Midnight at the Oasis (Broome)

The day began as usual with breakfast at the Bar and Grill. Nothing to report really. Another perfect day in paradise. Blue skies that go on for ever and a sparkling turquoise ocean. I could sit here forever. Going back to work on Monday is certainly going to be a shock for the system.

A little dude at the jetty

We went for a walk on the beach post breakfast as has become the routine. The heat builds quickly, so it is advisable to do as much activity in the morning as you possibly can and then hide from the afternoon heat. Not possible for us today as we have a Jetty to Jetty tour booked for the afternoon. As it turned out we were the only passengers on the coach - read minibus. What attracted us to this tour was the cultural underpinning. We had also seen something similar, I thought the same, on another site that was actually conducted by a local Aboriginal man. I was a little disappointed to be greeted by a white bus driver, who, it turns out, is from Cairns. Another person here for work in the dry season.

The cultural component of the tour was delivered by cd over the sound system on the bus. Not quite the real thing. The stories were interesting and it is a good way to orient yourself in Broome and identify places to visit later. If you have the luxury of time that is, which we do not. It is peak season and many of the options we looked at were fully booked. The tour went from Streeter's Jetty in Chinatown to the old jetty at Town Beach covering points of interest in between.

The Sun Pictures is the longest running open air picture theatre in the world and opened in 1913. It is quite unremarkable in the current age, but in its day was incredible. On a big tide the patrons would have to wade through water as they exited the theatre. The foyer has memorabilia dating back to the early days of the theatre, cameras, photographs, advertisements and a rickshaw. There was of course, segregation and seating was arranged accordingly. In a counter intuitive move the indigenous were placed at the back of theatre and would have been the last to get wet on a rising tide. The children were seated on the floor at the very front of the theatre. About this I make no comment, imagine a wry smile on my face dear reader.

A photo of a photo of high tide

The statue

The pearl masters regularly used the local aboriginal population as divers, even though they weren't supposed to. It appears 'blackbirding' was common in many parts of Australia. The most concerning of these practices was the use of pregnant women because it was believed they had superior lung capacity. There is a statue of a pregnant Aboriginal woman emerging from the water holding a pearl shell in front of her. I'm undecided as to whether this recognises their contribution to the industry or if it represents their abuse - they were slaves and completely powerless. Have the intervening years changed this aspect of history? We have a marvellous ability to rewrite history as far as our indigenous brothers and sisters are concerned.

Town Beach looking toward the new pier

We have discussed returning and would probably come here for a week. That would allow us to visit the Bird Zoo, go fishing and participate in some of the genuine cultural experiences, without feeling rushed or pressured. Despite the obvious wealth of activities, Broome is also a great place to relax. Cable Beach Resort is ideally situated a stone's throw from the beach - late breakfasts and long walks on the beach make for a very relaxing holiday.

All up, the Jetty to Jetty tour was exactly what was advertised. I guess our expectations were a little too high.

Our last night in Broome began with dinner at the Sunset Bar and Grill with a front row table and a view of the sunset for which people would have queued. Thank you to Jonti for organising such an excellent table for us. Of course, the camera was back in our room as we sipped a glass of champagne and watched the crowds arrive and the sun sink slowly into the Indian Ocean. I didn't even have my phone, dear reader, with which to chronicle the moment. However, Jayne had hers and the photos are courtesy of her handiwork.

Midnight at the oasis

As we sat and watched the sunset and made significant life choices, like what to have for dinner, we became aware that a very aromatic event was happening before us. Well, it was apparent to our noses before it became a visual spectacle. It was midnight at the oasis (Maria Muldaur, 1973) and the camels were going to bed. They were returning from their sunset walk along Cable Beach. Happily for you my fortunate reader, the attached picture is not a scratch and sniff. We watched as three lines of camels made their way past the restaurant and down the road to where ever it is they sleep. It provided momentary interest and distracted the crowds from the sunset and the increasing traffic jam of 4WD vehicles attempting to exit the beach.

