All Inclusive Silversea Expedition Cruise - Broome to Cairns, including the Kimberley

Broome (Kimberley): MONDAY 23 AUG

Gateway to the oldest and most elusive of all Australia’s nine regions, Broome is where your Kimberley adventure begins. The ancient landscape has long held travellers spellbound: The Kimberley is three time larger than England but has a population of just 35,000, is over 65,000 years old and is home to 2,000 km of coastline. Almost impenetrable, incredibly remote, the red baked earth, prolific wildlife, majestic canyons and swimming holes are the stuff of Australian wilderness dreams. 

Buccaneer Archipelago Region: TUESDAY 24 AUG & WEDNESDAY 25 AUG

Roughly 800 islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago surround and shelter the impressive spread of Yampi Sound. The coastline of Yampi shows rock layers wildly twisted and contorted into great folds. White-bellied Sea Eagles, Brahminy Kites, Ospreys, Common Sandpipers and Eastern Reef Egrets inhabit the archipelago and the area is rich in fish life, which in turn is an attraction for bottlenose dolphins that come here to feed. Yampi Sound is also occasionally a calving ground for humpback whales and mothers and calves can sometimes be spotted in the relatively shallow turquoise waters.

Hunter River Region, Kimberley (Western Australia) THURSDAY 26 AUG & FRIDAY 27 AUG

The Hunter River is home to an immense mangrove system surrounded by soaring red sandstone cliffs. Narrow mangrove channels shelter numerous bird species, mudskippers, fiddler crabs and the infamous saltwater crocodile; the most aggressive crocodile species known to man. Naturalist Island at the mouth of the river has a stunning stretch of sandy beach that makes a perfect landing site for small helicopters that can pick up visitors wishing to explore some of the Kimberley’s vast interior. The highlight inland is the famous Mitchell Falls where four tiers of waterfalls plunge into deep pools that flow out into the mighty Mitchell River. The headwaters of the falls are cool and a dip in the fresh water is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the heartland.

King George River (Kimberley, Western Australia) SATURDAY 28 AUG

The King George Falls is one of the Kimberley’s most magnificent natural wonders. At 80 meters (260 feet), the thundering spectacle of twin cascades are among the highest in Australia. The river weaves through an amazing landscape of near vertical red rock formations and a parade of wildlife — carnivorous saltwater crocodiles and amazing birdlife, including giant raptors and the Brahminy Kite.

Wyndham SUNDAY 29 AUG

Wyndham is a small settlement with the spirit of a Kimberley outback township. It was established in 1886 with the Halls Creek gold rush and sits on the Cambridge Gulf where several rivers converge. Today Wyndham has a population of roughly 900 people and operates largely as a port exporting cattle, servicing the mining industry and hosting a few small ships. For these vessels Wyndham is a gateway to the breathtaking Bungle Bungle mountain range and the nearby Ord River. The Bungle Bungle Mountains in Purnululu National Park are now a World Heritage Site. In excess of 350 million years have shaped geological formations of giant orange and black striped domes rising out of the ground into a landscape unlike any other. Known to the local Aboriginal people for thousands of years, the Bungles were only discovered by the outside world in the mid-1980s. Conversely, cruising the peaceful and tree-lined Ord River is a chance to look for freshwater crocodiles, fruit bats, short-eared rock wallabies and a variety of birds, including Mangrove Herons and Mangrove Gerygones. Please note: All destinations on voyages in the Kimberley region, and the order in which they are visited, are subject to tidal variations and weather conditions.

Day at sea MONDAY 23 AUG

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Seven Spirit Bay TUESDAY 31 AUG

Seven Spirit Bay is at the entrance to the 32 kilometres long Port Essington and is one of Cobourg Peninsula’s several bays facing the Arafura Sea. North of Van Diemen Gulf and southeast of where the Timor Sea and Arafura Sea meet, the entire peninsula lies within Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. The park shows a wide variety of landscapes: sandy beaches and dunes, mangroves, forested wetlands and swamps, grasslands and sea grass meadows. Although dugong, manta rays and dolphins form part of the park’s rich marine life, unfortunately neither swimming nor snorkelling is allowed as estuarine crocodiles and sharks are also quite prominent. More than 200 species of birds use the forests and marshes and the Cobourg Peninsula became the world’s first RAMSAR listed wetland in 1974.

