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OVERVIEW

ACCOMMODATIONS

ITINERARY

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This morning you are met and transferred to the Darwin General Aviation terminal to marry up with your waiting private charter aircraft for the flight to Bullo River Station.  Flying time is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. 

Your flight passes over the expansive mangrove estuaries of Darwin Harbour before opening into typical Territory savannah country.  As you approach Bullo River the escarpment country pushes up rugged granite cliffs and these then give way to the alluvial floodplains.  You land close by the homestead.

Stepping down from the plane you are welcomed by the warm characters that have made Bullo famous in Australian folklore.  After settling into your accommodation you enjoy lunch while taking in the wide open expanse and tranquillity that comes with being so remote in the Australian bush.

Bullo River Station is in the north western corner of the Northern Territory near the Western Australian border.  Encircled by the coffee coloured waters of the Victoria River and rugged hills inscribed with Aboriginal rock art, this vast property is not only home to around 9,000 Brahman-cross cattle but also a stunning variety of local fauna species including wallabies, dingoes, wild buffalo, a myriad of native and migratory birds, fish and the omnipresent crocodile.

The ‘Boab’ is Bullo’s symbol and these proud trees dot the entire property lending their stature to what is already an impressive landscape.  Bullo River Station was made famous by top-selling Australian author Sara Henderson, 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.

Overnight – Bullo River Station – Homestead Room – Full board basis including selected beverages

Life on the station starts early for the staff but you are invited to take your time over a hearty breakfast.  Your guide will provision the 4WD with fishing lines and a picnic lunch before setting out for the day.  Please remember to bring along your swimming costumes and a pair of jogging shoes.

You venture along the corrugated bush tracks dotted with giant Boab trees to an ancient gallery of aboriginal rock art.  Your guide will relate the stories depicted in the art work and their significance to the local tribes people.

You fish for barramundi on a billabong below the towering sandstone cliffs on the Bullo Gorge before reaching the shallows.  After a short walk along the sandy creek you encounter pristine freshwater holes where you can safely swim in the clear waters.  You have lunch in the shade of the river side gums trees.

You return to the homestead late in the afternoon to enjoy the sounds and colours of sunset on the vast open plain.

Overnight – Bullo River Station – Homestead Room – Full board basis including selected beverages

This morning you are met by your guide and have the chance to enjoy some of the best fishing in northern Australia.  The Bullo River flows for 50 miles exclusively on the property providing the opportunity for fresh and tidal salt water fishing.  The Bullo River then joins the Victoria River, one of the largest and most remote rivers in Australia and is the property’s eastern boundary.  Whilst Bullo is famous for excellent barramundi fishing there are also other species including thread fin salmon, jew fish, mangrove jack and black bream.  Mighty barramundi, occasionally topping 50 pounds, are found throughout the waterways and it’s the prospect of tangling with these spectacular and hard-fighting fish that consistently draws angling die-hards.

After you have had your fill of fishing you return to the Homestead for lunch.  Following lunch you take to the air in the station’s helicopter to be transported to the magical setting known as the Cascades.  You fly across the floodplains and onto a rocky plateau bordered by the Great Wall of China, a natural rock fault line that traverses the landscape as far as the eye can see.  Out of nowhere appears an oasis; a creek that over the eons has weathered a series of cascading pools through the statuesque sandstone.  The clarity and freshness of the water is an instant magnet that invites one to jump in and enjoy.  After a relaxing afternoon of swimming and soaking up heat from the rocks you return to the homestead.

Overnight – Bullo River Station – Homestead Room – Full board basis including selected beverages

You rise early this morning to make the most of the colours and sounds of the Australian bush and enjoy your last breakfast with the characters of Bullo. 

Your private charter aircraft will be waiting to transport you to your next destination, Faraway Bay.  Flying time is 1 hour and 15 minutes.  The low angle of the early morning sunrays provide for stunning scenery as you fly across the expanse of Bullo and into Western Australia.  The seismic activity over millions of years has created an impressive landscape throughout the East Kimberley.  The country you fly over is remote.  There are no towns, just miles of endless beaches. 

