10 Day Best of the Kimberley Tour - departing Wednesday 6th June 2012

DAY 1 | Wednesday 6 June 2012 . . . Staircase to the Moon!
You will be met at Sydney and/or Melbourne Airport by your Tour Director, who will accompany you on your Qantas flights to Broome. You meet up with your coach and crew before enjoying free time over a long lunch to wander and explore. This afternoon we book into our accommodation at the fabulous Mangrove Resort Hotel over looking the turquoise waters of Roebuck Bay. Tonight you’ll view the “Staircase to the Moon” phenomenon from the best viewing spot at the Mangrove Resort Hotel. Life doesn’t get much better than this! (D)

DAY 2 | Thursday 7 June 2012 . . . travelling the West Kimberley!
We rise early and enjoy a sumptuous breakfast as the sun comes up over beautiful Roebuck Bay before boarding our coach en route to Fitzroy Crossing. Our morning travel to Fitzroy Crossing has stops at the giant boab and crossings over the mighty Fitzroy River. After lunch we travel to Brooking Springs at the entrance to Geikie Gorge National Park for our special cruise back in time, on Geikie Gorge. The walls of the Gorge are embedded with fossils (part of a 350 million year old Devonian Reef) and the fresh water life includes sharks, stingrays, crocodiles and swordfish that have adapted to the fresh water. Cruise the Gorge that inspires photographers and artists from all over the world. Our overnight stay is at the fantastic Halls Creek Best Western Motel. (B,L,D)

DAY 3 | Friday 8 June 2012 . . . diamonds are a girl’s best friend!
Today, we travel through Turkey Creek to begin our exclusive tour of the giant Argyle Diamond Mine. You’ll be amazed at the scale of the operation, and will have an opportunity to buy some ‘stones’ if you so desire, before enjoying a fabulous lunch. Then we travel north to historic Wyndham and the Five Rivers Lookout before making our way to Kununurra and our stay at the beautiful Lakeside Resort for the next three nights. (B,L,D)

DAY 4 | Saturday 9 June 2012 . . . the mighty Ord River!
Kununurra is a modern town and the centre for the mighty Ord River Irrigation Scheme. We explore the town and environs including the view from Kelly’s Knob. We have optional flights over the Argyle Dam, the Ord River on to the Bungle Bungles and returning via the Argyle Diamond Mines. The flights take approximately two and a half hours and will afford you one of the best views of the magnificent Kimberley you’ll ever have. We tour the Ord River Scheme past agricultural farms producing such a variety of products such as sugar, melons and special flower crops. Visits to the Hoochery Rum Distillery and the Sandalwood Perfume Factory make the experience complete. We lunch at the Zebra Rock Gallery before embarking on a fabulous Sunset Cruise of Lake Argyle to see the diverse wildlife that inhabits the shores at dusk. Hand feed fish and freshwater crocodiles (if you’re game) and meet a family of Euros who have lived on a small island since Lake Argyle was filled in 1974. We enjoy champagne, drinks and nibblies as a beautiful sunset unfolds. What a day! You’ll sleep well tonight. (B,D)

DAY 5 | Sunday 10 June 2012 . . . our exclusive visit to Bullo River Station!
Today will be a highlight of your Kimberley tour as we depart Kununurra to fly north east into remote areas to Bullo River Station. You’ll meet Marlee Henderson (Sara’s daughter) who will show you around parts of the massive station and the rambling homestead that was built by Sara. We’ll have a lavish lunch with Marlee and the opportunity to relive the history of the station. You’ll be enchantered by Marlee and Franz; this experience is an exclusive to Centre One Tours and not to be missed. Alternate is a day tour of El Questro Station. Then it’s back to Kununurra for our final night. (B,L,D)

DAY 6 | Monday 11 June 2012 . . . China Wall!
We travel through Warnum to Halls Creek with time to explore the town and visit China Wall. Then on to Mary River for lunch, after which we visit the Yiyili Aboriginal School and Laarri Art Gallery (an exclusive to Centre One Tours) before reaching our overnight stay at the Fitzroy for our overnight stay at the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge. (B,L,D)