Our last supper was not quite without event. The scallops and duck rillette were very nice, but Jayne went adventurous with her rib-eye fillet and ordered medium-rare to my my rare and had to send it back for some more time on the grill. Other than that, this is a great place to dine and while away the evening.

The next morning commenced far earlier than anticipated as we were woken by a knock at the door. After the scramble to make myself presentable, I staggered to the door and opened it to find a surprised housekeeping person standing there with a handful of coin. "You asked for your change to be brought to your room ... oh, sorry, I think I have the wrong room." Yup. It was 6:14am. Not quite the wake up we expected. As a result we were at breakfast earlier than we have been since we arrived. It was of course another stunner of a morning. It really is perfect weather up here, if you can avoid the afternoon heat ... and you're not working.

Checking out found us sitting at the Cichetti Café blogging, clearing email, reading, drinking a very nice Italian Rosé from Venice and waiting for our 1:30pm airport shuttle.

The Broome airport has a Regional Lounge. Emphasis here is on regional. It is tiny. The wine is in those teeny weeny bottles they serve on the plane. The red wine shares the fridge with the white wine. Once we managed to find our way up the stairs, there is no disabled access that we could see, we discovered the fridge with the alcohol was locked. Apparently we passed the attendant on the stairs and she locked the alcohol up before she left. Seriously Qantas? That is pathetic. What are you concerned about? Do you think your Business Class, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One flyers can't be trusted? Absolutely ridiculous. You have done northing to encourage me to maintain my loyalty on this trip. Almost 6 and a half hours late leaving Sydney and all we get is "sorry". Customer care in your company extends to lip service and ticking boxes so it appears you've done the right thing.

Aside from that, it was an uneventful trip home. We made lots of friends in the "lounge" discussing the lack of Qantas customer care. And we are now home watching the Ashes Test on TV.

The next holiday dear reader is to New Caledonia ... in November to celebrate, or avoid celebrating with people I know, my next significant birthday. But then, at my age, every birthday is significant.

Until November.

Stars on 45 (Broome)

Remember the single? Dear reader, do you? It was a medley of hits from Shocking Blue's Venus through to a stack of Beatles numbers - google it and have a listen, you know you want to. So why did I choose this as today's title? Well, it's been a while since I have sat down to record what we've been doing, so today's post is going to cover our arrival and disembarkation in Broome and the next couple of days. This will possibly be the penultimate post of this sojourn. I anticipate Sunday night will be the final word and the unveiling of the next trip. Yes, dear reader, it is booked and it is later this year.

The final night at sea proved to be benign which made for a pleasant stay after the previous night. We packed and had our bags in the corridor before we went to bed. That left breakfast, collecting our passports, immigration and a bus into Cable Beach. At least breakfast went smoothly. It was a tad crowded because it was unusual for everyone to be converging on the dining room at the one time. Ken and Moya joined us for one last time and we said farewell to Rizal who had looked after us so well over the last 11 days.

The queue to pick up our passports and then immigration was long and unmoving for reasons that no-one could quite fathom. It is curious that we had to be processed by immigration since no-one left the ship anywhere but on Australian soil. However, sailing through the night into Indonesian waters and having our passports stamped by Indonesian Immigration ensured we had to complete immigration declaration cards. I'm still not certain why we required a "technical stop: in Indonesian waters "- it was speculated so that the cruise line wouldn't have to pay the staff Australian wages.

Once through immigration, the buses were delayed. The Broome wharf is quite long and pedestrian traffic is not allowed so everyone arrives and leaves by vehicle. With only one lane open due to rectification work, it was a slow process. The captain was at the door to say goodbye and expedition crew lined the wharf as we identified our bags for packing onto the bus. Aside from the minor issue of a temporarily missing bag, all went well.

Cable Beach

The view form the lookout on Dampier terrace

We arrived at Cable Beach Club Resort with 35 others from the cruise which meant that reception was very crowded and they were experiencing technical printer problems which meant no one could check out or in. We opted for a real cup of coffee, the first since leaving Darwin and allowed the queue to look after itself. The Resort is very large and quite well appointed. Around the corner from reception is an Italian style café where we sought refuge. 

