Natural Wonders of Australia & the Kimberley Coastline

Welcome to Sydney. Upon arrival you’ll check into your hotel for a four-night stay, a short stroll from the harbour. Meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner. 

Discover Sydney this morning on your city tour. Hear the stories of the early settlement and see the 18th century sandstone architecture. Continue to the Eastern suburbs and pass through the neighbourhood of the rich and famous. Enjoy a short coastal walk with views of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Stop at Bondi Beach with a chance to put your toes in the sand before heading back to the city for an afternoon at leisure.  Enrich Take a guided tour of Sydney’s most famous place, the Opera House, and discover the stories, history, and magic behind this iconic landmark. Then experience dinner at the Bennelong Restaurant, located in the sails of the Opera. 

Freechoice: Visit Taronga Zoo or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains, discovering some local wildlife along the way. Alternatively, enjoy a Sydney Harbour Lunch Cruise.

Today, Sydney is yours to discover. Stroll across the famous Harbour Bridge or get your cultural fix at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Remember, your Tour Director is on-hand to offer any advice. 

Fly to the centre of Australia for your two-night Special Stay, a unique retreat.  Enrich Tonight, you’re invited to a dining experience set amidst an outdoor exhibit called Field of Light. The mesmerising artwork, ideated by Bruce Munro, will be created from thousands of bulbs planted in the desert surrounding Uluru in the outback. As the sun sets and the lights twinkle, you’ll enjoy canapés, complimentary drinks, and authentic Australian cuisine. 

Freechoice: Watch the sun rise over Uluru, before choosing from several exciting activities. Take to the asphalt for a leisurely ride on a Harley Davidson™, in the capable hands of an experienced rider, embark on an Uluru Highlights and Cultural Tour, or trek around the rock’s giant base. This afternoon is yours to discover the mysteries of Kata Tjuta and walk through Walpa Gorge. Finish the afternoon enjoying the sunset over Uluru from the viewing area. 

Fly to Cairns, the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. This afternoon visit Rainforestation and have a close encounter with some Australian animals and an Aboriginal dance performance. Travel on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and see from above the Australia’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Glide metres above the pristine jungle canopy between Kuranda and Cairns. Enjoy your three-night stay at one of the newest hotels in town. 

No trip to Australia would be complete without a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, a 2,300km-long ecosystem comprised of thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of coral. Travel to Port Douglas and take a high-speed catamaran to a pontoon moored on the Outer Barrier Reef. Snorkel with an instructor and enjoy viewing the coral and sea life from a semi-submersible boat, taking a closer look at the underwater life. 

Freechoice: Soar over the Atherton Tablelands on a hot air balloon flight at sunrise or go for a day trip to Cape Tribulation and experience the world’s oldest rainforest.

Say goodbye to the East Coast and fly to Darwin, the cosmopolitan capital city of the North. Discover the town during an orientation tour before arriving at your hotel for your overnight stay. 

Embark in the Northern Territory’s multicultural capital of the ‘Top End’ of Australia. Despite surviving two cyclones and several air raids, Darwin is distinguished by its relaxed lifestyle. Enjoy your day at leisure.

At 112 kilometres long and 100-metre wide, the thundering King George River Falls is an unforgettable experience. The highest twin waterfalls in Western Australia, it is accessible only by water or air. With her sleek, yacht-shaped design, Scenic Eclipse II was custom-built to access such remote locations. Make your way along the river’s tranquil waters, through towering gorges – home to Brahminy kites, egrets and kingfishers. Discovery: Take a roundtrip by Zodiac for a breathtaking close-up of the falls, weaving past spectacular 80-metre-high sandstone cliffs and mangroves where you might spot a sunning crocodile or birdlife such as ospreys, falcons, egrets and kingfishers. April and May are when the falls are at their most thunderous, weather and tides permitting, our Discovery Team may take you close enough for a natural shower.

After an overnight journey on board your luxurious Discovery Yacht, you’ll stop at the sheltered and secluded Vansittart Bay, a place of significant indigenous cultural history. Fitted with state-of-the-art GPS Dynamic Positioning system, Scenic Eclipse II will be held in position close to Jar Island in the bay’s southwest pocket, negating the need to drop anchor on ecologically sensitive seabeds. Discovery: Board a Zodiac for a transfer to a small sandy beach to explore the area with the expert Discovery Team.  Join a hike to see what’s regarded as some of the oldest rock paintings in Australia, dating back approx. 17,300 years. The ancient and mysterious Gwion-gwion is one of two primary art forms found in the Kimberley.

The morning is yours to enjoy as you wish. Book a Senses Spa treatment~ a Yoga or Pilates session, plunge into the Vitality Pool, or simply relax and indulge in 6-star ultra-luxury on board Scenic Eclipse II. After the day’s exploration of Australia’s most remote marine parks, Ashmore Reef, settle in at one of the eight bars and lounges to enjoy a beverage of choice. Indulge in over 100 varieties of aged whiskey at the Scenic Lounge Bar. Discovery: Take a Zodiac cruise with the Discovery Team around the reef where the three islands are uninhabited yet home to an abundance of bird and sea life. Internationally recognised, each year around 100,000 seabirds from 40 different species flock to the reef to breed.

