EIGHT DAY SPIRIT OF THE KIMBERLEY
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HIGHLIGHTS
Cape Leveque, Bardi Bushtucker Walk, Snorkelling, Beagle Bay
Pearl Shell Church Altar, One Arm Point Aquaculture Hatchery, Windjana
Gorge, Tunnel Creek, Bungle Bungles, Echidna Chasm, Cathedral Gorge,
Geikie Gorge Cruise
ITINERARY
Day 1 Kelk
Creek & Cape Leveque
The Dampier Peninsula is an extraordinary blend of
pristine beaches and dramatic coastlines, rich in traditional Aboriginal
culture. Travelling up the red 4WD track, learn about the region's
fascinating history from our guided commentary and documentary DVDs. Our
first stop is the Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community, home of the Beagle
Bay Church with its glimmering pearl shell altar, for morning tea.
Further north, we visit the Kelk Creek Bush Retreat, where our
Aboriginal guide and her family introduce us to their traditional Bardi
‘saltwater country’. A leisurely guided bushwalk offers an in-depth
insight into their indigenous lifestyle and culture while the freshly
made damper and billy tea at the end of the walk is well worth the wait!
Later, after a delicious lunch, we travel to beautiful Cape Leveque to
set up camp right on the edge of the Indian Ocean. A spectacular
Kimberley sunset is a great way to end the day before our famous
Kimberley BBQ under the stars.
Day 2 Cape
Leveque
The day at Cape Leveque is yours to enjoy as you
please. You may like to join our guide on a snorkelling or fishing
adventure (included), or take up one of the many optional extras on
offer including embarking on an Indigenous sea kayaking adventure,
hiring a dinghy or splurging on a scenic flight across the archipelago
and horizontal falls. Alternatively you may prefer to spend your time
simply enjoying the pristine beaches and rugged red coastline for which
Cape Leveque is famous. Whether you like swimming, snorkelling,
sunbathing or long walks along the beach, Cape Leveque is a great way to
relax away a day.
Day 3 One
Arm Point & Lombadina
After breakfast we journey to the One Arm Point
Community perched on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula. From here we can
view the spectacular Buccaneer Archipelago and witness the huge tidal
flows of the Kimberley, the second biggest in the world. We visit the
Community’s aquaculture hatchery, complete with barramundi, pearl and
trochus shell. Travelling on, we enjoy lunch in the laid-back Lombadina
Community, a beautiful and welcoming community, which is home to a local
craft shop and interesting bush timber church. Driving back through the
dusk, keep an eye out for wildlife, before arriving back in Broome at
approximately 6.30pm to check into your hotel for a free evening.
Day 4 Geikie Gorge & Fitzroy Crossing
We ease into our adventure as we travel east towards Fitzroy
Crossing. Visit the Old Fitzroy Crossing and colourful Mangkaja
Aboriginal Arts Centre before joining a local National Park Ranger on a
guided cruise through majestic Geikie Gorge that nature carved between
the Geikie and Oscar Ranges. Learn of the fascinating geology of this
natural wonder and discover the huge array of wildlife, including
freshwater crocodiles, birds and fish. That evening, camp by the Fitzroy
Riiver and enjoy our famous Kimberley BBQ.
Day 5 Bungle Bungles
Visit the gold rush town of Halls Creek and see the
remarkable China Wall enroute to Purnululu National Park, home of the
magnificent Bungle Bungles. On arrival in Purnululu, there is time to
orient ourselves and set up camp amidst the spectacular National Park
surrounds. After a delightful bush sunset, relax with a delicious meal
and evening under the stars.
Day 6 Bungle Bungles
Spend the next day exploring the highlights of this
extraordinary National Park, the most famous of which are the Bungle
Bungle domes. Rivers created this landscape of unique orange and black
striped ‘beehive’ geological formations over a period of 20 million
years. Unbelievably, only the locals knew it existed until the early
1980’s. To protect its unique landscape, the area was made a national
park in 1987 and now enjoys World Heritage status. We explore the 2km
long Echidna Chasm, known for its towering Livistonia Palm trees, and
take a short walk (2-3km) into stunning Cathedral Gorge, where towering
rocks create a natural amphitheatre. There is time in the afternoon to
take an optional scenic flight and enjoy a birds-eye view of the beehive
domes (approx $265pp, own expense) to put it all into perspective.
Day 7 Mimbi Caves
We bid farewell to Purnululu and travel to the
ancient realm of Mimbi Caves, one of Western Australia's largest cave
systems, in the heart of Gooniyandi Country. Spiritually significant,
these limestone caves are one of the oldest identified sites of human
occupation in Australia. Delve into Dreamtime with our local Gooniyandi
guide who shares traditional stories and reveals the secrets of Mimbi
Caves, a sanctuary of crystal clear pools, rare fossils and ancient rock
art. Share fresh damper and billy tea with the Gooniyandi traditional
owners before we head for Fitzroy Crossing.
Day 8 Windjana Gorge & Tunnel Creek
Following another night by the Fitzroy River, we head for Bunuba
country - once a Devonian reef, this terrain is over 350 million years
old and home to a diverse array of animals and plants. In the morning we
seek the adventure of Tunnel Creek, a 750-metre cave system in which we
discover secret caves and a large variety of wildlife. It is here we
also learn the legend of Jandamarra, an Aboriginal freedom fighter who
used the tunnel as a hide-out in the late 1800’s. Freshen up with a swim
in the idyllic waterhole at the end of the tunnel before we travel to
the geological wonder of Windjana Gorge, a delightful oasis in the
outback. Beneath gorge walls rising 90m, we enjoy a picnic lunch and
search for freshwater crocodiles, local birdlife and Indigenous
bushtucker. The Gibb River Road then leads us from the picturesque
Napier Ranges as we begin the return to Broome via the Derby ‘Boab
Prison Tree’.
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