Return to Darwin

Today we left the Kimberley to start the long trip back to Darwin across the gulf.
The weather looks good for a few days, followed by some strong SE wind.
We should be safely tucked up in Darwin by then.

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Talbot Bay to Darwin

Had a great sail back to Sir Graham Moore Island where Whiskers joined us again.  

At Fly Point the rocks are quite different, resembling stacks of house bricks.  

We anchored with Whiskers in Talbot Bay and enjoyed a long stroll on the sandy beach. 

 One small croc slide on the sand had us looking carefully and sure enough, as we started pulling up the dinghy anchor the croc was heading towards us.  We managed to jump in and run away before it reached us.

the spectacular Dice Rock, and no-one has painted white dots on it yet! 

Freshwater Creek, Jar Island and the DC3

Back at Freshwater Creek the rainbow pitas were calling, and the brahminy kite, who had been sitting on a nest in the mangroves when we visited in July, had a chick, just a ball of fluff really, but very cute. 

Down in Vansittart Bay is Jar Island which also has lots of rock art. To reach the overhangs we had to cross a mangrove-lined creek which with Spring tides still had ankle deep water running. The water was clear so we waded across and scrambled up the rocks to the gallery. On our return the tide had dropped and we safely reached the beach again. 

every rock formation has a struggling fig tree

hold it or run away fast

Our neighbours from a trailer-sailer were coming into the beach, with a large croc following their dinghy. The croc came right up behind them to the water’s edge then stayed and watched us all. Mark found some rocks to throw and scare it away but the croc leapt as the rocks landed like it was jumping for food, then raised its tail hackles and looked very menacing. Eventually it moved out far enough for us to launch our dinghy and run away to our boat. 

Across the bay is the wreck of a WWII DC3 plane, a US Airforce Douglas C53 Skytrouper transport aircraft was emergency landed here in February 1942 after the crew got lost flying from Perth to Broome. The crew were recued 2 days later by Qantas crew. 

 [Toni’s first plane flight was on a DC3 from Sydney to Moruya, many years ago.] 

Walking back across the salt flat a lone jabiru [black-necked stork] was also enjoying a stroll.

lone jabiru

Winyalkan Island Bradshaws

Only a short sail to Winyalkan Island near the famous Bradshaw painting of “Five Men in a Boat”.  After meeting Grahame Walsh on our first trip to the Kimberley on Mount Elizabeth Station in 1997 and recently reading Ian Wilson’s book “Lost World of the Kimberley” which gives an archaeological and anthropological perspective, we were keen to see these Bradshaw paintings. Scrambling up the rocks leads to a trail of overhangs with paintings all around, some ancient and fading, some modern touch-ups have been added.  A small diamond python had found a perfect snoozing hole in the sandstone, but right next to the main path.  Rock wallabies were hopping about and one small wallaby with a brushy tail we weren’t sure if it was a monjon or narbalek; hoping to see another soon.

Five Men in a Boat painting

more amazing rock formations

Another Bradshaw painting “Four Men in a Boat” is in the next creek with other rock art visible from the dinghy.

At Murrangingi Island we caught up with catamaran Whiskers again and shared a few yarns over sundowners. 

our cheeky visitor

Barra for dinner

We are at week nine of our Kimberley adventure and fresh salad is a challenge.
Dinner was bbq Barramundi served with a roast pumpkin, chickpea, beetroot and feta salad, and a serve of coleslaw from one of our long lasting red cabbages.

Desert was half a chocolate cornetto that we bought at the fuel barge a few weeks
 ago with a splash of kahlua.
It was bloody delicious!

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Hunter River Barra

Peter caught this beautiful sikver salt water Barramundi in the Hunter River.
It was 73cm long, a great eating size.  In WA they have to be between 55 and 80cm
so we were allowed to keep it.

