Darwin to Broome

Day 1

Today is just the beginning of our fantastic adventure. Today we make our way to Sydney, so that we will be ready for our early morning flight to Darwin tomorrow.

Day 2

We have an early start today, following breakfast and a transfer to Sydney airport we board our direct flight to Darwin departing at 8.15 am. Our Qantas flight takes around four and a half hours and should have us arriving at 12.20pm. From the Darwin airport we have a brief sightseeing tour on the way to our centrally located hotel where we can check in and enjoy some free time. We are lucky enough to be in Darwin on a Thursday night, so we are going to take the chance to explore the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Market. It is a major social event and this fabulous local market offers over 200 stalls with nearly 60 food stalls from more than 30 different countries - where we can buy some dinner (at own expense). With the multi-cultural background of Darwin, we are sure to be tempted by the delicious food and smells as we wander through the market! At a pre-arranged time, we transfer back to our accommodation.

Day 3

We farewell Darwin early this morning to make the most of our day! We travel south on the Stuart Highway, named after John McDouall Stuart - the first European to cross Australia from the south to the north. About 45 minutes south of Darwin we visit the award-winning Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs. It's an interesting drive as we pass by exotic fruit farms, nature parks, banana plantations, orchid nurseries, dairy cattle and crocodile farms. In fact the salt water crocodile is the Northern Territory's most famous resident! The local tropical vegetation in this area is home to a great variety of birds, reptiles, mammals and a myriad of insects. We continue south to Adelaide River where we have a slight detour to visit the Adelaide River War Cemetery, the site of the only Australian war cemetery on Australian soil. There are 432 servicemen and 63 civilians, all of whom died as a result of Japanese bombing raids, buried in the cemetery. It's a very peaceful place. Adelaide River is also our lunch venue before visiting the Top Didj Cultural Experience and Art Gallery, that showcases work from local artists, as well as, artifacts, a large range of didgeridoos, boomerangs, weaving, clap sticks and carvings. Local Top End artist, Manuel Pamkal will showcase his local culture and the significance of his painting style, as well as how he lived off the land and the weapons he used to do so. After an interesting day we arrive in Katherine.

Day 4

Of course, a visit to Katherine would not be complete without a cruise through Katherine Gorge. Sit back and relax as the tranquil surroundings transport us into a spiritual world of Jawoyn culture and history. Discover the music, stories and ways of the Jawoyn against a magnificent backdrop of cliff faces changing with the morning sun. We return to Katherine for some free time to purchase lunch. This afternoon we join Golden Guitar winner and horseman extraordinaire, Tom Curtain as he entertains us with his Katherine Outback Experience. The show celebrates life in the outback through real horse-starting, working dog demonstrations, live music and humour bush tales.

Day 5

From Katherine we travel to Victoria River Crossing and Timber Creek at the northern edge of the Gregory National Park. This park covers 12,500 square kilometres and is in a transitional zone between tropical and semi-arid regions. We then cross the border into Western Australia. The state of Western Australia is the largest in the country and covers approximately one third of the whole of Australia. Just over the border we turn south to Lake Argyle for lunch. One of the many highlights of our tour to the Kimberley Ranges will be our cruise this afternoon from below the massive wall of Lake Argyle into Lake Kununurra, 55 kilometres downstream. The Ord River Scheme was a progressive and far-sighted move to develop the tropical north of Western Australia. During 'the wet' the rivers of the East Kimberley become raging torrents. At times the Ord River can empty 50 million litres a second into the Cambridge Gulf!

Day 6

For those of us who have booked an optional flight over the Purnululu National Park (the Bungle Bungles), we will be collected early morning. For those of us not wanting to fly, this is the perfect opportunity for a sleep-in! Mid-morning, we join a local tour company and take a tour of Kununurra. Kununurra which means "big water" was established as the residential and administrative centre of the Ord River Scheme - a huge irrigation scheme which was developed in the 1970s. On our touring today we will see and hear about the ORD Stage 2 and the seasonal farming operations, as well Diversion Dam, Ivanhoe Crossing and the Pumphouse. We stop at the Hoochery Rum Distillery, Kimberley Ornamental Stonecraft and the Sandalwood shop for the chance to see many of the local products from the region.