Today Swift Bay offers the opportunity to see both styles of Kimberley rock painting in close proximity to each other. Gwion-gwion and Wandjina paintings are within a short Zodiac ride of our Discovery Yacht. Discovery: Join the Discovery Team in viewing the ancient rock art galleries Gwion-gwion (formerly known as ‘Bradshaw’ paintings) depict enigmatic human figures in dynamic stances. Wandjina are spiritual creators and rain-providers which continue to feature strongly in the Kimberley’s Indigenous culture.

Today, Scenic Eclipse II glides through York Sound to the mouth of the Hunter River. A true wilderness with jaw-dropping panoramas of wild escarpments, monsoon rainforests and the four-tiered Mitchell Falls, carved out over millennia. Watch nature’s magnificent show as the sun sets, cocktail in hand. Discovery: Tides permitting, the Zodiacs can take you past towering sandstone cliffs, pristine mangrove forests and iconic landscapes such as Prince Frederick Harbour, Porosus Creek and Hunter and Roe Rivers.  Look out for ospreys and saltwater crocodiles within this prehistoric landscape. Tides and timings permitting, a stop at Careening Bay in the Prince Regent National Park is where you may view the famous Mermaid Tree, an enormous bifurcated boab on which the ship’s crew of the HMC Mermaid carved the name of the ship and year, 1820.

Wake to a completely new vista at Montgomery Reef, the world’s largest inshore reef that boasts some of the Earth’s biggest tidal changes reaching up to 10 metres (33 feet). As the tides rise or fall, both soft and hard coral are exposed, falling below sea level to create a remarkable spectacle. Discovery: Join the Discovery Team to explore Montgomery Reef by Zodiac and if the timing is perfect, discover thousands of small waterfalls cascading down the reef and see incredible marine life including sea turtles, octopi, sharks, rays, dolphins and more. Go ashore at Freshwater Cove located on Worrora country and meet with traditional Dambimangari guides of the Arraluli clan and be immersed into the importance of their culture. Hear about the Traditional Owners and the story of how the Wijingarra, or native spotted quoll came into being and how the area’s freshwater was created.

Sir David Attenborough named the Horizontal Falls at Talbot Bay “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.” Created by a unique combination of geology and massive tidal surges squeezed through two narrow cliff passages, this is the only place in the world where horizontal falls exist. After a full day exploring this fascinating region, relax in the Vitality Pool located on the Sky Deck, and gaze out across the breathtaking panoramic views.    Discovery: Explore by Zodiac some of the planet’s most unique waterways. Conditions permitting, journey through the narrow Talbot Creek, locally known as Cyclone Creek, to reveal gorgeous sandstone folding where you may spot rock wallabies on outcrops and 18 different species of birdlife including Australian ibis, Brahminy kite and brown honeyeater.

Koolan Island and Cockatoo Islands are known as the Iron Islands; for enthusiasts of geology and geography they are of significant interest.  Over thousands of years, powerful tides have forged rugged cliffs of deep orange ochre. Discovery: Our exploration by zodiacs and ashore will take in a unique native flora and fauna, including sea turtles and nesting birds, that flourish in the wilds of this remote location. Over lunch onboard, we sail to remote and beautiful Oolin / Sunday Island, once home to the Jawi tribe that lived on the mission that was established in 1899.  We meet local Jawi woman, Rosanna Angus, whose family lived on Sunday Island in the early days of the mission.

Today, well visit a chain of four flat coral islands where tens of thousands of seabirds thrive, including over 50 bird species like  frigate birds, crested terns, pelicans, and speckled ruddy turnstones. As this is your last evening on board, gather with new friends in one of the eight bars and lounges, sharing stories and photos of your wonderful journey of discovery. Discovery: Join the Discovery Team on a Zodiac cruise and learn and see about the amazing wildlife such as the successful eradication of rats in 1986 to rejuvenate these treeless islands into a wildlife haven. Notably, its home to around 18,000 pairs of brown boobies, possibly the worlds largest colony, and 20,000 roseate terns in the A-class Nature Reserve. Now, its Western Australias most important breeding habitat for green turtles and where thousands of humpback whales come to calve.

Your Discovery Voyage concludes today. Enjoy your final morning and take the chance to reflect on the rare and incredible experiences and the remarkable places you’ve visited, some of which very few have been before. Bid farewell to your friendly crew and new friends as you disembark in Broome. Please book your flight to depart out of Broome after 12:00 PM. The waterways of the Kimberly region are part of a tidal river system which results in changing water levels in the region. Every effort is made to keep to the itinerary stated above however based on tides and operational requirements the itinerary is a guide only and may be amended. Please refer to our terms and conditions for further information. ~Spa treatments at additional cost.