26 Jul 2023

Touring the Historical Sights and Surrounds of Bigge Island

It was exciting start to our morning as we discovered the telltale turtle tracks dotting the shores of Bigge Island indicating several females had nested and many hatchlings had made their way to the ocean.

Jessa, our on board bug expert spent the morning finding treasures in the Spinifex bushes, while others enjoyed the coolness of the caves to admire the fascinating ancient Indigenous Australian Wandjina rock art adorning the cave walls. Wandjina is the most significant Creation Spirit, associated with rain and therefore the seasonal regeneration of the land and all natural resources and represents significant ritual sites.

During the afternoon Heritage Adventurer sailed to Careening Bay where we stepped ashore onto a beautiful patch of sand and shells to learn about Cycads, Bowerbirds and most importantly, the historic Mermaid Boab Tree, which bore the name of the HMC Mermaid that was famously carved into it while the ship was beached during Philip Parker King's third voyage of the region.

Later, as the sun went down, we were joined by a curious Dingo that surprised us with his visit giving us a great opportunity for pictures before it was time to return to Heritage Adventurer for dinner and a recap of today's adventures.

Image (c) C.Finch