Free Air to Join Exclusive Orion Expedition in the Kimberley

Ecruising.travel is offering free return air from all Australian capitals to join expedition cruise ship Orion that it has chartered in May of this year for an exclusive-itinerary 10-nights from Broome to Darwin.

It is also including a night pre-cruise at Broome's famous Cable Beach Resort, a Welcome Aboard Cocktail Reception, and wine, beer and soft drinks nightly with dinners created by world-famous Sydney chef, Serge Danserau.

Orion will sail from Broome on May 22, carrying just fifty couples and 75-crew to experience highlights as diverse as the Horizontal Waterfalls (one of the world's greatest natural wonders,) ancient Aboriginal rock-art galleries, the wreck of an aircraft that didn't make it back to the secret WWII Truscott Air-field, dramatically wild coastlines, and star-gazing crystal-clear night skies.

And joining in leading shore excursions will be the Head of Tourism at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia and expert in Ecotourism, Geotourism and Wildlife Tourism, Professor Ross Dowling and his wife Wendy, who is a specialist in her own right in Natural Approaches to Women's Health.

As well, also giving onboard talks and mingling with guests will be former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke and his wife, the author Blanche d'Alpuget.

Prices start from AUD$8,999pp twin-share inclusive of airport/hotel and ship/airport transfers in Broome and Darwin, a personalised spray jacket, all taxes, and even onboard gratuities. Full details 1300 369 848 or www.ecruising.travel

ADDITIONAL CRUISE INFORMATION: Orion will make calls for shore expeditions at Cape Leveque, Talbot Bay (overnight,) Montgomery Reef and Raft Point (overnight,) the Hunter River, Vansittart Bay, the King George River Falls, Wyndham, the Coburg Peninsula and Darwin.

Guests will also have the option of choosing from a wide range of optional tours including sunset camel rides, helicopter and fixed-wing flights over 100-metre waterfalls and the Bungle Bungles, and tours of Broome and Darwin.

Orion expeditions to Sub-Antarctic islands

Immerse yourself in some of our planet's most extraordinary biodiversity. 

Protected by the Southern Ocean, secluded and seldom visited, the Australian and New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands, recognized by UNESCO as one of the worlds' precious regions of unique biodiversity, will be visited by the expedition cruise ship Orion in December, 2009.

Today these remote nature reserves enjoy World Heritage status, recognised for their volcanic and glacial geological formations and extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna - much of which endangered or recovering since being discovered and later plundered in the late 1700's and early 1800's by sealers and whalers.

Home to over half of the world's seabirds, some of which exist nowhere else, this wildlife paradise contains 40% of the world's albatross species and 50% of the world's penguin species including the endangered yellow-eyed penguin, plus hundreds of thousands of other endemic birds - petrels, prions and cormorants. 

The expedition team will include the highly respected British zoologist and naturalist Dr John Sparks, who travelled to Antarctica onboard Orion in 2006.  

At Snares there is every expectation guests will see Sooty Shearwaters, the endemic Snares Crested Penguins, Snares Fernbird and Tomtits.  On Enderby Island expect to see pipits, parakeets and plovers, Hooker's Sea Lions, and perhaps even the Auckland Island Flightless Teal and Sub-Antarctic Snipe. Campbell Island, home to the Southern Royal Albatrosses, has the highest diversity of breeding albatrosses of any island in the world. 

And then there are plant species that have to be seen to be believed, including 5 meter high tree daisies on Snares, giants compared to their relatives in more temperate climates. 

With convenient embarkation in Bluff (Invercargill, New Zealand) or Hobart, Orion will head south to visit (depending on voyage) Macquarie, Campbell, Stewart, Snares and Auckland islands as well as spending time exploring New Zealand's beautiful Fjordlands (including Milford and Doubtful Sounds).  

These two expeditions to the Sub-Antarctic islands are designed for nature lovers and photographers alike. The remnants of the old whaling station on Macquarie Island, the high cliffs and numerous caves and arches formed by marine erosion on Campbell Island and the enormous sea stacks on the southern peninsulas of Snares present dramatic contrast to the prolific bird life, penguins, seals, sea lions and flora in this remote sanctuary. 
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Dr John Sparks has travelled all over the world making wildlife films, including five with Sir David Attenborough; he has written 11 books and visited Antarctica on many occasions. Details available at www.johnsparks.org 
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Orion Fares Guide:

13 night Sub-Antarctic Adventure –departs Hobart 1 December 2009 or Bluff (Invercargill) NZ  14 December 2009. Itineraries vary.

Fares from $10,630 per person twin share for an ocean view Category B stateroom

Suites from $14,660 per person twin share for a Junior Suite

Owners' Suites with French Balcony are $22,265 per person twin share 

Ranked #2 expedition cruise ship in the world in the current Berlitz Cruise Guide, Orion is the world's latest purpose-built luxury expedition cruise ship, featuring an unmatched range of onboard facilities. 