Elcho Island (Banthula) WEDNESDAY 01 SEP

Elcho Island, known as Galiwinku by the indigenous Yolngu, is the largest of the Wessel Islands in Northeast Arnhem Land. The main settlement on the island’s southwestern side had started during WWII as a refuge from possible bombings of an air force base on nearby Milingimbi Island, some 70 km away. Banthula is one of the homelands on Elcho Island’s northwestern side facing the Arafura Sea. It was founded in 1979 when the Australian government encouraged the indigenous population to return to lands they had used before contact with the western world and to establish small settlements, the so-called homelands or outstations. Banthula is some 300 meters inland from Refuge Bay’s 7 kilometre long sandy shore. Some 40 Aborigines live in Banthula, almost 2% of Elcho Island’s population. The school closest to the Banthula children is some 12 km away at Gawa –it actually is one of Australia’s most remote schools. The area around Banthula has dry rain forest and an extensive mangrove growth is found around a creek at the northern end of the beach and bay. Green turtles, flatback turtles, hawksbill turtles, and Olive Ridley turtles, as well as dugong and Australian snubfin dolphins have all been recorded in and around Refuge Bay and Bridled Terns have been found nesting.

Yirrkala THURSDAY 02 SEP

Yirrkala is an aboriginal community in northeastern Arnhem Land and has a population of roughly 800 residents. The Yolngu have been in the area for more than 40,000 years, but they only congregated here in larger numbers when the township was founded after a Methodist mission was started in 1935. This small coastal settlement became famous in the 1960s as the Yolngu opposed the opening of a bauxite mine on their land, writing (and sending) the Yirrkala Bark Petition to the Australian House of Representatives. Yirrkala is also one of the best-known locations of Aboriginal art -not only in the Northern Territories- and has the community controlled Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre and Museum.

Groote Eylandt FRIDAY 03 SEP

 The Groote Eylandt archipelago was declared an Indigenous Protected Area in 2006. Apart from the cultural importance of song lines and sacred sites, the marine environment supports unspoiled reef systems with abundant marine life. Considering the remoteness –and until recently limited access to the area- the Groote Eylandt archipelago possesses a unique ecosystem. The island shows extensive lateritic plains, rugged sandstone plateaus and hills in the central and southern part with large dune fields and sand plains in coastal areas, yet still has 4% of the Northern Territories rainforest. The area is considered of international importance for turtles and supports the densest nesting area of marine turtles in the Northern territory. One of the islets supports more than 1% of the world’s Roseate Terns.

Mornington Island SATURDAY 04 SEP

28 kilometres off the coast of mainland Australia in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Mornington Island is the largest of the North Wellesley Islands. Twenty two islands make up the Mornington Shire Council with the only township, Gununa, on Mornington. The islands and surrounding seas have been traditionally used by the Lardil, Yangkaal, Kaiadilt and Gangalidda peoples before Matthew Flinders anchored the HMS Investigator off Sweers Island (South Wellesley) in 1802 and named several islands, including Mornington. All islands in the Wellesley groups were declared ‘Aboriginal Reserves’ in 1905 and a mission was eventually started on Mornington in 1914 when some 400 Lardil were believed to live on the island.

Day at sea SUNDAY 05 SEP

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Thursday Island MONDAY 06 SEP

Thursday Island – TI to locals or Kawrareg in Waiben dialect – is the ultimate Aussie retreat. Grab a cold beer, find a spot on a wooden pub deck overlooking turquoise blue seas and contemplate the remote beauty of the island. Whilst certainly not the biggest of the Torres Strait Islands, it is the most populated. That is not to say it’s a bustling metropolis. At last count, there were fewer than 3,000 residents for its 3.5 km2. The Torres Strait Islands is a 274-strong archipelago found scattered between the coasts of mainland Oz and Papua New Guinea. The origin of the name is unknown; what is certain however is that Captain Owen Stanley named neighbouring islands Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday when he visited in 1848, so it is a safe assumption that he named Thursday too. Thursday and Friday’s names were swapped about 8 years later so they appeared in weekday order. Budding explorers should note that Monday, Saturday and Sunday have yet to be found, so perhaps this could be your lucky day. The island enjoyed a lucrative pearl and shell trade until WWII, and many Japanese pearl divers became residents. This worked out well for the islanders; Thursday Island was mercifully left alone by during the extensive WWII bombings, probably because it was thought that there were Japanese nationals still living there (there weren’t). Superb and pristine example of the island’s heritage still stand, and can be seen in the Green Hill Fort, the Thursday Island Customs House and the Gab Titui Cultural Centre.