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Hunter River and Prudhoe Islands

Hunter River is as spectacular as many other big rivers in the Kimberley, with huge, ancient, colourful escarpments all around and large mangroves well adapted to the huge tides.  A few crocodiles spotted in Porosus Creek and good fishing with a threadfin salmon for lunch.  Our food supplies into week 8 are surviving well, due to our usual over-catering, as we just cracked the first pumpkin to make roasted pumpkin, feta, beetroot and bean sprouts salad.  Chick peas and frozen green peas can also be added for crunch and colour.

first big barra, yummo

eagle head rock

sundowners True North style

The creek was getting busy when True North, a large cruise ship, arrived, but they showed us a new way to enjoy sundowners when they rafted up their 5 dinghies and cruised down with the outgoing tide to the main river, singing as they went by.

how terns commute to work on the big tidal rivers

After all the boats left next morning we had 2 days of peace and quiet on our own, so quiet we could hear the rainbow pittas calling and watch the dolphins and turtles feeding in the creek.

We passed Caledonian Sky, a larger cruise boat, with their two helicopters ferrying passengers to the beach on Naturaliste Island.  By the time we sailed up to Wary Bay on Bigge Island Caledonian Sky had anchored and all the passengers were heading to shore in big black ribs to see the rock art in the caves.  The art here was more modern, Wandjina style, with a burial site in one of the caves.

turtle tracks

The Prudhoe Islands have spectacular rock formations and a safe anchorage.  We took our breakfast picnic and iced coffee to the beach and found fresh turtle tracks to and from a nest in the dunes. We climbed up the sandstone rocks for our picnic with a scenic view over the Indian Ocean.

fresh turtle tracks on the beach up and back from the nest

brekky with a view of the Indian Ocean

Mermaid Tree

We went to visit the Boab Tree where Philip Parker King 
carved the name of his Ship, Mermaid in 1820

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The Return Journey

Silver Gull Creek to Raft Point:  we saved a few good spots for the return journey, planning for better tides and hoping for suitable winds in the anchorages.  The winds have been hard to pick at times, varying by the old 40% factor (thanks Coast Guard!).

West of Raft Point, Montgomery Reef is a massive reef stretching 18 nm (36 km) around several small islets.  As the Spring tide drops the water pours off the reef creating noisy streams and cascades and an egret smorgasbord of trapped fish.

Instead of returning to Sampson Inlet we anchored at the beach around from Wilson’s Point, then as we dinghied into the beach at low tide for our morning walk (no crocs sighted!) a pair of brolgas were strolling along and dancing on the sand.  At the western end the pandanus, trees and shrubs were full of birds: honeyeaters, finches, doves and cockatoos. A small spring was flowing under the shrubs and attracting the birds and some small animals, guessing by the prints in the sand.

brolgas in flight

brolga prints

Careening Bay is home to the big old boab known as the Mermaid Tree, made famous by Phillip Parker King who emblazoned the ship’s name and 1820 into the trunk, similar to our Ivy boab.  Nowadays it would just be called graffiti  ;)

old graffiti

West Kimberley: Turn Around Point

Further west, Raft Point is another spectacular stopover anchorage with massive ancient escarpments and rocky islands.  The strata, curves and folds in the rocks remind me of a school geology project.

 

The channel through to Koolan Island (iron ore mine) takes us through The Gutter, a narrow bend with lots of eddies, so hold on!  You don’t want to go through The Drain, the alternative entrance, which is even narrower with large rocks either side.  Once past the eddies it’s smooth downwind sailing on the genoa.  The mine operation has 2 tugs and a pilot boat plus a jetty which can load one ship.

 

Silver Gull Creek is a sheltered anchorage near Dog Leg Creek fuel barge.  Up the creek is an abandoned camp with an inviting water tank pool, fed by a fast flowing spring.  

There’s a sooty oystercatcher here who thinks we have anchored in his flight path.  He/she flies around us each morning to the other side of the bay then returns again later, detouring around us and calling his cute “peep, peep” along the way.  It seems to be the daily routine, with just a small inconvenience of the extra detours caused by us.

 As we left Silver Gull to get fuel (AND ice creams!!)  a few whales slowly cruised past like they weren’t quite awake yet.  Coming out of Dog Leg Creek 2 more humpbacks cruised alongside us.  Wonderful company!

Despite our small celebration at Silver Gull we have travelled further west to Coppermine Creek and this will be our real turn around point, with a lunch stop at Cockatoo Island Resort, 

our first restaurant in 7 weeks!

Silver Gull Creek

We are at Silver Gull Creek which is just about as far west as we are going.
We might go to Coppermine Creek but it is only a few miles west of here.
Stay tuned for more updated posts while we have some internet.

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