There was no rush, we'd already been told our rooms wouldn't be ready until 3pm, so we booked a shuttle into Broome's China Town.

While wandering the pearl shops, one lady engaged us in conversation and suggested that Jayne purchase a single pearl to swapped out with her diamond pendant. Interesting, but not yet.

Same again

We located the Kimberley Bookshop where we wanted to purchase the book on Gwion Gwion art that Josh had recommended. Tim, one of the other expedition leaders was also in there buying books on Aboriginal art as well. We purchased the book after a chat with Tim and the owner of the store. It has an amazing array of books if you're ever up this way and is certainly worth a visit.

It appears that everyone on the cruise had been disgorged into the shopping precinct. We even ran into Ken and Moya one more time - it was like we had never left the ship.We wandered the streets looking at pearls - when in Broome. Until it was midday and time for our appointment at Paspaley Pearls. Disappointingly the talk had began before we arrived and before the designated time. A glass of champagne made amends. The talk was quite interesting and we both learnt a lot about pearls and what to look for when purchasing them. This would have been excellent information in 2015. Curiously, Jayne had brought some of her pearls with her and luckily they all passed the lustre test - we had done well.

Following the talk, we spoke with the assistant and tried to identify the pearl necklace Jayne didn't buy when we were in Darwin in 2009. We discussed what it looked like and flicked through back catalogues, all to no avail. It was not to be added to the collection.

It was a balmy 31° so it was time to seek shade, shelter, food and beer. It is important to stay hydrated. We went to the Roey for lunch. Lou and Jorge (expedition leaders) were also there. Wow too much food, massive serves. The beer was good.

Back onto the Explorer Bus for the 15 minute trip back to the Resort and into our room to unpack. The resort is directly opposite Cable Beach. There are plenty of food options: Zanders on the beach does breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Sunset Bar and Grill, attached to the resort, does breakfast and dinner.

We went for a slow walk along the top of the dune and then down onto to the beach. The water is the most amazing turquoise colour. The tides are massive, around 8 metres, which translates to over 100 metres from high tide line to low tide. The beach is over 22 km long and the section to the north of the designated swimming area allows 4wd vehicles. And camels. Apparently they co-exist. The sunset camel tours wander the northern end of the beach everyday at sunset.

At 5:30pm we were in position to photograph the sun setting on the water. The car park was now bulging at the seams, as was Zanders and the Sunset Bar. Apparently this is a daily phenomenon during the dry. Yes, I was there too, but it's not the first time I've seen the sun disappear into an ocean. I'm really not sure of the fascination.

It was now time to return to our verandah and sit in the shade and sip champagne. There was plenty of wild life to experience as the sun went down. A Tawny Frogmouth camped on the corner of our umbrella before seeking a higher vantage point. A couple of wallabies appeared in the darkness, eating their way along the verandahs of the downstairs units. A flying fox landed in the palm tree and began feasting on the fruit. Not to mention the blue tongue lizard that greeted us in the afternoon.

We decided that we had done enough for the first day back on dry land and retired for the night.

Thursday was another postcard day in Broome, starting with alfresco breakfast as the Sunset Bar & Grill, followed by another stroll along the beach, this time in the direction of the 4wd armada.  The tide was on the way out, creating a compact sandy road for the vehicles and us to walk on.  There were rock pools but they were curiously devoid of any sea life, plant or animal.

The view from breakfast

We decide to book for a late seafood platter at Zanders but we were told there was no need as our preferred time of 3pm would be very quiet.  In the meantime we decided to walk around the corner to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm Showroom to browse this outlet away from the town centre and then to catch a bus into Chinatown to buy some cheese, biscuits and wine for later that evening.  Jayne was also on a mission to try to find a replacement sun shirt for the one that had been ripped on one expedition walk.

The shopping expedition can only be described as a success. I bought a new pair of yellow boardies at Ripcurl. Jayne found a sun shirt. We procured supplies and a pearl from Kailis pearls for Jayne's necklace. Wins all round. We misjudged the bus times and found ourselves at the bus stop 30 minutes early and sat people watching.

