26 Jul 2024

World War II relics and ancient rock art

Waking up to beautiful sunshine and clear skies, we went ashore at Vansittart Bay, crossing the salt plain amongst the Fiddler Crabs heading towards the C53 plane wreck from World War II. With the plane surrounded by bush, we explored the surrounding area, looking inside the plane itself to see the large hold area. Enjoying this wartime relic amongst the bush with Pandanus Trees and the mighty Boab Tree nearby was a special experience. Some of us walked across the salt plane back to the beach and others explored the edge of the bush past Green-head Ants nests and more Pandanus Trees before arriving at the beach for a short stroll. 

After enjoying a delicious lunch back onboard Heritage Adventurer, we headed for our afternoon excursion on Jar Island – named for the many jar remains left by the Indonesians. This island didn’t disappoint, as we strolled across the sandstone to the Gwion Gwion rock art observing the painted tasselled people. We ventured further into the island to see other art from the ‘dentist chair’, including the three fish, and then through the labyrinth of sandstone spying more tasselled people and an echidna painting. We walked back to the beach enjoying beachcombing, spotting a turtle coming up for breath and exploring the sandstone tunnel turning into a sheltered bay, before returning to Heritage Adventurer for a delicious dinner.

Images © J. Mishina & T. Dicson, Heritage Expeditions