With 75 crew and a maximum of just 106 passengers Orion offers the highest staff to guest ratio and guest to public space ratio of any ship based in Australian waters. 
 
Further information on all Orion Expedition Cruises to Antarctica, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Asia, New Zealand, the Kimberley and Arnhem Land can be obtained by visiting the website www.orionexpeditions.com  

For reservations or to obtain a brochure call Orion Expedition Cruises: 61-2 9033 8777 (Sydney callers) 1300 361 012 (regional and interstate) or your travel agent. Email: info@orioncruises.com.au 

North Star Cruises: Last Minute Availabilities

Spoil your TRUE LOVE with a cruise on the TRUE NORTH!

Give the gift of adventure this Valentines Day and book a cabin on our West Coast Explorer cruising from Fremantle to Dampier (28th Feb – 10 Mar), or come walkabout and get lost with your loved one on our stunning Kimberley Wilderness Cruise.

The following cabins are available to book now:

West Coast Explorer Cruise
28 February - 10 March
2 cabins remaining

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 1
14 March - 27 March
1 cabin remaining

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 2b
04 April – 10 April
1 cabin remaining

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 4a
25 April – 02 May
6 cabins remaining

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 4b
02 May – 08 May
3 cabins remaining

Highlights from our West Coast Explorer Cruise:

A classic ‘blue water’ experience with fishing, snorkeling and diving offered.

Visit the very spectacular Steep Point – Australia’s most western point.
Explore Dirk Hartog Island – site of the first ever European landing on Australian soil.

Snorkel Ningaloo Reef & Coral Bay. World class!

Highlights from our Kimberley Wilderness cruise:

Get up close & personal with this ancient land that is over 1.8 billion years old.

Knowledgeable crew onboard to interpret the history, geology, art, flora & fauna.

Amazing excursions daily including optional scenic heli flights up gorges, over river systems and waterfalls

Excellent Fishing – guaranteed to catch one! (Barramundi, Mangrove Jack, Fingermark Bream, Queenfish & Salmon)

Go Wild in Style!

PO Box 654 Broome Western Australia 6725
Telephone: (+61 8) 9192 1829 Facsimile: (+61 8) 9192 1830
Email: cruise@northstarcruises.com.au URL: www.northstarcruises.com.au

True North's Kimberley wilderness season ready to go

BROOME - Luxury adventure cruise ship True North will commence its 2009 Kimberley Wilderness Cruise season in March.

True North is a purpose-built ship for the Kimberley coast and river systems.

North Star Cruises Australia general manager Peter Trembath said with heavy monsoonal rains, the Kimberley was being transformed by rivers in flood, towering waterfalls and an abundance of wildlife.

North Star offers a range of Kimberley Wilderness Cruises starting March 14 with a 13-night trip from Broome to Wyndham.

Kimberley Wilderness Cruises also traverse the coastline between Wyndham and Hunter River, and from Hunter River to Broome.

In all, 17 departures ranging in length from 6/7 nights to 13 nights are scheduled throughout the 2009 Kimberley season, which concludes in mid September.

True North’s multiple expedition boats allow passengers to do “what they want, when they want”. It is also the only Kimberley adventure-cruise ship that sails with its own helicopter.

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise prices start from A$9,495 for a 6/7 night cruise.

For bookings and more information contact North Star Cruises www.northstarcruises.com.au

Take 20 per cent off Kimberley Cruises

Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises adds 2010 departures to 2009 20% discount deal

Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises (PSCC) has added 2010 Kimberley cruises to its 20 per cent discount offer on 2009 cruises.

Bookings for 2009 savings have been extended from December 31 to March 31, the deadline date also set for the offer on 2010 departures.

PSCC has also announced that its scheduled rates for 2010 are the same as 2009.

This discount price on the seven-day cruises between Broome and Mitchell Plateau is from $6,676 a person (normally $8,345) and from $9,676 (normally from $12,095) for the 13-day Broome-Wyndham cruises.

Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises has 25 departures for seven-day cruises and two for the 13-day cruise during the March-October season.

Cruising is on board the 25-metre air-conditioned Kimberley Quest II, equipped with a spa on the deck and helipad for scenic flights.

The Kimberley Quest II accommodates just 18 passengers in deluxe twin, deluxe double, superior double cabins and an exclusive flybridge double cabin, all equipped with private ensuites.

Prices include a light aircraft and helicopter flight between Broome and the Mitchell Plateau (on 7-day cruises) full use of the vessel, guided land and water excursions, all chef-prepared meals (and non-stop access to the caffe latte machine on the rear deck).

Cruise highlights are the Horizontal Waterfalls, the spectacular islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago, King Cascades, Montgomery Reef and the King George Falls, guided scenic tender rides through a myriad of inlets, estuaries and unnamed creek systems, ancient art sites and colonial settlement ruins.