The bus spruiks the local sights as you are driven around town. They have deals with certain establishments for freebies, one of which is a 2 for 1 cocktail deal at Zanders. Since we were lunching there we thought we might commence with a cocktail. I had a passionfruit margarita and Jayne had a mango daquiri, followed by a very nice seafood platter for two. We made our way through the oysters Kilpatrick, prawns, calamari, cooked prawns, battered fish, barramundi, blue swimmer crab, fries and salad, washed down with a Margaret River rosé. The food was beautifully cooked and the staff were attentive, the view of Cable Beach is brilliant. We sat and watched the sun move towards the horizon and the crowds built steadily to watch the sun set. If you've never seen the sun set over water it looks something like this:

There goes the sun

There goes the sun

And I say, it's alright

Well, that's what they would have sung had they thought more about it.

We bailed just before sunset to avoid the larger crowds. When paying our bill, we presented our cocktail discount voucher as we had been directed to do by the wait staff, but the manager would not honour it. Apparently you have to have a specific bus ticket. Interestingly we had never been offered a ticket on any trip. I re-read the timetable when we got back to the apartment and while technically he was correct, the wording is not very clear and they are doing sound business as a result. His, "not my fault" claims were not well supported when he also stated "you are not the first people". So, he knew and has done nothing about the misleading advertising. While we would still have eaten, there we certainly would not have had the cocktails. A disappointing finish to an otherwise lovely day.

Back home to some wine and cheese on the verandah once the sun had set to watch the wildlife and the stars.

Until next time.

All Shook Up (Lacepede Islands)

This photo is not relevant to this post, but I love it.

We celebrated Jayne's birthday quietly at the downstairs restaurant with a bottle of French red - not the complimentary offering. It was lovely. We chatted with an American couple from Seattle. Scott has a serious camera and I have serious camera envy. Changing lenses is problematic when you are bouncing around in a zodiac and you have to time your movements with the rise and fall of the waves. The old Canon 1000D has given good service but it is time to look to a camera with one lens.

A restful sleep was not on the cards as the swell gradually got bigger. It was a rough night with the ship rolling with the waves. There were occasional bangs and scrapes as furniture moved around. We were fortunate to be in bed because it would have been very difficult to move around. It was still not smooth sailing at breakfast. Hence today's title, we were all shook up by the constant rocking of the ship.

A Booby teasing me with island beyond

It is our last full day on the ship and we have to complete the usual Australian Border Force paperwork. The amusing thing is that although we did leave Australian waters and enter Indonesian waters, it happened while we slept. Indonesian Immigration boarded the ship and checked the paperwork but we never left our stateroom. Answering the question: Country where you spent most time abroad? Australia - looks a little strange. The same applied for the bio issues associated with fresh water, animals and soil - all of that occurred in Australia as well.


The Captain has just announced that as the swell is still running at 1 metre, they will be sending an exploratory group to the islands to assess the conditions before they make a final decision as to whether we get into the zodiacs for one last time. I watched the zodiac return to the ship and it wasn't an easy journey so I will be surprised if we it make over to the islands. It's not just the smash and crash trip through the swell that presents a problem, it is getting people onto and off the zodiacs safely in the swell.

Famous people on board? Well no-one that I recognise, although there are a number of people who look familiar. There are two notable doppelgangers: Ivan Milat and Shane Warne. Picture Milat at the time of his trial and you have the perfect image. As for Warnie, I could see it if I squinted my eyes after several champagnes. The similarity began and ended with blonde hair, although I overheard a number people make comments about the bloke that looked like Warnie.

The Expedition Leader has just announced that it is still intended for us to head across the Lacepede Islands although we will be commencing later in the day and the length of the tour will be reduced by 30 minutes. We are scheduled to leave at 2:45pm which means it is champagne time.

Boobies everywhere! Enough said.

The islands are little more than a sand spit with some low scrubby vegetation. There are four of them,  making a 12km long chain, originally named Napoleon, Grant and Victoria - not sure what happened to the fourth name. Anyway, they were not good enough for the Australian cartographers who renamed them with flair and imagination: East, West, Sandy and Middle. The eradication of rats in 1986 made the islands a safe haven for birds and green sea turtles. The islands are home to one of the world's largest breeding colonies of Brown Booby - 18,000 pairs n fact. I've never seen so many Boobies. No really. Oh, stop it.

