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 7: El Questro Station

Enjoy a full free day at El Questro today. If you want a little guidance there are plenty of optional activities to choose from. Perhaps take a refreshing dip in the Zebedee Springs or join an optional cruise on Chamberlain Gorge. Or maybe sample local bush tucker on a guided walk. The choice is yours.

 

Optional Activities

• El Questro – Bird Watching Tour – AUD80
• El Questro – Bush Culture & History Tour – AUD129
• El Questro – Horse Riding – AUD70
• El Questro – Zebedee Hot Springs – Free
• El Questro – Chamberlain Gorge Cruise – AUD89

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch

Day 8: Lake Argyle

The morning is free to sleep in or continue exploring El Questro at your own pace. clear waters of Lake Argyle, a manmade wonder that provides a tranquil oasis in the heart of the region. On arrival, enjoy an afternoon at leisure. You may like to pay a visit to the historic Durack Homestead Museum to brush up on the history of the region, or perhaps explore one of the many bush trails that weave through the landscape.

 

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Dinner

Day 9: Lake Argyle

The day is yours to discover all this slice of paradise has to offer. Be sure to speak to your leader for tips on how to get the most out of a day here. Why not take a relaxing dip in the infinity pool and soak in sweeping views of the lake, or perhaps explore its waters from a kayak. If you’d like to see the lake from a different perspective, there are also scenic flights available, or you may like to round of the day with a fabulous sunset boat cruise.

 

Optional Activities

• Lake Argyle – Sunset Cruise – AUD100
• Lake Argyle – Historic Durack Homestead Museum – Free

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch

Day 10: Purnululu National Park (The Bungle Bungles)

After a leisurely morning, head south down the Great Northern Highway to Purnululu National Park, home of the magnificent Bungle Bungle Range. Spend the next two nights in a private safari camp in the heart of the park, with glorious views of the Bungle Bungle Range. Today, you will have time to begin exploring the area, including the famous ‘beehive domes’.

 

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 11: Purnululu National Park (The Bungle Bungles)

Explore Echidna Chasm on a roughly two-kilometre walk. Next, take another short walk of roughly three kilometres into Cathedral Gorge, where towering rocks create a natural amphitheatre. There’s time in the afternoon to take an optional scenic flight and enjoy a birds-eye view of the beehive domes (approximately AUD 379 per person) to put it all into perspective. Otherwise, you can relax at camp or keep exploring on the ground.

Included Activities

• Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) – Echidna Chasm
• Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) – Cathedral Gorge

Optional Activities

• Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) – Scenic Helicopter Flight – AUD500

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 12: Fitzroy Crossing

Leave Purnululu National Park for Fitzroy Crossing. Break the long journey with a visit to the gold rush town of Halls Creek to see the remarkable China Wall – a natural ‘wall’ of white quarts that rises from the ground. Enjoy lunch at Mary Pool and perhaps visit the remote Laarri Aboriginal Art Gallery, before an evening camping by the Fitzroy River at Fitzroy Crossing.

Meals Included

• Yiyili Aboriginal Community – Laarri Aboriginal Art Gallery
• Halls Creek – China Wall

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Day 13: Broome

Take a morning cruise through the majestic Geikie Gorge. Nature carved this wonder through the Napier Range during the Devonian geological period. Learn of the fascinating geology and discover the huge array of wildlife, including freshwater crocodiles, birds and fish. Explore Old Fitzroy Crossing and enjoy lunch by the river before returning to Broome, where on arrival your Kimberley adventure will come to an end.

Meals Included

• Danggu Geikie Gorge National Park – Geikie Gorge Experience

Meals Included

• Breakfast
• Lunch