- Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia
- On the road to Margaret River, Western Australia
- Rottnest Island, Western Australia
- Back to Broome, Western Australia
- Lacepede Island, Western Australia
- Talbot Bay, Western Australia
- Montgomery Reef and Freshwater Cove, Western Australia
- Hunter River and Mitchell Falls, Western Australia
- Ashmore Reef, Australia
- Vansittart Bay, Western Australia
- King George River, Western Australia
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Agats, West Papua, Indonesia
- Kokas, West Papua, Indonesia
- Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia
- Yenwaupnor, Gam Island, Indonesia
- Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia
- Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
- Cenderwasih Bay, Indonesia Supplemental
- Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
- Garove Island, Papua New Guinea
- Duke of York Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea — and the trip takes a turn for the worse
- Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands and my health situation is still uncertain
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; a 72-hour pause in our trip; and a triumphant return!
- Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji
- Vulaga, Fiji
- Pangai and Nukupule Island, Ha’Apai Group, Tonga
- Vavau, Tonga
- Apia, Upolo, Samoa
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Maroe Bay, Huahine Iti, French Polynesia
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia and end of trip
Today, we visited the Hunter River, supposedly one of the most spectacular rivers along the Kimberley Coast and it’s hard to argue that point — especially given that it is said to have the highest proportion of saltwater crocodiles of any river in the Kimberley! And yes, we can certainly back that claim; there were crocs everywhere, including a very rare albino crocodile! The water is a deep aquamarine color which sets off the red rock cliffs and the intense green of all the mangroves that line the river. Starting out, we were immediately presented with the Kampamantiya, a more than 600 foot high sandstone escarpment that towers overhead. From there, we turned into Porosus Creek, a much narrower channel. Being that we were at low tide, the mudflats were alive with all sorts of life, including lots of mudskippers and crabs. There were also lots of birds including ospreys, Brahminy Kites, and Pacific Reef Herons. But the stars of the show were the crocs — lots of them! Many were basking in the mudflats, but there were quite a few that floated by us. We made our way up a very narrow inlet and I wondered if the crocs could create a blockade to keep up in there. Before I could think about that too much, we backed out and made our way back to the ship. A wonderful morning, but the fun was just beginning…
Later that morning we were off to visit Mitchell Falls (also known as Punamii-Uunpuu by the Wunambal people), a magnificent four-tiered waterfall, cascading down the sandstone cliffs. But it’s how we got there that made it so interesting — by helicopter! And this particular helicopter tour didn’t bother with little amenities like back doors; instead you were more or less hanging on the edge of the slipstream, which made taking pictures and videos a bit more challenging. We left from Naturaliste Island (damn, there’s that name again!) on a beautiful sandy beach and then flew up the Hunter River and then across the Mitchell Plateau to the falls, where we did a couple of flyovers before touching down, giving us an hour to wander around and get a more “up close and personal” view of the falls, pools, and river. On our way back, we flew over the Lower Mitchell Falls and JCR Falls (the initials of the first pilot that flew over them) before landing back at the beach. The falls were glorious and the flight provided a decent adrenaline rush. Quite a full day yesterday!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