As today was our colour group's "sleep in" day, we are the last to depart and in fact our zodiac is the final one to be deployed for this entire expedition. The sea is almost smooth by the time we head off for the islands and as we approach, droves of Boobies swoop and glide over us - no sign of any fear about their behaviour.  They are so numerous in the skies that there are times when they almost collide into each other over head. While the birds look like they are coloured an iridescent blue under their wings, the vibrant hue is simply a reflection of the water as they fly above it.

Back in the day you could camp on the island.

We were warned to keep our mouths closed when looking up, but the worst we scored were some drips of water as they flew low over us. There were a few other bird varieties: sand plovers, oyster catchers, gulls, terns and herons. There were also turtles playing hide and seek. Up would pop a head, then down it would go as soon as it saw us. No chance to get the camera in position. No point either in telling anyone else in the zodiac about the lucky spotting.


It was a very pleasant afternoon on the water, particularly given what the morning wind and swell had promised.

Back to the cabin for showers and to dress for the final dinner. We had a table of 8 on the 4th deck but outside and shared the table with 2 people from Adelaide we hadn't met previously - which was a shame because we really enjoyed their company.

What are you looking at?

Tomorrow is disembarkation at Broome so the next post will probably cover that and our first impressions of the pearl town. It may also answer the question: was the cruise worth it? Of course, I may choose to string you along dear reader and not answer the question. You'll need to wait and read.

I'm coming for you. Mouths closed!

Until next time, internet willing.

Birthday (Montgomery Reef)

Time and tide wait for no man. I hear Hamlet chime in dear reader, nor woman neither. Ah, yes, a little Shakespearean joke to begin our daily blog post. Ok, a very little joke. Still, it amused me and I, after all, am the master of this page. If that's OK with my editor (it's OK - Jayne).

Today is my editor's birthday which is part of the reason we are here. I am taking suggestions for next year's trip. All assistance gratefully received.

Not easy to see, but there is a sandbank between us and this ship

The tide, as you may have guessed, set the agenda of the day - again. The zodiac trips from the ship to Montgomery Reef commenced at 6:15am. Our disembarkation from the Le Lapérouse was at 6:30, while the last group headed out at 8:00am. No sleep in for us (again), especially since at 5:30am they required the side gang way to be down as a last resort measure in case it was too rough to load the zodiacs from the aft deck, the usual disembarkation spot. This second point of departure is immediately adjacent to our stateroom and unfortunately when they decided to deploy the stairs, they put them down - none too quietly. Anyway, my dedicated reader, you know I prefer mornings. 

We were warned last night at briefing that we would get wet. It was time to break out the spray jackets. Not to keep me dry, but to protect the camera because I was not bringing the backpack today. Despite the warning the trip across to the reef was quite calm. The swell was choppy but slight and the breeze was at our backs.

Montgomery Reef covers an area of around 400 square kilometres and is about 80 metres long. Nothing unusual there, reefs come in all shapes and sizes. It is the tidal movement that makes it unique in the world. Yes, there is nothing like this anywhere else in the world. The reef is subject to tidal movement of up to 10 metres which creates a torrent of water and numerous cascading waterfalls as water pours off the emerging reef. It is a haven for birds and turtles, both of which we saw in huge number this morning. It also provides the reef birds with an easy meal as they simply have to wander around the corals and pick up any fish left stranded by the receding tide.  They do this night and day - whenever the reef emerges from the sea waters.

At first glance the reef resembles a rock, but close up you can see it is a mass of different coral. The coral has created its own adaptation to survive. It produces an enzyme resulting in a mucus that is akin to a 50+ factor sunscreen which stops any potential bleaching. Apparently the smell of this enzyme is not so pleasant. Fortunately the breeze helped the smell diffuse this morning.

