Tour the Kimberley with like-minded over-60s

Day 1 Welcome to Broome

You’re about to spend the next 10 days with a group of similarly minded adventure-seekers who will likely become best friends before you even leave tonight’s dinner venue. Break the ice over a few cool drinks and a suitably dazzling Broome sunset that sinks into the Indian Ocean with a sizzle.

• Hotel: Cable Beach Club Resort, 2 Nights
• Included Meals: Dinner with Wine

Day 2 Broome Free Time

Among the most multicultural cities in Australia, Broome became a base for fortune-seekers the world over during its ‘pearl rush’. Many of them never left. The pristine waters here grow great oysters, and the resulting pearls are prized by lovers of all things that gleam. The hardest thing you have to do today is decide how to spend it. We recommend The Willie Creek Pearl Farm (additional costs) or the Pearl Luggers Museum (additional costs) or simply enjoying Broome’s tropical climes, strolling along 22-kilometre Cable Beach, discovering colourful Chinatown then following locals to the sand, or a beachside bar, to salute the end of a spectacular day in WA.

N​ote: the optional tour to Willie Creek Pearl Farmcan be booked direct with the Tour Director when on tour.

• Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 3 Broome - Fitzroy Crossing

Things are bigger in Broome, including the footprints. Preserved for 125 million years in the reef rock at Gantheaume Point are the imprints of long-extinct dinosaurs. Remarkably, the Broome coast has become one of the most significant paleontological sites in the world. Next stop – Fitzroy Crossing, the gateway to Danggu (Geikie) Gorge. Jump aboard a boat to discover how this part of the Kimberley was formed by the Fitzroy River carving the Napier Range, leaving behind a dramatic chasm with 30-metre walls, home to a plethora of wildlife. This all happened in Devonian times, some 350 million years ago. Keep watch for all creatures great and small, from freshwater crocs to fruit bats and wallabies. Look up to see white-bellied sea eagles and rare purple-crowned fairy wrens.

• Hotel: Fitzroy River Lodge
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 4 Fitzroy Crossing - Halls Creek

Begin your deep dive into First Nations culture at a Fitzroy Crossing art gallery, a thriving venue dedicated to works by Aboriginal creatives. Pick up a piece or two to support the local community. Your connection to this culture continues as you travel toward the Great Sandy Desert, on the edge of which is the town of Halls Gap. This place is small in population, but big in personality.

• Hotel: Kimberley Hotel
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with Wine

Day 5 Halls Creek - Emma Gorge

Until recently, the Argyle Diamond Mine was the world’s largest producer of rare, and dazzling, pink diamonds. While operations have ceased, you can still visit and go behind the scenes. Your First Nations guide will not only point out where the magic once happened, but also explain the Aboriginal significance of this land – the traditional Barramundi Dreaming site – to First Nations communities. Then it’s on to the Gibb River Road, the stuff road trip legends are made of. You’ll see why, your route to El Questro Wilderness Park covering a few kilometres of the epic expanse. Now exhale – your safari-style tents for the night are backdropped by the Cockburn Range, surrounded by an oasis of pandanus and palms. When darkness falls, expect a bedazzlement of stars overhead.

• Hotel: Emma Gorge Resort, Tented Cabin with private facilities, 2 Nights
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with Wine

Day 6 El Questro Wilderness Park

The best way to wake up? With the sun streaming through your tent, wildlife all around. The Kimberley’s sounds follow you across the mighty Pentecost River, a mecca for those who love a spot of barramundi fishing. Arriving at Chamberlain Gorge, an enormous fresh waterhole, your cruise chariot awaits. Jump aboard to feel very small indeed, your boat dwarfed by soaring 60-metre escarpments, a brilliant shade of orange in the morning sun. When it’s time to cool down, take an afternoon dip, whether in the resort pool or at a waterhole within Emma Gorge. Take your pick. The latter is a challenge to reach – you will work up a sweat hiking there. But diving in at the end is worth the effort. Be back on your patio in time for sundowners.

• Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 7 Emma Gorge - Kununurra

It’s not every day that you have the privilege of glimpsing the inner workings of a rum distillery with the family that owns it. Thanks to our AAT Kings connections, we’ve organised for you to meet the makers and discover how Hoochery Distillery prepares its lip-smacking, award-winning rums and whiskys. Try a tasting paddle to get your heart started, or sit down to a slice of rum cake – morning tea sorted. Kununurra is the middle of nowhere, and only exists because of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. Before it was a twinkle on the map, farming pioneers came here to establish vast cattle stations. The life of one such family is chronicled at the Durack Homestead Museum, revealing how the property was dismantled then reassembled on higher ground when much of the countryside was flooded for the dam. The project not only helped water the countryside, but created Lake Argyle. A sunset cruise here, surrounded by tens of thousands of freshwater crocs and an embarrassment of birds, is something you won’t forget in a hurry.

• Hotel: Kununurra Country Club Resort, 2 Nights
• Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 8 Kununurra Free Time

How active and adventurous do you want today to be? Rise early to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the beehive-like rock formations of the Bungle Bungles on an optional* scenic flight over World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. Or opt to stay grounded on a 4WD tour through the ethereal landscape. Otherwise lace up your walking shoes and wander with your Travel Director through Mirima National Park, known as the ‘mini-Bungles’ for its rocky resemblance. Both destinations reveal the mind-boggling geology of this part of the world. Whatever direction you go, be sure to join the locals atop Kelly’s Knob for views over town as the sun sets.

• Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 9 Kununurra - Katherine

Say goodbye to WA and hello to the NT, your introduction to the state the vast pastoral lands that characterise the outback here. Locals come with plenty of country swagger, as you’ll discover when you meet the horseman and award-winning musician Tom Curtain for an afternoon of knee-slappin’ fun on a working station. Tom’s quite the entertainer, and regales visitors with songs and stories during his Katherine Outback Experience. Fun, engaging and insightful.

• Hotel: Contour Hotel
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 10 Katherine - Darwin

Nature reigns supreme at Nitmiluk National Park bordering Kakadu. This is Jawoyn land, and a place where you’ll feel your spirit soar. Particularly when you’re cruising through dramatic Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, your boat the only sound echoing around this enormous chasm. Remarkably, this is one of 13 gorges carved through the national park, and at every bend in the river, the sun casts soaring sandstone cliffs a different colour. As you ease north, reminders of the impact of WWII line the banks of the Adelaide River. The headquarters of a military base once stood here, and there’s a cemetery nearby to remember those who lost their lives here. It’s a sobering sight. The balmy Darwin climate sets the pace for your city tour: relaxed. Meet locals (there are some characters), discover the city’s architecture and learn about the events that have shaped life in the Top End, from Cyclone Tracy to WWII when the Northern Territory capital was bombed. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in Darwin, the Mindil Beach Sunset Market is an institution. Browse the food stalls before gathering to watch the day disappear and exchange email addresses with your new friends.

• Hotel: Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Day 11 Farewell from Darwin

Eleven days. Countless adventures. A bunch of new friends. And a renewed appreciation for the wild side of Australia. What a journey this has been.

• Included Meals: Breakfast

Please note: This itinerary may be subject to change.

*Optional tours to be released for booking November 2022

Please note that prices are subject to availability at time of booking and may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

8th September 2023 - 18th September 2023

• Twin Share - from $8,625 per person
• Single traveller - from $11,595 per person

Want to avoid the single supplement entirely? If you're willing to share, we can happily pair you with another solo traveller. Subject to availability of another guest of the same gender willing to share.

Why not extend your time in Darwin or Broome? There's heaps to see! Call our local travel team on 1300 414 198 to book!

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort. The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes:

• Cable Beach Club Resort
• Fitzroy River Lodge
• Kimberley Hotel
• Emma Gorge Resort, Tented Cabin with private facilities
• Kununurra Country Club Resort
• Contour Hotel
• Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront

Flight Information:

•  Day 1 – Flights to arrive prior to 3.00pm into Broome Airport
•  Day 11 – Flights to depart anytime from Darwin Airport

What to Bring:

•  Comfortable walking shoes
•  Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
•  Water bottle
•  Warm layers in cooler months
•  Swimwear and beach towel (if swimming)

Fitness Requirements:

• Remote region of Western Australia - Moderate level of fitness required
  Extreme temperatures can be experienced in this remote region of Australia. Pack warm clothes for the cool evenings and comfortable clothes for the heat of the day.