While Kimberley cruising has become a popular way to experience this remote wilderness, Pearl Expeditions is now offering rare access to the 75% of the region that remains beyond standard routes.
Speaking at an event at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art to launch the new company’s itineraries last week, Pearl Expeditions General Manager and Head of Sustainability Mick Fogg explained how the company’s newly transformed 50 metre vessel Paspaley Pearl can access many of the sites that larger cruise ships cannot get to.
“There are 68 approved visitor sites in the Kimberley, governed by our Traditional Owners,” he said. “Of those 68, the current large expedition fleets visit nine to ten of them. That means 75% of the Kimberley is being missed.”
With its smaller size, Paspaley Pearl can navigate smaller, shallower waterways and lesser-known anchorages. This smaller footprint allows them to access dozens of otherwise untouched locations along the rugged Kimberley coastline – places large ships simply can’t go.
“What does that equate to for you? More destinations, more activities, more time and more immersion,” Fogg said.
Guests are offered visits not just the classics like Montgomery Reef, King George Falls, and Horizontal Falls, but also the lesser-explored beauty of places like Whirlpool Pass, Talon Island and Adeline Island, where remnants of early Asian pearl diving history remain – a poignant link given that Pearl Expeditions is backed by a partnership with the Paspaley family, who have pioneered the Australian pearl industry and mapped Kimberley waters over 80 years.
In a competitive expedition market, the company is also setting itself apart with an unprecedented guest-to-expert ratio, with the ship catering to 30 guests with 21 crew.
“We’re the only 50-metre vessel with four dedicated naturalists,” Fogg continued. “No one else gets close to that for an educational component.”
The smaller group size also allows for slower, more meaningful exploration minus any crowds or time constraints, according to Fogg.
Pearl Expeditions will be offering helicopter flights over some of the Kimberley’s highlights, although it has opted against keeping a helicopter on board. “We’re not putting a helicopter on board. We believe it’s quite disturbing to guests,” Fogg said. Instead, the company has partnered with local operators to offer flights over highlights like Mitchell Falls and Talbot Bay.
Guests can also enjoy unique dining moments, such as dinners in caves that are only accessible for three and a half hours a day, and fresh seafood prepared from their own morning catch. “Our chef can prepare your catch… and you can eat with your friends and brag about it all night long,” Fogg quipped.
“By immersing yourself in it, you learn more.”