The journey back to the ship was not so dry although I've experienced far worse. It was certainly bumpy as the zodiac crashed through the swell into the wind. Adrian did an excellent job steering and minimised the effect of the splash that would normally have seen me drenched. I was fortunate enough to be sitting at the front. While we did stay dry, the salt from the spray left interesting patterns on our clothes.

We were back on board and seated at breakfast by 8:30am, which allowed time for showers and recovery as well as few minutes catching up with the blog. As I sit here waiting for lunch and inspiration for the today's title, sipping my G&T, I reflect on the fact that A.B. Facey did not have a fortunate life, but I certainly do.

I wanted to explore these rocks ... but , no. Not on the itinerary.

After a relaxing lunch and a few wines, I discussed the possibility of returning to the zodiac and heading to Raft Point. The landing was not going to be comfortable - rocks and oysters. I prefer my oysters on a plate with a vinaigrette or lemon juice. The general consensus of those around us was ... nuh. Too hot for a 45 minute walk that would not be fun in the scorching sun to see art work that was similar to what we have already seen. I opted to return to the air conditioned stateroom and complete my work for the day.

Do they look baked in the sun? Note the change in water colour.

Dinner tonight is another gala dinner, our last. We have opted out of formality for casual dining. Well, it is the editor's birthday and she gets to choose. Thankfully, she chose well. And it is the birthday sentiment that proves a winner for today's title, except we are not going to a party, party, we are dining quietly away form the glitz and glamour. The Birthday song is by the Beatles, but you knew that.

Raft Point is around the first headland.

When we returned form dinner, there was a little surprise awaiting Jayne.

Tomorrow we are heading for the Lacepede Islands. It is our last full day on board Le Lapérouse as the expedition cruise comes to its conclusion.

Until next time ... or Broome, when we will have a reliable internet connection.

Under Pressure (Talbot Bay, Horizontal Falls)

Another post card morning, although this time as we woke up, we were moving towards Talbot Bay and had yet to move through the narrow channel. I'm sure it has a special name, but I can't recall, as Ronald Reagan said so often.

The view at breakfast

It was breakfast at 7am so we could see the journey through the islands and particularly the tight navigation through what is known as "the narrows". We scored a breakfast table outside and enjoyed the relative peace of the early morning while the staff fussed over us. Another day roughing it on an expedition voyage.

Post breakfast we went up to the Observation Deck on Pont 6 to enjoy sailing through the narrows. It was a beautiful morning, turquoise seas, sunshine and then wind in your face on the observation deck. Actually wind doesn't quite sum it up. I fought to open the door, removed my lanyard and glasses, placed both in my pocket and bravely pushed forward to a place at the rail. I'm not sure how they measure wind speed up here dear reader, but it was strong enough to blow a dog off a chain.

The second set of narrows

After having every wrinkle from my face smoothed out and my receding hairline moved another few centimetres up my head it was time to seek the relative safety of the cabin.

Random observation: it is difficult to not to observe other people's knees when seated on the pumped-up sides of a zodiac. Aside from hearing aides, the other go-to accessory appears to be vertical scars from the top of the shin to above knee. Neither Jayne nor I have this accessory or the other - and that is good.

From our initial observations, Talbot Bay is as busy as Pitt Street, Sydney at this time of the year.  There are a number of vessels, some private, some commercial, as well as a seasonal boat/pontoon complete with live-in staff and a helipad to receive the constant influx of visitors who fly in by sea plane or helicopter from, most probably, Broome.  The big draw card you ask?  The Horizontal Waterfalls to which we are headed both this morning and again this afternoon.  

The seaplane/helipad/fast boat pontoon and Le Lapérouse

This phenomenon that David Attenborough described as "one of the greatest wonders of the natural world" is a pair of breaks in a mountain range that has narrow entry and exit points through which the massive tidal flows of the Kimberley try to squeeze.  These create a huge back up of water on alternate sides of the gap which results in a tidal difference of almost 11 metres.  This massive movement of tidal water between the sides of the gap is a "horizontal waterfall" of up to 4 metres.

The trip out this morning was very wet, courtesy of the wind and the swell it whipped it up. I was saturated before we'd gone more than 100 metres. I shifted my back pack further down the zodiac to Jayne's care to protect the camera.

