Pulling into the anchorage of the expansive bay known as Yampi Sound this morning gave us a vibrant vista of rusty coloured Pentecost sandstone, providing great landscape photo opportunities as the orange hues contrasted with the complementary rich blue of the clear sky above us and the azure Indian Ocean we were floating on.
Yampi Sound (from the aboriginal word for water, “yampee”) is a part of the Buccaneer Archipelago. These surrounding islands were named in 1821 by Captain Phillip Parker King, in commemoration of William Dampier’s visit in 1688. The region has since been explored by pearlers in the 1870s, who used the iron-ore laden sandstone as ballast In their luggers’ and later by mining operators who have established open-cut mines on the nearby Koolan island, where some of the richest (average purity of 69%) iron ore is extracted to this day.
We spent our morning exploring the more hedonistic opportunities this place had to offer, such as relaxing and having a laugh in a pristine swimming hole aptly known as Crocodile Creek! At the top of this creek is a waterfall that is fed by a constant spring, enabling year-round safe swimming. But just to be sure, a scout was sent an hour earlier to ensure no unwelcome visitors were in the vicinity!
The afternoon was spent in Zodiacs to examine the fascinating geological formations found in the area, such as synclines and anticlines, both products of the buckling and folding of sedimentary rock over millions of years. Other locations such as Nares Point offered us spectacular examples of Elgee siltstone that appeared to have been expertly shaped and smoothed by the abrasive qualities of wind and water.
And to top off a great day (and a great voyage), a pod of 16 inshore bottlenose dolphins ventured close to the Zodiacs, breaching as they took their next breath, before diving to feed below for a period of 2-3 minutes before surfacing around us once again.
