TRAVEL | KIMBERLEY REGION, WA
98 | TRADEABOAT.COM.AU
andaspristineasnaturecouldmakethem.
Thatsameafternoon,wepushedupanever-
arrowingcreekandthentookthetinnieseven
further,towherewecouldsetupa campforthe
nightona flatrockshelfawayfromanythreat
fromcrocodiles.
Asthetidereceded,wewereessentially
marooneduntilthenexthightide,butwhata
gloriousplacetobeabandoned.
SECRETSEA
NorthofBiggeIslandweturnedforhome,after
a coupleofdaysoflandexploration,ourreturn
tracktakingusthroughtheouterislandsofthe
BonaparteArchipelago.
ButGreghadsavedoneofthehiddengems
andnaturalwondersoftheKimberleyforour
lastnight.
EdgingpastPeckedIsland,weworkedourway
alongthemainlandcoastthroughboab-dotted
CascadeBayintoa channelthathadremained
hiddenuntiltheverylastmoment.
Handingmethehelm,Gregdirectedmeto
keeptheKimberleyXplorerinthemiddleof“The balmy evenings of the Kimberley
coast add to the allure of going to
sleep on a calm sea with a myriad
of stars above”
the stream. The current was running furiously
with whirlpools and peaking one-metre waves
slewing the boat one way and then the other, such
was the tide’s incredible power.
My hands gripped the wheel and my eyes flicked
between the nearby shores and the depth sounder,
the water less than 100 metres from shore being
more than 50 metres deep in places where the
current had scoured the bottom down to bedrock.
Suddenly the pass opened up and we were
through and into the calm tranquil waters of the
‘Inland Sea’, where a small group of dolphins
joined us for the last few hundred metres to our
final night's anchorage.
Essentially the Inland Sea is a large bay that
is almost totally enclosed by hills and cliffs and
eight islands strewn across its concealed entrance.
No wonder we hadn't seen this secluded port
when we had sailed by on our first day – even
though we had all been looking and admiring
the coastline.
Next morning, the water like glass, we took
another channel out of the Inland Sea and within
a half hour were running with the tide into King
Sound, the water getting muddier by the minute.
None of us cared – it had been an unforgettable,
extraordinary and outstanding adventure.
Everyone deserves to experience the magic of
the Kimberley sometime.ABOVE A pristine beach ideal for a swim