Note the water level

We observed the falls at a distance but were restricted in how close we could go. We could have certainly passed through the falls but the 70 horsepower of the zodiac outboard motor is not sufficient to come back against the tidal flow, such is its power and speed.  Had we gone through, we would not have been coming back any time soon.  At least until the change of tide. Therefore, we observed from a distance the powerful (1200 horsepower) fast jet boats that take tourists backwards and forwards through the gap and then we headed out to explore Cyclone Creek and its amazing rocky cliffs, bird life and river whirlpools.

An hour later - look at the water level

After the falls, we zodiaced (is that a word?) around the waterway into Cyclone Creek and a few other quiet waterways. We saw abundant birdlife in one of the backwaters, Brahminy Eagle, Whistling Kite, Friar bird, Rainbow Bee Eater, Honey Eaters, the list goes on.

The geology and geography is fascinating and far too complicated for this simple mind my dear reader. Perhaps photographs might display some of the curiosity of the area. The geology also provides today's title, that classic collaboration between David Bowie and Queen, Under Pressure. It was pressure that has created the twisted and tortured rock formations of the Kimberley.

Rocks ... under pressure

Back home it was time to reapply sunscreen and attend to lunch and the magical Rizal who appears at Jayne's shoulder with a bottle of French Rosé as soon as she is seated. Then back to the computer to work on the blog before this afternoon's trip through the falls on the fast boat.

The fast boat trip was, well, fast. As one might expect. It did have 4 x 300 horse power outboard motors to ensure passage against a  very strong current. In the time we had been back on board the tide had turned completely and was now running in the opposite direction. The driver told us that, at the change of tide, the falls are actually still for less than one minute before they resume their passage through the gap. We crossed back and forth through the gap a few times, but were unable to get through the second narrower set of falls.  The driver informed us that they will not pass through these unless the tidal difference is less than a metre. As with everything in this area, the tides rule and if they aren't right then you alter your plans.

It looks calm enough

Until you get closer

The tide is on the way out

The second falls- a no go zone today

The fast boat was a great experience and we didn't even get wet, something that is becoming increasingly unusual on our excursions. Back to a warm shower and a quick G&T and the daily recap. The G&T was quite pleasant, replacing the variable quality of the Piña Colada and confirming that I make a bad G&T - I have never mastered them at home.

Dinner was the usual 5 course affair on Deck 4.

Tomorrow we are up early again for a trip to Montgomery Reef. We board our Zodiac at 6:30am and we have been warned that, due to the predicted wind and swell, we will get wet.

Until next time ... internet connection willing.

Ant music (Freshwater Cove and Langgi, WA)

It is difficult to adequately capture the scenery as we wake each morning and pull back the curtains of our stateroom. For the past few days the scenery has been similar, sparkling azure blue seas, cloudless sunny skies, rocky islands and deserted beaches. The Kimberley holds an allure, promising everything but just holding back at the last minute. The water looks enticing even from the shade. Sitting in the sun for half an hour it promises even more ... but for the sharks and crocodiles. It's like that beautiful girl from your teenage years; always around but just out of your reach.

The title today? I know my dear reader it does come as a surprise. It is certainly not something in my vinyl collection, but it does link with an anecdote from today's adventure as you will read. Whatever happened to Adam and the Ants? One would think they'd make a comeback on the strength of the Ant-man movies.

Today was a special day. Well, yes, each day has been special, but today was more so. Today we met traditional owners on country. We were greeted by Naomi who marked our faces with red ochre. It is a sign of welcome and an agreement from us that we will respect the law and tradition. Following this we set off up the dune and across some open country to an indigenous gallery featuring rock art. The gallery is really an overhang that has been used for thousands of years to tell the stories of the Worrorra people.

The Worrorra are salt water people and are a part of the Wandjina culture and belief system. For those who remember the 2000 Olympics in Sydney the Wandjina featured in the opening ceremony. The Wandjina has eyes but no mouth because it has given the laws for the people to live by and they are not to be changed. The law is the law - no need to say anything else.

