In the northwestern corner of Australia, a vast and unspoiled wilderness unfurls. With its primeval landscapes, lush riverine environments, abundant wildlife and magnificent coastal splendor, it’s the perfect place for Ponant to partner with Smithsonian Journeys on a luxury small ship expedition. And with our April departure positioned to witness a total solar eclipse, there’s no better time to join us.
On a tiny remote archipelago, tens of thousands of birds congregate and take wing beneath a piercing blue sky. In a massive bay, tidal waters rise more than 60 feet and reveal a splendid inshore reef system as they recede. Along a rough-hewn coast, sandstone rock shelters reveal the stone art of ancient peoples. And stunning waterfalls cascade down the gold-hued walls of a magnificent gorge.
This is The Kimberley, Western Australia’s untouched region of pristine wilderness. Just how untouched is it? Suffice to say that there are fewer than five people here per square mile on average. The first aboriginal people stepped ashore some 65,000 years ago and are thought to have carved some of the continent’s earliest known boomerangs. As they dispersed throughout the region into different tribal groups, as many as 60 languages evolved here. It is, locals like to say, a striking and largely preserved microcosm of Australia’s millennia of history.
Indeed, The Kimberley’s social and natural history are complex. And thanks to Ponant’s partnership with Smithsonian Journeys, you can uncover it with the expert insights of scholars and specialists on a fascinating small ship expedition. What’s more, our special Smithsonian Journeys April departure also visits select Indonesian islands, and coincides with the 2023 solar eclipse.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For this special luxury expedition cruise, here’s what you’ll want to know about the spectacular Western Australia region of Kimberley.
Cruise up a river fit for a king
You must experience King George River to believe it. Over millennia, its waters have carved out a massive gorge in the honey-colored Warton sandstone. The rough crenellated patterns of the stone create a play of color and shadow that is simply spellbinding. Our small ship/zodiacs brings you upriver to give you a closer look at the dramatic walls, and to introduce you to the magnificent King George twin falls, cascading some 260 feet down a cleft in the canyon.
Browse an ancient rock art gallery
In the Bonaparte Archipelago just off the Kimberley coast, Swift Bay forms a “T” along one of its pristine islands. Explorer Phillip Parker King discovered it on one of his many voyages in the early 1800s. Perhaps impressed by its otherworldliness, the Englishman named it for Jonathan Swift, who penned Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. You’ll appreciate its unique landscapes, too. Fractured masses of sandstone line the bay, forming shelters where aboriginal people took refuge from weather and wildlife. In these cave-like homes, they created some of the world’s earliest rock art—mesmerizing Wendjina figures of cloud and rain spirits alongside human Gwion Gwion figures adorned in tassels, sashes or headdresses
Witness one of the world’s largest tidal movements
There is no end to the remarkable phenomena that surge through Collier Bay. Massive tides come in here, rising and falling more than 60 feet in places. This enormous volume of water coming and going washes over Montgomery Reef, the largest inshore reef system in the world at 154 square miles and about 50 miles long. Low tide reveals huge lagoons, tiny sandstone islands and even a mangrove island. As the water moves out, torrents of water run through the reef like rivers and remarkable “horizontal waterfalls” pour over stone walls. The exposed reef stands more than 13 feet high.
Marvel at an astonishing offshore aviary
The four Lacepede Islands–West, Middle, Sandy and East Islands—play a critical role in the biome of The Kimberley. Not only are they a breeding ground of green turtles; they are also a bird lover’s paradise, listed as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International. Long, narrow and low to the water, these spits of land host a profusion of winged creatures, including 1% of the world’s brown boobies and roseate terns—up to 18,000 and 20,000 breeding pairs respectively. Dozens other species keep them company, from Australian pelicans and lesser frigatebirds to soaring silver gulls and several species of waders.
See day become night during the 2023 total eclipse
It is our good fortune to have solar astrophysicist C. Alex Young along to help us understand the rare hybrid solar eclipse that you’ll witness. Mr. Young is the Associate Director for Science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Because our expedition cruise will be in the path of totality, you can take full advantage of the rare astronomical event—in luxury.
Ponant and Smithsonian Journeys invite you to join us in April on a momentous expedition to witness the wonders of sea, land and sky. This special solar eclipse is sure to fill up quickly, so reserve soon.