The Great Escape takes you to stunning locations, with food to match

The Kimberley Coast is home to some of Australia’s most unique and remarkable landscapes, featuring iconic natural beauty and magical underwater treasures. With such amazing scenery on offer, one can heighten the experience with a distinctive and exclusive menu. The Great Escape Charter Company has revolutionised the way we travel by stylishly combining luxury travel with a unique menu that involves crew and guests working together to catch that day’s food.

Led by an experienced crew, The Great Escape offers guests an intimate journey through the uncharted waters of the Kimberley region and Rowley Shoals showcasing some of Australia’s rare, natural beauties. Guests experience first-class service throughout their stay, including having an on board Chef providing an exquisite menu to compliment the luxury cruise experience.

Each day typically starts with guests awaking to breathtaking scenery and to a breakfast which includes a seasonal fruit platter, bacon and eggs and cereal all accompanied with fruit juice. Relax with a frothy cappuccino, enjoyed on the sprawling back deck whilst admiring the view, before the day’s adventures begin. Guests are guided in one of the three tenders to explore the ubiquitous waterfalls, rock pools and gorges; all symbolic of the Kimberley region.

Your browser may not support display of this image.With lunch and dinner next on the menu, it is time to ‘hunt and gather’ to provide for the main course. The crew and guests hop into the tenders to go fishing, oystering or mud crabbing returning to the main vessel with enough for the Chef to create a range of delicious fresh seafood dishes. The meals range from Chilli Mud Crabs, Crespelle with Kimberley King Prawns, Salt and Pepper Squid and freshly shucked Kimberley Rock Oysters, all served to the guests liking, perfected by the on board Chef.

Kylie Bartle, co-founder of The Great Escape, believes they offer once in a life-time holiday experiences that guests will undoubtedly never forget. “We offer a luxury holiday which has many adventurous aspects involved,” says Kylie. “Guests really get involved in the different activities that are on offer, and they love the fact they are able to eat the fish that they catch! It makes the meal taste a little bit better.”

The Great Escape consists of two vessels; with the prestige staterooms offering ensuites, air-conditioning, flat screen TVs with DVD player and queen size beds. There are several different cruise options available which travel throughout the Kimberley Region and the Rowley Shoals, The Great Escape is the ideal means of travelling in style and comfort all while being treated to a selection of the finest foods available in the area.

For more information visit www.greatescape.net.au

North Star Cruises - Last Minute Availability April to June 09

e  Last minute availability   f

April – June 2009

Come aboard for the start of the Kimberley Season and see the waterfalls flowing!

This is the perfect time of the year to visit the Kimberley Region with a hive of activity including the Argyle Diamonds Ord Valley Muster in Kununurra and the Broome Racing Season kickstarting in May.

The following cabins are avilable to book now:

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 3           11 Apr – 24 Apr        2 single berths available

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 4a          05 Apr – 02 May      Explorer & Ocean Cabins available

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 5             09 May – 22 May     Ocean Class cabins available

Kimberley Wilderness Cruise 6            23 May – 05 Jun        Ocean cabins available

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

APT cruises Kimberley in July-August

Gently cruising up Prince Regent and King George rivers for freshwater waterfalls, finding ancient rock art, walking on the exposed Montgomery Reef and zipping over the saltwater Horizontal Falls in a Zodiac are among the highlights of APT’s 11-day small ship cruises along the Kimberley coast.

APT has exclusive departures on this Broome-Darwin trip in July and August, cruising on the 48-passenger Coral Princess.

The price is from $6450 per person twin share which includes cruising, all meals and excursions, featuring the above activities as well as the turtle nursery at Lacepede Islands, Careening Bay’s famed boab tree and Naturalist Island.

Scenic helicopter flights at Naturalist Island are extra.

Contact: call 1300 656 985, visit www.aptouring.com.au or see a travel agent.

Orion releases highlights of 2009 voyages on DVD

Capturing the essence of Orion’s ‘paths less travelled’, Orion Expedition Cruises has just released a DVD covering expeditions to the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea and Antarctica, including an overview of the award-winning ship, onboard facilities, accommodation and her expedition crew.

The DVD footage examples the type of dramatic landscape vistas and cultural interaction guests can expect from an Orion expedition, plus highlights ship-board indulgences (such as Serge Dansereau-inspired degustation menus) and Orion’s approach to environmental sustainability.

A manageable ten minutes in length (with a convenient menu to let you select individual sections) this DVD leaves you with a good understanding of what to expect yet wanting to know even more.

And more there is. Backed up with a full colour brochure depicting the major regions visited by Orion and supported with a handy reference guide detailing all voyages with destination notes, calendar of sailings and pricing this combination is the perfect research tool for Orion’s expeditions.

Contact Orion Expedition Cruises on 61-2 9033 8777 (Sydney callers) 1300 361 012 (regional and interstate) to obtain copies of this high resolution DVD.

The DVD and brochure are also available as low resolution downloads by visiting the Orion website at www.orionexpeditions.com


For reservations or to obtain copies of the DVD and brochures 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

Ranked #2 expedition cruise ship in the world in the current Berlitz Cruise Guide, Orion is Australia’s only 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.

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. 
……………………………………………………………………………….. 

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 
……………………………………………………………………………….. 

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