What’s also in store are swimming excursions to waterfalls and stunning cliff-top rock pools, wandering along deserted beaches, day and night crocodile spotting and fishing for much-prized barramundi, mackerel and trevally ... and lazing under the sun in the spa on the bow deck as the vessel cruises along the region's rugged escarpments and into spectacular gorges, sometimes 80 metres high.

Contact: Tel 08 9193 6131, email cruise@kimberleyquest.com.au or see www.kimberleyquest.com.au.

Rowley Shoals - A Kimberley Coral Atoll Paradise Best Explored in Luxury

The Rowley Shoals, situated 260km from Broome, off the north-west coast of Western Australia, are a true haven of natural beauty.

Especially loved by divers, the Shoals are made up of 3 coral atolls - Clerke Reef, Mermaid Reef and Imperieuse Reef - with shallow lagoons filled with an abundance of marine life and spectacular coral.

Each atoll that makes up the Rowley Shoals is approximately 80 - 90 square kilometres in area, and very similar is size, shape and distance apart.

The Rowley Shoals were named in 1818 by Captain Philip Parker King, who first described their relative positions. He named the most north-easterly of the trio Mermaid Reef, after his ship. The middle shoal was named Clerke Reef after Captain Clerke, who had reported it from a whaler sometime between 1800 and 1809, and the south-western shoal was dubbed Imperieuse Reef after the ship from which Captain Rowley sighted it in 1800.

The Shoals are now considered one of the very best pristine marine environments in the world. With their remoteness, lying on the very edge of the Australian continental shelf, many claim they are the most perfect example of shelf atolls in Australian waters.

The coral gardens of the Rowley Shoals are absolutely beautiful and almost untouched by man. You can dive the area and hand feed the potato cod and maori wrasse, and the colourful reef fish don’t seem to be disturbed by the presence of divers.

As the tides go down, the sea gushes over the edges of the shoals like miniature waterfalls, and the reefs disappear below the water’s surface at high tide, with only the Clerke and Imperieuse island’s sandy beaches showing.

A visit to the “Acquarium” is an essential for the snorkeller. Rivalling the Great Barrier Reef, yet only waist-deep in water, the experience is amazing. It has brilliantly coloured corals, giant clams and more than 600 of the world’s most beautiful fish species at your fingertips! An underwater camera is a MUST!

Another very popular dive experience is a “wall dive”, where you dive along the shoal walls as they are submerged in water. Outer reef snorkelling is amazing, as you explore the sheer coral walls. Clean and virtually undamaged by the effects of man and pollution, you’ll get to see just how spectacular the colours and shapes of the coral are.

Your visit to this amazing place will be a memory that lasts for a lifetime. There’s very few spots like this left in the world nowdays, because of the ravages of mankind, so the Rowley Shoals should be high on your list of holiday destinations if you want an amazing experience. One you can tell your grandchildren about and still remember the beauty and colour of this spectacular location. Definitely one of Australia’s highlights.

Since the Rowley Shoals are 12 hours off the coast of Broome, you’ll need a way to visit them, and there’s no better choice than the magnificent True North, operated by North Star Cruises.

The True North allows discerning adventurers to experience the wilderness of the Rowley Shoals in surroundings more akin to one of the world’s most exclusive hotels! It even travels with a full-time helicopter - an air-conditioned Bell 407!

Spend 6 days in absolute luxury aboard the True North, and experience the beauty of this magnificent location. We have plenty of diving trips for you to take, as well as delicious meals prepared by our master chefs. Relax in total comfort while our all-Australian crew attends to your every need.

For more information about cruising the Coral Atolls of the Rowley Shoals and other spectacular Kimberley locations, visit our website to download our cruise itineraries: www.northstarcruises.com.au

Renowned West Australian Photographer to join TRUE NORTH cruise

Roebuck Bay, Broome (c) Christian Fletcher

North Star Cruises Australia is delighted to confirm that Christian Fletcher will be joining Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 13a & b in 2009.

You are probably aware of Christian's enviable reputation as a landscape photographer and you probably also appreciate that the Kimberley presents as the ultimate panorama. Accordingly, we are sure that you will be interested to note that Christian will not only be providing instruction on how to capture that perfect image – he will also be conducting tutorials in software refinement and, printing techniques.

A one-stop opportunity to work with a revered professional; with nothing but stunning material to work with and, relaxed how-to instruction on everything from shot selection to the ultimate in presentation.

If you've got the shutter-bug – don't miss this one!

The cruise will depart Broome on the 29th of August and the 'split cruise' format offers complete flexibility. Guests can embark in Broome and remain onboard for the entire 2 week cruise disembarking in Wyndham and taking advantage of our courtesy coach transfer to Kununurra. Alternatively, guests can embark/disembark mid-cruise in the Hunter River taking advantage of our light aircraft/helicopter transfers from/to Kununurra (included).

Don't miss out – early indication is that this will be a very popular departure – contact our adventure partners now to secure your cabin!

For more information on Christian visit: www.christianfletcher.com.au

Email: cruise@northstarcruises.com.au URL: www.northstarcruises.com.au