Arnhem Land Expedition Cruise

Day 1 - Arrive Darwin, Embark Ship

Be met at Darwin airport and transfer to your expedition ship. This evening, get to know your fellow guests as you enjoy a Welcome Dinner and briefing with your Expedition Team. Set sail as you learn how Arnhem Land was named after a Dutch ship of the same name, which explored this coastline in 1623.

Accommodation: Seven Nights, MS Caledonian Sky

Meals: Dinner

Day 2 - Cobourg Peninsula, Victoria Settlement, Caiman Creek

This morning visit Port Essington, an inlet on the Cobourg Peninsula. Arrive in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park to see pristine beaches, lush rainforests, mangrove swamps and coral reefs. Follow the Port Essington coastline to Victoria Settlement, a British outpost established in 1838 to strengthen their claim over the north of Australia. Your guide will lead a captivating walk through the settlement, recounting the hardship the troopers faced in such a harsh environment. Later, choose between an exploration of the Victoria Settlement hospital camp, complete with stunning views over the Arafura Sea, or embark on a fascinating walk through the Eastern Paperbark Wetland. After lunch, board a Zodiac with your Expedition Team to cruise along Caiman Creek.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 3 - Wessel Islands, Hole in the Wall

Arrive at the Wessel Islands and join your Expedition Team aboard the ship’s Zodiacs to traverse the Hole in the Wall, a cleft in the rock which passes through the island chain from north to south. Learn how these islands were an important site for the Macassan trepang (sea cucumber) traders who visited the Arnhem Land coast between the 16th and early 20th centuries. Signs of pre-European contact between the Indigenous peoples of the area and these fishing fleets from Sulawesi are evident in the language, stories, art, tools and cuisine of the Yolngu people of East Arnhem Land. Interestingly, the Yolngu are the only Indigenous Australians to have a word for money, ‘rupiah’ which is also the currency in Indonesia. There are also depictions of prau, the sailing ships of the Macassan, in rock art which as been dated to the 15th century. In return for access to trepang fishing areas, the Yolngu received goods such as cloth, tobacco, rice and metal tools including knives. The Macassans continued visiting up until 1907.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4 - Gove Peninsula, Yirrkala

Arrive at the Gove Peninsula, a place where the first British contact with the Yolngu came about in 1803 as Matthew Flinders made his circumnavigation of Australia. Flinders also sighted the massive fleet of Macassan fishing ships, holding some 1,000 fishermen, off present-day Nhulunbuy. This must have been a startling discovery for the explorer, given the British settlement in Sydney Cove numbered little more than 6,000 people.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5 - Galwin’ku, Elcho Island

Your Indigenous art experience continues today at Galwin’ku, located at the southern tip of Elcho Island, where you will be greeted with a traditional ceremony. Visit Indigenous-owned art centres to witness the creation of stunning pieces of local craft including bark paintings, woven pandanus baskets, carvings and shell jewellery. Return to your ship for a delicious dinner.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 6 - Warruwi, Goulburn Islands

While in the Goulburn Islands you may choose to visit a local arts centre, tour the island and stop to take in the natural landscapes, or listen to stories of local life and harvesting of sea cucumbers.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 7 - Tiwi Islands: Bathurst Island

Enjoy a locally guided tour through the community of Nguiu. Spend time with the locals while they work on their weaving and painting, enjoying some damper and billy tea as you watch. Visit the Patakijiyali Museum to see traditional art that depicts Tiwi Dreamtime stories. Then, enjoy a demonstration of totem dances and a smoking ceremony. Later, enjoy a Zodiac cruise through the intricate creek systems of Melville Island (subject to weather and tidal conditions).

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 8 - Disembark Ship, Depart Darwin

After breakfast, disembark your ship and be transferred to Darwin airport or your Darwin hotel.

Accommodation:

Meals: Breakfast