DAY 7 | Tuesday 12 June 2012 . . . down the Gibb River Road!
Today we transfer to our special bus on our exclusive tour to explore the Devonian National Park in the King Leopold Ranges. On past limestone ridges, remnants of ancient coral reefs of unmatched grandeur, to spectacular Windjana Gorge with its limestone cliffs rising to 100 metres. These massive ancient coral reef structures were formed 600 million years ago and rise majestically from the flat plains. Then we travel to Tunnel Creek, where we have the chance to explore and, for the adventurous, a walk through Tunnel Creek - a tunnel carved by erosion through the Napier Range. We return along the Gibb River Road towards Derby where we enjoy our overnight stay at the King Sound Resort. (B,L,D)

DAY 8 | Wednesday 13 June 2012 . . . a thousand islands!
We rise for our special seaplane flights (optional) to land at the Horizontal Waterfall in the Buccaneer Archipelago. Here we transfer to a Sharkcat jetboat to speed through the falls once or twice! Wow! Adrenalin Plus! Our flights are limited to 10 at a time, so as we wait for our flight we can explore Derby, a unique place, with its giant Boab trees (believed to be 500-1,000 years old) and fascinating Jetty that hosts the highest tides in the Southern Hemisphere (with king tides rising as high as 12 metres). Visit Wharfingers House Museum, or just relax. What a great day it’ll be! This afternoon we enjoy champagne on the Derby Wharf as we experience the magic colours of a Kimberley sunset. (B,D)

DAY 9 | Thursday 14 June 2012 . . . pearls, diamonds and history!
This morning, we do the tourist bit with free time to wander through Chinatown, the original commercial centre of Broome, once a bustling hub of pearl sheds, billiard saloons, entertainment houses and Chinese eateries. It is now the home to some of the world’s finest Pearl Showrooms. Explore the Courthouse, Tourist Centre, and the Shell House Then, in the afternoon we visit Cable Beach (22 kms of white sand and clear tropical water); the perfect spot to relax, swim and to enjoy champagne and Australia’s best known sunset. (B,D)

DAY 10 | Friday 15 June 2012 . . . fly away home; back to the cold!
We enjoy a late and leisurely breakfast before some free time in Japtown to finalise pearl purchases and gifts. We enjoy a late morning coffee and chat before we board our Qantas flight back to Sydney or Melbourne – back to winter, longing to return. (B)

BULLO RIVER STATION
Within the Australian context the words ‘cattle station’ conjure a very special image. It involves hot thirsty plains, teeming wildlife, strong bronzed rivers, a vast sky and dusty stock camps, where horses and stock skills are very much alive - and Bullo River Station fits like a glove. This is a Top End cattle station (ranch) from the classic mould. Half a million acres of grassy plains with 8,000 Brahman-cross cattle and many more wallabies, brown rivers where crocodiles lurk on the muddy banks, rugged hills inscribed with Aboriginal rock art, gushing streams and crystal clear swimming holes, termite mounds, boab trees, stock horses, wild buffalo, and a few great yarns to tell. Situated in the East Kimberley, there is no place better to experience a quintessential Australian Outback Station.

The Family
The Station is home to your hosts Marlee & Franz Ranacher. You will relish the opportunity to share their home and their daily lives with fascinating stories and great outback hospitality and will feel like family friends rather than tourists. Whilst Marlee and Franz’s responsibilities may take them away from time to time, the entire Bullo team is on hand to ensure our guests can explore the magic of this part of Australia. Bullo River Station was made famous by top-selling Australian author Sara Henderson (Marlee’s mother), whose American husband Charles Henderson developed Bullo River in the 1950’s, with the story of station life vividly chronicled in Sara’s books. Since 2001, Bullo River Station has belonged to Sara’s eldest daughter Marlee and her Austrian-born husband Franz. Marlee and Franz are charming and entertaining hosts and meeting with them in the informal surroundings of the family home and hearing Marlee’s own stories of growing up on the property adds a fascinating dimension to any visit.

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