Lizard Island TUESDAY 07 SEP

The Lizard Island National Park consists of six islands some 33 kilometres off Cape Flattery and 93 kilometres northeast of Cooktown, of which Lizard Island is the largest. This is the only continental group of islands found near the outer barrier reef and Lizard has a height of 359 meters. Acacia and eucalypt, grassland as well as mangroves contrast with sparkling blue waters and rich reefs surrounding the island. Watson’s Bay on Lizard Island’s northwestern side has a beautiful beach and easy access to snorkel areas, as well as the possibility to start on trails leading to the top of the island and Cooks Look or to Mangrove Beach on the south side for views of the lagoon and surrounding reefs. Before Captain Cook came on the Endeavour exploring Australia’s east coast in 1770 and stepping ashore on Lizard Island to gain a bird’s-eye view of the reefs, the Dingaal Aboriginal people had used the island for ceremonial purposes and to collect shellfish, while later European and Asian visitors were looking for sea cucumbers. The name of the island goes back to Captain Cook remarking on the amount of yellow-spotted monitors seen ashore. Slightly more than 100 species of birds have been recorded, for some of which the neighbouring Seabird Islets, Osprey, South and Palfrey are important. There is an airstrip with the northernmost resort on the Great Barrier Reef at the northwestern end and a world-renowned tropical marine research station at the southwestern side.

Day at sea WEDNESDAY 08 SEP

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Michaelmas Cay THURSDAY 09 SEP

Michaelmas Cay, located on the western end of Michaelmas Reef, is part of the Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park and the larger UNESCO Word Heritage Great Barrier Reef. The 1.8ha cay is formed of the broken coral and shells which currents brought over and onto the reef and over time the cay has been covered partially with beach spinifex, stalky grass, sea purslane, beach morning glory and bulls head or puncture vine. Michaelmas Cay is considered one of the most important seabird breeding areas on the Great Barrier Reef with up to 20,000 pairs of seabird at the height of the season. As a result of the many seabirds the cay even had a guano mining lease in the early 20th century. Sooty Terns, Crested Terns, Lesser Crested Terns and Common Noddies nest all year round and another at least 12 species of seabirds have been recorded. Green sea turtles are seen occasionally and the reefs are an excellent area for snorkelling with visitors coming from Cairns, some 40 kilometres away.

Cairns THURSDAY 09 SEP & FRIDAY 10 SEP

Warmly welcoming you to the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns is a treasure trove of rich tropical beauty and incredible sea life. Swathes of rainforest spread out to the north, where you can soar over the canopy in a cable car, before looking down over narrow channels of water plummeting down gorges and crocodile-filled waterways. The diverse lands of the Atherton Tableland lie to the west, but it's the crystal-clear waters - and life-filled reefs - of Cairns' remarkable underwater world that draws universal adulation. Priding itself as the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, explore Cairns' constellation of colour, as you dive into the world's largest and most spectacular underwater universe. Head out on a glass-bottomed boat tour to explore the 3,000 coral reef systems, and let hours drift by appreciating the waving corals and life-imbued reefs during exceptional scuba diving and snorkelling sessions. Cairns is huddled in amongst abundant swathes of rainforests, which give way to glorious crescents of golden beach. Kuranda - with its scenic railway and heritage market stalls - waits to be discovered, cloaked within the depths of the rainforest. Learn of the indigenous people of North Queensland during cultural performances, and hear the throaty reverberations of didgeridoos, as you hear eternal stories handed down through time, from generation to generation. Back in Cairns, there's always time for a coffee or a beer, or a feast on fresh oysters with glasses of Cairns' white wines – boldly flavoured with mango and banana notes.

Depart Broome 23 August 2021

10% EARLY BOOKING BONUS when you book and pay in full by 31 August 2020

Adventurer Class:

Was $21,000 pp twin share, NOW from $18,900 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Explorer Class:

Was $14,900 pp twin share, NOW from $19,710 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

View Suite:

Was $21,900 pp twin share, NOW from $20,970 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Vista Suite:

Was $24,400 pp twin share, NOW from $21,960 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Veranda Suite:

Was $35,700 pp twin share, NOW from $32,130 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Silver Suite:

Was $44,100 pp twin share, NOW from $39,690 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Grand Suite:

Was $48,800 pp twin share, NOW from $43,920 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

Owner's Suite:

Was $56,700 pp twin share, NOW from $51,030 pp twin share with ECONOMY CLASS FLIGHTS + TRANSFERS included!

All advertised prices are subject to availability and based on the pay in full by 31 August 2020 offer.

Ship - Silver Explorer

Silver Explorer is expedition cruising at its very best. Award-winning itineraries make this ship the perfect combination of adventure and comfort. A fleet of 12 Zodiac boats allows Silversea Expedition guests to visit even the most off-the-beaten path locations and an expert Expedition Team provides insight to each luxury cruise adventure.