17 Days Luxury Australia Cruise - Darwin to Fremantle

Named in honor of Charles Darwin by British settlers, Darwin is Australia's northernmost capital city, located 2,000 miles from Sydney and Melbourne. Crocodiles patrol the jungled waterways surrounding the city, and the nearby Kakadu National Park is accessible by airboat. Darwin was directly attacked by the Japanese air force in 1942, and Cyclone Tracy devastated the city in 1973, both events documented in local museums.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and pursue personal interests, whether visiting the gym, the spa, or simply watching for whales from deck. These blue sea days offer an ideal balance to busy days spent exploring ashore.

Wyndham, at the head of the Cambridge Gulf where several Kimberley rivers converge, was established in 1886 during the Halls Creek gold rush and remains one of Western Australia's most remote ports. The Ord River, accessible by boat from here, offers freshwater crocodiles, rock wallabies, and extraordinary birdlife in a tidal river landscape of great natural character.

The King George River in the Kimberley offers a Zodiac journey through winding channels framed by towering red cliffs and ancient geological formations. Saltwater crocodiles bask along the banks and Brahminy Kites soar overhead during the cruise. The area is rich in deep geological history and the wild spirit of Australia's remote northwest.

Vansittart Bay, near the northern tip of Western Australia, holds two of the Kimberley's most significant rock art sites on Jar Island — galleries of both Gwion Gwion and Wandjina styles in close proximity. The Anjo Peninsula beyond holds a World War II C-53 aircraft wreck remarkably intact on the beach, adding an unexpected historical layer to one of Australia's most remote coastlines.

Situated 630 kilometres off Broome, Ashmore Reef Marine Park is an Australian External Territory covering 583 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean. More than 40 bird species use the reef, with 100,000 seabirds breeding there each year, including crested terns, white-tailed tropicbirds, and greater frigatebirds, alongside migratory shorebirds travelling from as far as Siberia. The surrounding waters shelter around 500 fish species, marine turtles, and dugongs within a declared Sanctuary zone.

The Hunter River in the Kimberley is home to an immense mangrove system surrounded by soaring red sandstone cliffs, with narrow channels sheltering bird species, mudskippers, fiddler crabs, and saltwater crocodiles. Naturalist Island at the river's mouth has a sandy beach used as a landing site for helicopters heading inland. The Mitchell Falls, four tiers of waterfalls plunging into deep pools, are the inland highlight.

The Buccaneer Archipelago off Western Australia comprises around 800 islands and produces extraordinary tidal phenomena, including the horizontal reversible waterfall in Talbot Bay. Montgomery Reef appears to rise from the sea as the tide drops, revealing cascading waterfalls and marine life including turtles and manta rays. Aboriginal guides welcome guests at Freshwater Cove with traditional ochre ceremonies, and nearby rock art caves can only be visited with local guides.

The Buccaneer Archipelago off Western Australia comprises around 800 islands and produces extraordinary tidal phenomena, including the horizontal reversible waterfall in Talbot Bay. Montgomery Reef appears to rise from the sea as the tide drops, revealing cascading waterfalls and marine life including turtles and manta rays. Aboriginal guides welcome guests at Freshwater Cove with traditional ochre ceremonies, and nearby rock art caves can only be visited with local guides.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind, and pursue personal interests, whether visiting the gym, the spa, or simply watching for whales from deck. These blue sea days offer an ideal balance to busy days spent exploring ashore.

The Dampier Archipelago consists of 42 islands around the Burrup Peninsula, named after English explorer William Dampier who first visited in 1699. Known as Murujuga by Aboriginal people, the peninsula holds one of the world's largest collections of rock art. The Dampier Marine Park protects coral reefs, sponge gardens, and seagrass meadows, with a biodiversity including 1,200 mollusk species and four turtle species.

Named by French explorer Nicolas Baudin in 1801 and later used for British nuclear tests in the 1950s, the Montebello Islands are low, flat, and arid. They are also home to two endangered mammals — the Mala wallaby and the Djoongari mouse — brought here for protection after near-extinction on the mainland. Two islands remain off-limits; the rest offer genuine wilderness encounters.

The two Muiron Islands, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Ningaloo Coast, offer some of the world's finest snorkelling and diving where warm Indian Ocean waters meet the cooler West Australian Current. North Muiron Island's coral formations host extraordinary concentrations of reef life, including graceful manta rays passing through the clear water around the island.

Cape Peron sits at the northern tip of the Francois Peron National Park within the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, at the confluence of two major currents attracting an impressive array of marine life. Guided hikes lead to Skipjack Point viewing platforms perched on the cliff edge, with views across the marine park. Interpretive nature walks through acacia-cloaked red dunes and arid shrublands complete a visit to one of Western Australia's most visually striking coastal environments.

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands are shaped by dramatic contrasts. Shipwrecks and mutiny mark their human history, while the meeting of warm and cool ocean currents creates a habitat where tropical coral grows alongside cool-water species. The only colony of the Australian Lesser Noddy breeds here, along with two million Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, while Australian sea lions and Western Rock Lobsters thrive in the surrounding waters. These are islands of exceptional, hard-won biodiversity.

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands are shaped by dramatic contrasts. Shipwrecks and mutiny mark their human history, while the meeting of warm and cool ocean currents creates a habitat where tropical coral grows alongside cool-water species. The only colony of the Australian Lesser Noddy breeds here, along with two million Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, while Australian sea lions and Western Rock Lobsters thrive in the surrounding waters. These are islands of exceptional, hard-won biodiversity.

Fremantle is a coastal city 20 kilometres from Perth that came to international attention when it hosted the America's Cup in 1987. Fremantle Prison, where almost 10,000 convicts were held between 1850 and 1868, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site just 15 minutes from the port. The city has since evolved into a lively hub of live-music venues, craft-beer breweries, boutique hotels, and Indian Ocean seafood.

Itineraries are subject to change.