On arrival at Faraway Bay you are met and transferred to the bush camp.  Once you have settled in to your accommodation you enjoy lunch before exploring the local fresh water swimming holes and deserted beaches.  Weather permitting you may try your hand at catching a fish or collecting fresh rock oysters.

On sunset you gather at the lodge to indulge in a sunset drink and listen to your hosts tell stories of a life spent in this rugged and remote country.

Overnight – Faraway Bay Bush Camp – Ensuite cabin – Full board basis including selected beverages

After a big Kimberley breakfast you will join your full day cruise along the rugged sandstone coastline to King George Falls.  As you pass by stunning white sand beaches and precipitous cliffs you will observe ospreys, sea eagles and the occasional crocodile slide.  Do not be fooled by the tempting waters as they are home to numerous crocodiles and sharks.  King George Falls is a dual waterfall that has an uninterrupted vertical drop of over 80 metres directly in to the ocean.

Overnight – Faraway Bay Bush Camp – Ensuite cabin – Full board basis including selected beverages

This morning is at your leisure.  Following lunch you join your fellow houseguests and travel by vehicle and then on foot to the nearby Bradshaw Aboriginal rock art paintings which are scattered throughout the landscape.  Please ensure you wear long pants and sturdy walking shoes, as well as adequate sun protection.

The Bradshaw Paintings are incredibly sophisticated, yet they are not recent creations but originate from an unknown past period which some suggest could have been 50,000 years ago.  This art form was first recorded by Joseph Bradshaw in 1891, when he was lost on a Kimberley expedition.  This rock art, referred to as the Bradshaw Paintings, may well predate the present Australian Aborigines.

According to legend, they were made by birds.  It was said that these birds pecked the rocks until their beaks bled, and then created these fine paintings by using a tail feather and their own blood.  This art is of such antiquity that no pigment remains on the rock surface, it is impossible to use carbon dating technology.  The composition of the original paints can’t be determined, and whatever pigments were used have been locked into the rock itself as shades of Mulberry red, and have become impervious to the elements.

Overnight – Faraway Bay Bush Camp – Ensuite cabin – Full board basis including selected beverages

Today you depart Faraway Bay.  You are met and transferred to the airstrip to connect with your private charter flight to Kununurra.

On arrival in Kununurra you are met and transferred by road to El Questro.  The drive will take around 1 ½ hours and will take you through some of the most scenic and rugged Kimberly countryside.  On arrival at El Questro you are met and shown to your accommodation. 

This afternoon you enjoy a private Chamberlain Gorge Cruise.  An El Questro ranger will take you through this 2 mile fresh waterhole in the Homestead’s private “dinghy”.  Enjoy the diverse flora and fauna; resident rock wallabies, Johnstone crocodiles and archer fish are familiar inhabitants of the gorge. 

Relax on the peaceful return journey at dusk when the colours of the Kimberley shine on the towering cliffs.

Overnight – El Questro Homestead – Homestead Room – Full board basis including selected beverages

Today you travel to the Bungle Bungles, Cathedral Gorge and Piccaninny Creek.  Your private charter aircraft will take you over some of the most ancient and visually stunning landscapes in Australia.  You walk amongst the domes, lunch at Cathedral Gorge and return to El Questro in the late afternoon.

The Bungle Bungles massif is located in the Purnululu National Park and was created at the same time as most of the Kimberley scenery.  Over the span of 350 million years, rivers washed sand and pebbles into the area, layer-upon-layer, and the sand was ground finer and harder together until it formed sandstone rock.  Strong winds and heavy rains have eroded the sandstone away to form the dome shapes we see today.  The Bungle Bungles gain their tiger-stripes from black algae growth that permeates the more porous layers of the rock, and a glossy orange build up of manganese and iron staining.  Standing within these domes, you can’t even begin to fathom the time it has taken for this process to occur.

Overnight – El Questro Homestead – Homestead Room – Full board basis including selected beverages

DAY 9 – DEPART THE KIMBERLEY

Today you are transferred by vehicle to the Kununurra Airport and connect with your onward flight.  The drive will take around 1 ½ hours.

END OF ARRANGEMENTS