The Kimberley: Broome to Darwin

Broome, situated on a peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is known as the ‘pearl of the north’ due to its being the home of the South Sea pearls, among the largest commercially harvested cultured pearls in the world. In the 1800s Broome attracted pearl divers from Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, resulting in the delightful multicultural town it is today. Visitors can witness first-hand how Broome pearls are cultured on a cruise to a local pearl farm, and hear the romantic stories of the original pearl luggers. Read more about Broome, Australia

The Lacepede Islands (aka the Lacepedes) are a group of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the NW coast of Western Australia, 120 km north of Broome and 30 km from the mainland. They are all small and low-lying, being composed of coarse sand and coral rubble and are important breeding grounds for green turtles and colonies of seabirds including frigates, boobies and terns. In the late 1800s the mining and extraction of ‘guano’ (phosphate) from the islands was a lucrative extra for whalers hunting humpback, sperm and blue whales in the region. Read more about Lacepede Islands, Australia

The Buccaneer Archipelago is a group of 800 to 1000 rocky islands off the coast of Western Australia, near the town of Derby in the Kimberley region. William Dampier sighted the Archipelago in 1688, and it was named in 1821 by Captain Phillip Parker King "in commemoration of William Dampier’s visit". The islands are located in Yampi Sound, between King Sound to the south and Collier Bay to the north. Read more about Buccaneer Archipelago, Australia

Raft Point is an uninhabited headland with imposing steep cliffs on the Timor Sea, near the mouth of the Sale River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It overlooks a small sandy bay served by several creeks, and is ideal for crabbing and some amazing fishing. Raft Point is a base for shore expeditions to some of the country's most remarkable Aboriginal rock art. Read more about Raft Point, Australia

Read more about Careening Bay, Australia

Bigge Island is the second largest of the islands that comprise the Bonaparte Archipelago, off the coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The island is composed of weathered sandstones that form a rugged and barren landscape, but it is criss-crossed by many deep grooves and fissures, forming valleys that support the island's vegetation. Being uninhabited and free of feral creatures, it is a safe habitat for several vulnerable mammal species, including the small Monjon rock wallabies, the Ilangnalya, and the Northern Quoll. Read more about Bigge Island, Australia

Swift Bay, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is an inlet to the fractured coastline, 12 kilometres west of the Mitchell River inlet. The flat rocky shoreline, with little vegetation, does have a number of sandy beaches, and deep to the SW of the bay mangroves line the shoreline. In the waters of the bay are of course salt-water crocodiles you’ll see from your Zodiak. Read more about Swift Bay, Australia

The new Darwin cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf is adjacent to the convention centre, only one kilometre from Darwin’s CBD. Modern amenities, hotels and parking are there, plus a mini-market with beautiful local productions – Aboriginal art and crafts, diamonds and opals, and eateries, distinctive of the Top End. Darwin is a home port for the small luxury vessels Coral Princess and Coral Discoverer that explore the Kimberley coast to Broome. Read more about Darwin, Australia