Day 7

This morning we depart Kununurra and head south to Warmun for a visit to the Warmun Aboriginal Art Centre. After an interesting morning we travel to Halls Creek, on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. The town is full of stories and relics as it was the site of Western Australia's first gold rush. One of the more famous stories is of Russian Jack, a man who carried his injured mate in a wheelbarrow for over 300 kilometres to get medical attention. A statue is dedicated to his amazing feat here in town. Just outside of Halls Creek is the China Wall. The amazing natural white stone formations rise high out of the ground and then disappear back into the earth again, making it look like a miniature Great Wall of China.

Day 8

This morning, we continue west through the magnificent red mountain scenery of the Kimberley to Fitzroy Crossing. We enjoy lunch at the Lodge, and later this afternoon we travel out to nearby Geikie Gorge where we take a cruise through this spectacular landscape. The Fitzroy River has carved its path through the fossil "Barrier Reef" formed 300 million years ago, resulting in mountainous cliffs and breathtaking scenery.

Day 9

Our destination today is Broome, but on the way, we have a little detour to see the famous Boab Prison tree, 7 miles south of Derby, which was used in the early days as an overnight lock up for prisoners before the final trek into Derby. Capable of holding a number of prisoners, it has an entrance which is about one metre wide and two metres high. Have your photo taken in front of the water trough - at 120m long and 1.2m wide, locals claim it is the biggest water trough in the southern hemisphere. From here we now head to Broome and just to the north we visit the Willie Creek Pearl Farm. Following lunch our fascinating tour will give us an insight into the process of pearl farming, from shell to showroom. Set amongst the crystal-clear waters and mangrove lined banks of Willie Creek, we'll learn how pearl technicians seed and harvest oysters and discover exactly what makes the perfect pearl. Our visit will also include lunch, a boat cruise and time for some retail therapy. Late afternoon we arrive in Broome and check into our accommodation located at Cable Beach.

Day 10

We take a historical sightseeing tour of Broome this morning on board the Broome Tramway. On our 1-hour tour we learn about Broome, the Pearling Industry and see Chinatown, the Old Lock Up, Paspaley Pearl Luggers Ship Building Shed, Sun Pictures, Kennedys Store, Streeters Jetty and many more iconic sites of Broome. Next, we visit the fascinating attraction, Pearl Luggers. It's often said that Broome's pearling industry is as rich in culture as it is in pearls. We'll be taken through an exciting array of pearling equipment with memorabilia from actual hard hat diving suits to the hand powered pumps which fed precious air to the divers below. We have some free time to purchase lunch in Broome before returning to Cable Beach and have some free time before dinner.

Day 11

We have a totally free day today. Some may like to take an optional tour to visit the stunning Horizontal Falls, or just take in the sights around Broome and visit the Courthouse markets. Late afternoon we will be heading into Broome, as we are lucky enough to be in Broome for the Staircase to the Moon. The Staircase to the Moon is a natural phenomenon observed between April and October only. It is caused by the rising of a full moon reflecting on the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide creating a beautiful optical illusion of a staircase reaching up to the moon. The Staircase to the Moon markets is held on specific times and tonight we are in luck. Wander around the colourful local stalls under the stars, sample the tastes of Broome cuisine, listen to local live music and take in the spectacular Staircase to the Moon.

Day 12

Following breakfast and check-out procedures, we transfer to Broome Airport to board our flight to Melbourne that departs at 11.35am. Arriving in Melbourne at 5.30pm we have around 2 hours before our Hobart flight departs at 7.30pm and arrives back in Hobart at 8.45pm with some fabulous memories of our holiday to the Kimberley!

B=Breakfast, L =Lunch, D=Dinner