Day 13 Darwin to King George River

Overnight we sailed to where the Outback meets the ocean, Koolama Bay is found at the mouth of the King George River. The River offers one of the Kimberley’s most striking and impressive cruises aboard Zodiacs we journeyed through winding channels framed by towering red cliffs and ancient geological formations. Named after the ship that had been beached here after a Japanese aerial attack during World War II. Koolama Bay was the starting point for our Zodiac cruise to reach the King George Falls, one of the Kimberley’s most magnificent natural wonders. At 260 feet (80 m), the twin cascades are among the highest in Australia. Koolama Bay and the river weaves through an amazing landscape of near vertical red rock formations will offer a parade of wildlife —saltwater crocodiles and amazing birdlife, including giant raptors and the Brahminy Kite.



We started the day with a geological talk about the Kimberley Area.






We then had time for a relax before lunch.



It was then time to board the zodiacs and get up close and personal with the King George River and Falls.





The river was named in 1911 by Australian Zoologist and explorer Charles Price Conigrave (1882-1961) after a privately funded Kimberley Exploring Expedition in the area. The river is named in honour of King George V then the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and the dominion of Australia. The river descends 216 meters over a distance of approximately 112 km. This includes the famous descent of the dual drop waterfall of King George Falls, which is located approximately 12 km upriver from the river's mouth. The King George River plunges over an ancient sandstone cliff into tidal waters, creating the truly
astounding spectacle of Oomari (King George Falls) — Western Australia's highest twin waterfalls.
The river is of high cultural significance to the Balanggarra people, for whom the falls are the male and female Wungurr (Rainbow Serpents). The recorded height of the King George waterfall varies widely, with some sources claiming the descent is in the range of an extraordinary eighty to one hundred metres over a sandstone cliff into tidal waters.