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!