This morning we awoke to a spectacular Kimberley sunrise where Mother Nature created a few new colors. She also produced a quite breezy day, just enough to keep the temperature down. Our intrepid adventurers boarded the Zodiacs at 7:00 a.m. and made our way across a choppy Koolama Bay to the mouth of the King George River.
As our flotilla of Zodiacs snaked its way along the river, we saw the stunning beauty of the gorge and the natural colours of the sandstone, exposed by the erosion taking place relentlessly. As we journeyed upriver, we observed osprey nests, eastern reef egrets, pied oyster catchers and of course salt water crocodiles. The sandstone canyon was spectacular and we took a plethora of pictures that we knew would not do the scenery justice.
Close to the edge of the river and the falls, we saw great examples of ‘honeycomb erosion’ where water whipped up by the wind has dried within the sandstone structure, dislodging particles one at a time.
A number of us had chosen the five-hour tour that included a hike to the top of the falls. After a brief chance to take photos of the waterfalls, we motored toward the north-eastern bank to commence the climb up the side of the gorge.
With our expedition leader Darrin leading the way, we trekked up the steep track to the plateau from where we made our way to the top of King George Falls. The view was stunning and the clicking of camera shutters could be heard constantly. We saw the Zodiacs cruising along the sandstone walls, our fellow guests peering upwards in awe and the Zodiacs leaving a white trail of foam as they journeyed to their destination at the end of the gorge.
A few of us could not resist the call of the inviting water and slipped in for a refreshing swim. Although it was quite shallow as this is nearing the end of the dry season, it was refreshing, it was then time to slowly make our way back down 100 meters below to our waiting Zodiacs.
To our surprise, the ships galley had organized a treat for us once we had returned from the falls. Tucked in behind a rocky cliff hid a refreshment Zodiac, with champagne, orange juice and gourmet croissants being served.
For those of us who didn’t do the walk up the falls there was a opportunity to do a mystery tour, to a secret lagoon across the other side of Koolama bay, and what a treat it was to turn a corner of a massive cliff to see a beautiful lagoon trapped by the falling tide, the surprises just keep on coming.
The final Zodiacs arrived back to the National Geographic Orion just as the sun was slipping below the horizon and we were all treated to yet another display of colours that were unknown to us before our expedition in the Kimberley began.
