July 2009
I have recently returned from the Kimberley, Yet again. It is without doubt one of my favourite places on Earth, and each time I go it becomes more so, and harder to leave. This trip was very different, this time I had the good fortune to make the trip up the coast aboard the Broome based charter vessel K2O The trip lasted 8 days and stands out as one of the most amazing trips I've yet done.
The K2O is a purpose built motor catamaran that sleeps 12 passengers in comfort plus a crew of 5. Most rooms have a private bathroom and toilet. One of the crew is also a fully qualified and highly experienced chef, so the food was exquisite, with 5 star meals 3 times a day. The boat seems brand new, with everything in perfect order and fully equipped with all the latest satellite navigation and weather equipment. Safety is a high priority. This of course includes the captain and crew, all highly experienced and efficient at what they do, yet still maintaining that easygoing friendly manner that is so much a part of the Kimberley.
THE BEGINNING
The trip began at the Gantheaume Point end of Cable beach in Broome, where I was ferried out to the K2O moored just offshore. I was met on deck with a glass of white wine and a smiling crew member who gave me the tour of the boat and showed me my room. This is not the sort of travel I'm used to, though I think I could become used to it very quickly.
From Cable Beach we headed North with the sunset past the spectacular red Pindan cliffs of Barred Creek and James Price Point up and around tip of the Dampier Peninsula and Cape Leveque and into the wild and more often than not uncharted waters of the Buccaneer Archipelago. Thus began 8 days of adventure , where we travelled all the way to Naturalist Island in Prince Frederick harbour, through some of the most isolated and rugged coastline on the planet, a coast of 11m tides and 6m crocodiles, of endless mangroves and towering coastal cliffs. it is truly one of the worlds most amazing regions. And, like most experiences of its kind, very difficult to do it justice with the written word... certainly for me anyway.
THE LIGHT
The light in the Kimberley is unique in my experience, the days can be very stark with hard edged black shadows and cold intense blue from the open sky. The light turns in the late afternoon to a soft warm yellow, just about the same time it starts to cool down, its about then the King Leopold sandstone begins to glow, going through a range of colours from soft yellow to molten fire red as the sun moves down towards the horizon. The intense glow slowly fades as the sun sets and the day moves into twilight, which is more often than not filled with apricot colours of pinks and oranges. At this time the shadows disappear and even the hardest landscape can look soft and inviting as deeply shadowed folds of land are filled with light from the luminous sky.
The sunrise, of course is the opposite, beginning in the pre-dawn when the stars are still visible and the sky still black. Shapes begin to be apparent in the darkness, slowly taking appearing as the sky changes from black to deep blue and the stars disappear. Pinks and purples appear in the sky and the sandstone cliffs begin to glow with what seems like an inner light, gradually building in intensity as the sky lightens from pinks to reds and yellows, as if its catching fire. That's the sort of light I dream about, and its the sort of light you will often find in the Kimberley. This I have seen in lots of other journeys to this wilderness, but there is something different about seeing it from the coast, a coast that is as rugged and remote as its possible to get in the world today... especially when I could return from an early morning of scrambling around on barnacled rocks just recently uncovered by the outgoing tide, to a fully cooked breakfast where even the Hollandaise sauce is home made, hot tea and freshly brewed coffee, and of course the ever present fresh baked bread. I mean, I take my camping pretty seriously, and I normally eat well in the bush... but nothing like this!
THE END
After all this adventure on board I got ferried off the boat to a pristine white sand beach (with no human footprints on it), picked up by a helicopter and flown over Mitchell Falls to the airstrip there, then flown back to Broome in a light aircraft... only to be met at the airport and transported back to my accommodation in Broome. Definitely not what I am used to! What an amazing place the Kimberley is and what an amazing way to see it.
WHICH BRINGS US TO...
The K2O is an exceptionally well appointed boat, and Mark and the team from Kimberley to Ocean Tours run an exceptional tour that is a unique experience that everyone should have at least once. The only problem with this amazing trip for me is that the itinerary is not ideal for being at the right place at the right time for those special shots. In fact, in almost all cases sunset was spent on the back of the boat, with canapes and a gin and tonic while we were steaming to the next location... well I love a gin and tonic at sunset too, but if its a choice of great location and great light or Gin and tonic, I'll take the location and the light every time, the gin and tonic can wait til later. This is not a fault of the K2O crew or their cruise, its a simple fact that not everybody is there to take pictures, in fact hardly anybody, so they are catering to their clients needs.
What Greg Hocking and I are planning is to charter the whole boat for an 8 day slot next year, and tailor an itinerary specifically for photographers. To be in precisely the right place for the magic light of sunrise and sunset, to have the gin and tonics later! This would be interspersed with many workshops on improving your photography and techniques that can help you shoot like a pro. Each day would bring once in a lifetime opportunities to put into practise what you have be learning. And what a place to be learning! The luxury of the K2O, with its air conditioned comfort, hot showers and 5 star food with the back drop of the spectacular Kimberley coast slipping past just out the window. Every day different scenery to wonder in awe at while taking photos like you have never taken before, of places that look as they have for the last 1.5 billion years. Greg and I will ensure you get the most out of your journey, from the right times and locations, to the practical workshops that will have you shooting better than ever, and of course the invaluable benefit of having 2 highly respected landscape photographers with a combined experience of over 50 years of professional work at your constant disposal. Remember this is a very limited trip, there are only 12 possible places, so the attention you will receive will be truly personal.
LATEST NEWS
This trip has had to be postponed for the moment, due to a difficulty in coming to an acceptable charter agreement. This is a temporary setback that Greg and I working to resolve now. keep an eye on the website, or better yet, sign up for the latest news on this and other great Adventures in Photography coming up.
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