Another beautiful morning greeted us as we rose for breakfast at the outdoor café. As always, it was hard to stick with just cereal and fruit, and Christian was, as always, busy with poached eggs and omelets, to go with the wonderful array of other cooked foods.
With a hearty breakfast under our belts we boarded the Zodiacs for our adventure to witness the wonders of Montgomery Reef. As we left the ship we could hardly make out the reef, but as we approached there it was, seeming to rise out of the water before our eyes. Of course the land does not rise, more correctly the tide falls, exposing this incredible and iconic feature—the largest inshore reef in Australia. As we arrived at the reef we could still see across the top of it, noting pooling of water on the top, and the sheets of water running off over the edges of the reef. Eastern reef egrets were soon spotted, with both the white and dark grey morphs being seen in abundance. Although rather shy, they made interesting photographic subjects against the reef top, and with some sides of the reef sunlit, whilst others were backlit, there was plenty of time to practice different photographic techniques.
We headed up “The River”—a deep channel that runs several miles into the reef, allowing good access and deep water to cruise through whilst trying to spot green turtles, bat fish, and other wildlife. An octopus was seen by some Zodiacs, and a banded sea krait—a sea snake—was seen by another. Part of the joy of being in the Zodiacs is you never know what you are going to find.
Nosing into the “waterfalls” cascading off the reef was also an experience. Struggling against the flow, and seeing the sheer volume of water streaming off, gave a great sense of the amount of water involved in this tidal flow. Before too long it was time to head back towards the ship, but on the way we were greeted by the sight of flags flying and that distinctive blue umbrella, set up on the by now well exposed sandbar near the entrance to “The River”. With sangria, tropical fruit punch, and salmon canapés, the morning really could not have been made more perfect.
Back onboard the ship we had a presentation from Mark about the Aboriginal peoples of Australia and in particular their life in the Kimberley. It was then time for lunch and shortly afterwards we headed to Raft Point Bluff to meet the traditional owners of the site. We were greeted and then painted with ochre to welcome us to the site, and then began our journey up through the woodland to the rock art site. It was hot going, and we took our time, hugging boabs on the way, before arriving at the spectacular gallery. Wayne gave us an excellent account of some of the traditional stories that relate to the site and to the art we were sitting beneath, an incredible opportunity to be there with him and to hear first-hand these stories.
Making our way back down to the beach, we walked through a smoky fire, with the smoke making sure that the ancestral spirits are left behind. We took time to wander the beach, admire the beautiful scenery, before heading back to the ship. Another spectacular day in the Kimberley, and another beautiful sunset.
