Western Australiaโs Kimberley region has one of the worldโs wildest coastlines, much of which is only accessible by sea, writes Mark Daffey.
We all know the story about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, right? Well, Iโm witnessing a natural phenomena that seems about as close as Iโll ever get to a re-enactment of that Biblical event.
Hours earlier, Montgomery Reef was submerged beneath several metres of tepid Indian Ocean water.
But with the ebbing tides, the seas have parted to reveal the worldโs largest platform reef, and itโs like nothing Iโve ever seen.
The tides along this remote part of the Kimberley region, Western Australia, are some of the largest on the planet, dropping and rising by as much as 12 metres during the massive spring tides. As such, they recede with such ferocity that much of the seawater gets left behind, pooling in depressions on the reefโs surface then funnelling back into the ocean as gushing cascades. One Swiss couple likens the spectacle to the Norwegian fjords. A Tasmanian imagines white-water rafting down them.
But itโs not just waterfalls we see here โ thereโs wildlife, too. All sorts of seabirds find nourishment in these nutrient-rich waters, from white-bellied sea eagles snatching up fish in their talons to snowy-feathered eastern great egrets that loiter along the waterโs edge, hoping to pluck a meal from the shallows. A Stokesโ sea snake swims alongside us in our tender. We spot stingrays and sawfish. And juvenile green turtles use this sheltered space as proxy nurseries because of the protection it offers.

โEvery shark known to man also resides in these waters,โ announces our shipโs naturalist Ian Morris, who lists tiger, hammerhead and reef sharks among those lurking beneath the surface. About the only nasty species missing here โ but found everywhere else along this coast โ is crocodiles.
โThis would be a horrible habitat for them,โ explains Morris. โThe coral would tear up their soft undersides.โ
The ship thatโs ferrying us along this barely populated stretch of wilderness, from Broome to Darwin, is Coral Discoverer โ a slick, 63-metre-long vessel thatโs equipped to handle the fluctuating tides found in these parts. Its three-metre draught enables it to navigate shallow waters, while automated stabilisers allow it to float in the open seas as if in a bathtub.
Late each afternoon, just as the sun sets, guests gather on the open-air Sun Deck up top to order the dayโs cocktail special or to drink chilled beer and wines. The lounge doubles as a theatre for guest lecturer presentations and documentary film viewings. Thirty-six spacious en-suite staterooms, some with private balconies, are spread across three levels. And the shipโs tender, Xplorer, comfortably fits all 72 passengers during a minimum of two shore excursions per day.
So, whatโs worth seeing? First up are the islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago, where swirling rock contortions caused by shifting landmasses are bound to boost your appreciation of the science of geology. The tides are at their most extreme here and youโll see cerulean whirlpools powerful enough to swallow undersized dinghies. High above the waterline lies evidence of Aboriginal occupation from 30,000 years ago. And, depending on the tides, you may visit the Lacepede Islands, a safe haven for lesser frigatebirds, brown boobies and crested terns.
Further north is what many consider to be the highlight of a Kimberley cruise โ the Horizontal Falls. Each second here, one million litres of water flood through two narrow gaps in the King Leopold Ranges, leading Sir David Attenborough to christen it โone of the greatest natural wonders of the worldโ. Called a tidal pinch, it has been compared to an ocean trying to fit through a letterbox and is best experienced on a thrilling Zodiac ride.
Each cruise differs โ again, because of the tides. The shipโs expedition leader may incorporate excursions up or into little-visited rivers and bays, or through crocodile-infested mangrove eco-systems that Morris describes as โnatureโs supermarketsโ. Beach walks visit ancient middens and Aboriginal rock-art galleries.
Perhaps the prettiest area is around Raft Point in Doubtful Bay, where headlands and islands rise vertically from the sea. A close second would be Prince Frederick Harbour, at the mouth of the Hunter River. Watching the colours change here at dawn will be
a treasured memory.
Maritime explorers carved their initials into a bulbous boab tree at Careening Bay, in the Prince Regent Nature Reserve, where the spring-fed King Cascades flows year-round into an ink-black lagoon populated by menacing salties.
More seasonal is King George Falls, the stateโs largest single drop waterfall by volume. Even when the falls are reduced to a trickle late in the dry season, the tender voyage beneath towering sandstone walls is still mighty impressive.
On top of all that, there are fishing opportunities and optional helicopter flights to Mitchell Falls, Western Australiaโs highest. Add them all up and youโll soon come to realise that the choices are many and variedโฆ just like the tides, really.