The walk to the gallery was described as "challenging". Perhaps one day I will find a stroll through the bush challenging but that day has not yet come. Although there was one area where we had to squeeze between two rocks. Apparently if you get through you are allowed to have dessert that night. If not ... well. Jayne almost made it through unscathed until her sun shirt grabbed part of the rock face and tore. I did work up a sweat for the first time because of the heat once we moved away form the beautiful sea breeze. There were flowering gums with friar birds chasing little honey eaters away from the blossoms. It was quite pleasant sitting in the shade listening to the birds while we waited for our turn in the gallery below the rocks we were on.

A disused green ant nest

Josh and one of the other guides pointed out various things to the group as we enjoyed the afternoon. "Ever tasted a green ant?" he asked me. "No" I replied as he reached forward with a green ant between his fingers. "You can bite off the green bit and crunch it. Or you can just lick it." I opted to lick it, several times. It has a bitter-sweet lemon flavour. I then released the little fellow back onto his nest. Apparently green ants are quite the on trend industry. There is green ant encrusted cheese and green ant gin. It was certainly a new experience and provided me with the title for today's blog.

The Worrorra people use the ants for a variety of medicinal purposes including rubbing them on the skin as an antiseptic, drinking water infused with the ants to induce breast milk flow and in concentrate, as a purported form of contraception.

The rock art was spectacular and Naomi's brother, Neil related stories to us from the Dreaming or Lalai, the creation time, as it is referred to up here. The stories are painted onto the ceiling of the overhang and relate to moral lessons; always listen to your parents, as well as explaining natural features of the area such as te whirlpools at Montgomery Reef. Again, I have photos, but we were requested not to post them on social media. If you are interested in looking at the art, Dr Google is more than able to assist you.

Following our talk from Neil, we made our way back to the beach where we were smoked by two of Neil's brothers to ensure the spirits didn't follow us back to the ship. Another zodiac ride, this time it was calm and smooth. Back on deck it was time to repair Jayne's shirt and have lunch. I have never eaten so much and the food is excellent - mostly.

Jayne at the smoking ceremony

There was a rather long break before the next zodiac outing at Langgi, 3 nautical miles from Freshwater Cove. The tide is a mere 8 metres today, so the landings and departures from the beach need to be carefully managed to ensure all guests get ashore and more importantly get back to the ship again.

Get ready for the splash

While we were whiling away the hours over lunch and a very nice, crisp French rosé, the shout "whale" went up. Indeed there were a couple of humpback whales not far from the ship waving fins and slapping tails in the water. That occupied us for a while and then we returned to our stateroom to process some photos and get some thoughts down for future blog posts. While enjoying the quiet of our balcony, Jayne saw some more humpbacks. In the space of a few minutes we saw more whale action here than we did on the entire whale watching expedition in Canada. And we stayed warm.

Watching the tide is fascinating. The speed at which it moves is quite frightening and it would be easy to caught unaware if you were not familiar with the area. As we made the beach at Langgi to see the Wandjini pillar rock formations there was a boat that was anchored, but on sand. On our return less than an hour later it was floating and too far out from the coast to wade to it.

The sand stone pillars along side a narrow the gorge on the beach at Langgi are up 3 metres tall. Two prominent pillars are the Wandjina and the wife he stole from another man.  They were hunted down on the beach and speared, immediately turning to stone, along with all the warriors that were surrounding them to enforce the law.  They stand there, frozen in time, to remind the Worrorra people of the way they should live.

This is the silhouette art shot

Given the shower you enjoy riding in a zodiac we generally have another as soon as we return to the ship. This ensures we are always clean and don't spread disease like they do on those nasty bulk cruise carriers. You know the ones I mean dear reader, they look like a block of flats parked at Circular Quay. All glitz and no substance.

Showered and dressed for dinner, it was down for the nightly recap and then briefing for tomorrow. A back row seat ensures a hasty get-away to check the newly posted lists for zodiac groupings and times.

Tomorrow we were supposed to be going to Montgomery Reef, but the tides are not right for that visit. Therefore, days are being swapped around and we are headed for Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls.

Until next time.