Cruise Club Giveaway november 2024
Valued at $25,301

Broome, situated on a peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is known as the ‘pearl of the north’ due to its being the home of the South Sea pearls, among the largest commercially harvested cultured pearls in the world. In the 1800s Broome attracted pearl divers from Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, resulting in the delightful multicultural town it is today. Visitors can witness first-hand how Broome pearls are cultured on a cruise to a local pearl farm, and hear the romantic stories of the original pearl luggers. Visit the amazing pearl showrooms of Chinatown. Read more about Broome, Australia

The Lacepede Islands (aka the Lacepedes) are a group of four islands in the Indian Ocean off the NW coast of Western Australia, 120 km north of Broome and 30 km from the mainland. They are all small and low-lying, being composed of coarse sand and coral rubble and are important breeding grounds for green turtles and colonies of seabirds including frigates, boobies and terns. In the late 1800s the mining and extraction of ‘guano’ (phosphate) from the islands was a lucrative extra for whalers hunting humpback, sperm and blue whales in the region. These days the main attraction is to photograph the thousands of breeding seabirds. Read more about Lacepede Islands, Australia

The Buccaneer Archipelago is a group of 800 to 1000 rocky islands off the coast of Western Australia, near the town of Derby in the Kimberley region. William Dampier sighted the Archipelago in 1688, and it was named in 1821 by Captain Phillip Parker King "in commemoration of William Dampier’s visit". The islands are located in Yampi Sound, between King Sound to the south and Collier Bay to the north. Yampee is the local Indigenous peoples’ word for water. Read more about Buccaneer Archipelago, Australia

Raft Point is an uninhabited headland with imposing steep cliffs on the Timor Sea, near the mouth of the Sale River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It overlooks a small sandy bay served by several creeks, and is ideal for crabbing and some amazing fishing. Raft Point is a base for shore expeditions to some of the country's most remarkable Aboriginal rock art. Walk for about 20 minutes with a 150 m uphill climb to see the large spectacular pictures of many quality Wandjina figures amongst other depictions of marine and wildlife – dugongs, original inhabitants and X-ray fish. Read more about Raft Point, Australia

The Montgomery Reef is Australia's largest inshore reef system covering more than 300km2, near the mouth of the Sale River off the Kimberley coast of West Australia. At high tide you see very little of the Reef but as the tide drops rapidly away a raging torrent of water, cascading off the top of this 400ha reef erupts, as miles of surrounding reef appears to slowly rise out of the ocean. Read more about Montgomery Reef, Australia

The Prince Regent River is located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The River is in the SE corner of the St George Basin, which is a mix of rocky mangrove islands, reefs and sandbars. Entering the basin through whirlpools, rocks and islands is exciting. The whole area including the Prince Regent River comprises the Prince Regent Nature Reserve of more than 600,000 hectares, and affords stunning views of Mt Waterloo and Mt Trafalgar. Read more about Prince Regent River, Australia

Read more about Prince Frederick Harbour, Australia

Swift Bay, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is an inlet to the fractured coastline, 12 kilometres west of the Mitchell River inlet. The flat rocky shoreline, with little vegetation, does have a number of sandy beaches, and deep to the SW of the bay mangroves line the shoreline. In the waters of the bay are of course salt-water crocodiles you’ll see from your Zodiak. Access to this region is by explorer vessel, sea plane charter, or 4WD. Read more about Swift Bay, Australia

Vansittart Bay lies 530km WSW of Darwin, on the Kimberley coast of Western Australia, facing the Indian Ocean. A small stream, low rock platforms, and the sparse Truscott-Mungalalu Plateau face the bay. This is a protected large bay with numerous small islands and secluded coves that offer plenty of fishing. It is best known for its excellent rock art, regarded by many as possibly the oldest known to man. Read more about Vansittart Bay, Australia

King George River enters Koolama Bay and the Timor Sea from the Gardner Plateau in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The 112km river was named after King George V in 1911 by the English explorer Chas Conigrave after a privately funded expedition in the area. Over many thousands of years the river has cut back into the plateau creating stunning sheer walls and majestic waterfalls at the end of several canyons. Access from large cruise ships is by launch, but smaller vessels can negotiate right to the twin falls, 12 km upstream, which have a drop of 84 m. Read more about King George River, Australia

The new Darwin cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf is adjacent to the convention centre, only one kilometre from Darwin’s CBD. Modern amenities, hotels and parking are there, plus a mini-market with beautiful local productions – Aboriginal art and crafts, diamonds and opals, and eateries, distinctive of the Top End. Darwin is a home port for the small luxury vessels Coral Princess and Coral Discoverer that explore the Kimberley coast to Broome. A score of cruise ship lines include Darwin in their itineraries for Australia, Indonesia, South-East Asia and World Cruises. Read more about Darwin, Australia