3 minute read
Cruising The Kimberley !
This article is an excerpt from an AHOY Sailing series on Cruising The Kimberley by Chris Rose.
To read the complete series of articles, start at the May 2022 issue of AHOY Sailing.
The Mitchell River is renowned for one of the most spectacular four-tiered waterfalls in Australia and is an iconic Kimberley attraction. There are spectacular waterfalls in the lower parts of the Mitchell River to see, and I personally found this lower region to be my favourite location in the Kimberley.
Weaving our way through the large pearling operations in the Osborne Islands with garfish skipping along the surface in an attempt to evade us, we motored the 35 nautical miles to the Mitchell River due to a complete lack of wind. It was so calm that we could look behind No Regrets and see the two tracks left from our catamaran to the horizon like it was a railway track.
Entering Walmesly Bay and into the river mouth, we made our way past MiddleRock, where the larger charter boats predominantly stop. Venturing further upstream is a little more challenging, with the next 3 miles scattered with many drying rocks and numerous sandbars. It is recommended that you should survey the river at low water to determine your best path, but as we had arrived at the top of the tide, we used our satellite imagery to make our way upstream.
Launching the drone revealed some spectacular scenery in this incredible location, but it still could only give a tiny perspective of just where we were and what we could see around us. We were anchored in a deeper hole just on the edge of Surveyors Creek that was itself predominantly dry with soft mudflats, lined on each side with a thick growth of mangrove trees.
After waiting for the tide to come in approximately halfway, it was time to drop the tender and explore Surveyors Creek.
Having made it as far upstream as we could in the tender we set off on foot and soon discovered numerous lagoons and waterfalls, which were perfect for cooling off.
Having carried the drone in its waterproof bag whilst splashing across rivers with slippery crossings, it was time to launch it and capture some video of this incredibly picturesque location. The numerous lagoons stretching along the river, waterfalls connecting each creek segment, and surrounded by the iconic Kimberly create a truly stunning landscape.
