Top End: Broome to Darwin

Fly to Broome and meet your Ross Tour leader Colin Barlow. Transfer to the exquisite white sands and turquoise waters of the world famous Cable Beach. Here, overlooking the Indian Ocean is your award-winning resort hotel and home for the next three nights. The afternoon is at leisure to relax. Take a long stroll on the beach or sip a drink under gently swaying palm trees as you soak up your serene surroundings. Welcome dinner together tonight and watch the stunning Indian Ocean sunset.

Broome is Australia’s pearling centre and North West gateway to the spectacular Kimberley region. With its vibrant multicultural community and stunning natural environment, there’s much to discover about this beautiful town. Today, join a local guide and learn about Broome’s colourful heritage from the early days of pearling when Broome’s name was known the world over for its’ mother of pearl. Visit Willie Creek Pearl Farm for a unique insight into the fascinating process of modern cultured pearl farming, from shell to showroom. You’ll discover exactly what makes the perfect pearl. Lunch included today.

A free day for you to explore the resort, the beach and Broome. Relax and unwind on the soft, clean sands of Cable Beach, swim in clear turquoise waters. There is the opportunity for an optional scenic flight (at own expense) over the ruggedly beautiful islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago, Horizontal Falls and Cape Leveque.

Travel north-east across the Dampier Peninsula to Derby. An old pastoral town, Derby is located on an ancient sand dune, with streets lined with boab trees and surrounded by intriguing mudflats with tides that are the largest in the Southern hemisphere. Stop at the Boab prison tree, over 1,500 years old. Continue deeper into the Kimberley and discover the region’s iconic flora, huge boab trees, River Red Gums, Coolibahs and Leichhardt Pines. At Fitzroy Crossing check into your hotel, an oasis on the banks of the Fitzroy River our home for two nights. Lunch and dinner included today. After dinner, take in the night sky ablaze with stars.

Step back 375 million years today at Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek, the Kimberley’s most stunning landforms that were once part of the ancient Devonian Reef system. Walk through Western Australia’s oldest cave system at Tunnel Creek, the famous hideout of Aboriginal warrior, Jandamarra in the 1890’s. Picnic lunch at the tranquil desert oasis, Windjana Gorge, named after a creation of the Unggumi people’s Dreamtime. Here, soaring weathered cliffs rise 90 metres above the Lennard River and deep freshwater pools are surrounded by native fig, cadjeput and Leichhardt trees, attracting flocks of birds and fruit bats.

Take a fascinating cruise this morning through the Danggu Geikie Gorge. Famed for its sheer multi-coloured walls carved out by the Fitzroy River and part of the ancient Devonian Reef, this gorge is spectacular. You’ll get a wealth of insights into the local ecology and Aboriginal culture from your Ranger guide during your cruise. Continue your Outback adventure and travel north into the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park, home to the extraordinary beehive striped landforms known as the Bungle Bungles. Check into your accommodation for two nights. Lunch and dinner included.

Known to local Aboriginal people for thousands of years, the extraordinary ‘beehive’ Bungle Bungle Range were only bought to wider attention in 1983 when a documentary crew filming from the air captured their image. Purnululu National Park was established in 1987 and skyrocketed to fame. It’s the world’s most outstanding example of cone karst sandstone, a spectacular landscape of sculptured rocks rising above savanna grasslands. You’ll get close enough to walk between the orange and black striped domes. The most famous Bungle walks is Cathedral Gorge, a huge natural amphitheatre. Picnic lunch and dinner included.

In WA’s north-east, Wyndham is surrounded by cliff and gorge country. Here five rivers flow into the vast Cambridge Gulf and we understand the meaning of Kununurra ‘big waters’. From the Bastion Lookout, you can see out to Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and the Timor Sea. Look out for giant boabs and pink flowering Kimberley heath. Further east is Kununurra. Established in 1960 to support the Ord Irrigation Scheme project, Kununurra is today a relaxed oasis with art galleries, diamond boutiques and cafes. Farmers here are growing superfoods, tropical fruit and sandalwood plantations. Check into our eco-luxury hotel for three nights. Dinner and lunch included.

El Questro is 700,000 acres of stunningly beautiful terrain in the heart of the Kimberley. From rugged sandstone ranges and rainforest pockets to thermal springs, gorges and permanent waterfalls, it’s the perfect place to spend a day exploring with local guides. Stroll through dense Livistona palms to arrive at Zebedee Springs, a series of rocky thermal pools. Take a refreshing dip in the serene waters of this natural oasis. Lunch is included today. This afternoon cruise along the Chamberlain Gorge. Only accessible by boat, this 3km fresh waterhole is surrounded by diverse flora and fauna and eclipsed by towering escarpments.

Free morning to enjoy the resort facilities and the spirit of the Kimberley’s ancient landscape that surrounds you. Perhaps visit Celebrity Tree Park or shop for rare Argyle Pink Diamonds or indigenous art and craft. This afternoon travel to Lake Argyle to visit the historic Durack Homestead, home of the pioneering Durack family, who famously drove cattle from Queensland to the East Kimberley where they established Argyle Downs Station. The homestead was built in 1895 and moved to its present location in the 1970s when the Argyle Dam was built. Finish this day with a magical sunset cruise on Lake Argyle – bring your swimmers! Dinner included tonight

Head east today into the Northern Territory and to Timber Creek, located within the sweeping Victoria River country. Cross the Victoria River, considered the NT’s most scenic spot to catch barramundi and take in the spectacular views. Gregory National Park is one of Australia’s ‘big parks’ with massive mesas of the Pinkerton Range. Look out for flowering native hibiscus and Kimberley Bauhinia. Afternoon arrival in Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine) and check into the Knotts Crossing Resort, Katherine. Lunch and dinner included

This morning join our cultural guide on the NitNit Dreaming cruise through Nitmiluk and Blue-Winged Kookaburra Gorges. Under blue skies surrounded by ancient limestone escarpment, you’ll learn about the gorge’s cultural significance and geology. Nitmiluk is home to the Jawoyn people and you’ll discover the Dreamtime stories of the gorge’s creation. After the cruise, journey north into the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. Check into your hotel for two nights. Tucked amongst the Paperbarks, Pandanus and Fresh Water Mangroves beside Yellow Water Billabong, the resort is a serene oasis and our base to explore Kakadu. Dinner included.

Your day in Kakadu National Park starts with an early morning cruise through the world-famous Yellow Water Billabong during this magestic time of day. As the cruise winds its way through distinct ecosystems of the Billabong and South Alligator River tributaries, the wildlife and birds are magnificent in their abundance. Look out for whistling ducks, magpie geese, eagles, lotus and fresh-water crocodile. Next, are the breathtaking galleries of Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr Rock and Nourlangie Rock. Kakadu’s rock art is of enormous international significance. Some paintings are up to 20,000 years old, making them one of the longest historical records of any peoples on Earth. Lunch and dinner included.

Journey north-west along the Stuart Highway to Darwin, Australia’s northernmost city, and settle into your deluxe hotel for the next two nights. Lunch included.

Exploring Darwin is the perfect way to wind up your northern adventure. This multicultural city has it all, and today a local guide joins you for an insiders tour of Darwin. This afternoon is free for you to relax by the pool, stroll the esplanade, visit WW11 history museums or browse galleries showcasing the regions rich Indigenous art. Catch a Top End sunset over the Afafura Sea. Meet up tonight for our Farewell Dinner.

Transfer to Darwin Airport for your homeward flight.