12 Aug 2023

Teeming with Wildlife, Cruising the Sandstone Cliffs of Talbot Bay

A Humpback whale mother and calf were seen breaching roughly a kilometre away from Heritage Adventurer giving an incredible show for our early risers breakfast. Their splashing in the water was soon farewelled as our expedition vessel was soon enclosed by the sandstone cliffs of Talbot Bay.

Our first excursion of the day began with a Welcome to Country by the Dambimangari people and an information session about the work that their rangers do around monitoring animals like the Northern Quoll. We bathed in the smoke of burning Eucalyptus leaves to complete the Welcome to Country. A brief return to Heritage Adventurer for lunch refuelled us for another adventurous Zodiac cruise to the Horizontal Falls.

At the Falls, we were gently swayed by the outflowing water. Near the first gap, we became privy to seeing through geological time with the layers of Pentecost and Warton Sandstone pushed into vertical cliffs. From here, we ventured into Cyclone Creek. The rocks alongside the creek told the stories of ancient mountain ranges and depositions of sand, tales of how these layers collided, folded, and in some cases, eroded to form the channels that we cruised along.

During the cruise, we first spotted the discreet Short-eared Rock-wallaby sitting almost invisibly among the grey sandstone, before it darted to the nearby red cliffs. A pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles coasted through the air, hunting for prey. A White-bellied Sea Eagle took off from a tree nearby a Zodiac and everyone could appreciate just how large these magnificent birds of prey are. A Black Cuckooshrike was seen darting among the Eucalyptus trees while raspy calls lead us closer to the mangroves and the calls' source - a Great Bowerbird. The white feathers of the Sulphur-crested Cockatoos contrasted against the iron oxidised red cliffs. Chimneys of piping termites dotted the rocky cliffs as well, at times revealing pale white to dark brown soils beneath our line of sight. Green Sea Turtles, Bottlenose Dolphins and Humpback Dolphins finished off the Zodiac cruise on a high note.

The final event of the day was a presentation back on board the air-condition comfort of Heritage Adventurer by our special guest speaker Michael Butler on 'The Message Stick Vehicle'. Michael shared his story on creating the vehicle, reshaping the ex-military 1961 Land Rover into a symbol of peace, and visiting several groups of indigenous Australians throughout the Kimberley.

Image (c) by: S.Todd