Untamed Kimberley & West Coast

We have just returned from a 21 day tour of the Kimberley and West Coast with AAT Kings. We were very fortunate to have Liz as our Tour Director. Liz was always enthusiastic, had a wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humour. Likewise Darren, the coach driver, was courteous and a safe driver who negotiated some challenging roads and conditions. If you choose to travel with AAT Kings and encounter Liz and Darren on your tour you will have an amazing holiday!
Our...read more tour started in Darwin and 49 of us travelled through to Broome where 32 left and another 12 people joined for the journey to Perth. Although initially a large group, we had a great mix of ages and personalities which made for enjoyable company, despite the size of the group.
Living on the East Coast of Australia one can never truly imagine how different the West Coast of Australia can be. The rugged and contrasting landscapes were amazing and despite some days travelling vast distances we were always rewarded with unique experiences and sights. From the various gorges we visited with their steep cliffs and unusual rock formations to cruising the Ord River with all of its amazing wildlife with a stunning sunset at the end, was magical. During our time in the Kimberley we also visited some local indigenous art galleries and had a local indigenous guide, Ted Hall from the Argyle Diamond Mine gave a very informative talk on the operations of the mine and his people.
Accommodation on this tour was varied and at times challenging. Not being campers, we really didn’t know what to expect at Emma Gorge, El Questro. However, our safari-style tented cabins were a truly unique ‘glamping experience’ as was the quality of the food on offer. By contrast camping in Karijini National Park was certainly a very different experience and a word of warning - rug up, bring your thermals – it was very, very cold at night.
Other highlights of our tour were Broome where we were fortunate to witness ‘the staircase to the moon’ phenomenon and a late afternoon camel ride along Cable Beach – highly recommended! The Pilbara region was also very different - lots of red dust which covered everything, even us! Further down the coast we experienced wild dolphins at Monkey Mia, the incredible Ningaloo Reef, wildflowers in abundance, the amazing stromatolites at Hamelin Pool and The Pinnacles – how do those rock formations ‘grow’ out of the sand? Our journey soon came to an end in Perth but we were certainly left with many memorable experiences.
Our thanks also to Madeline at Global Journeys, who was always very efficient in relaying information to us regarding our tour and ensuring all documentation was correct. Some of our fellow travellers had also booked through Global Journeys and were full of praise for their organisation and efficiency.

Whilst I have done several coach tours in Europe, this was the first I've taken in Australia and I really enjoyed it. It's a long haul journey which can be made or ruined by the tour director. In our case, Liz did a fantastic job of juggling the wants and needs of a full coach load in some of the remotest parts of Australia, even providing a few surprise stops along the way. Darren, our driver, mechanic, cleaner, did a great job of getting us where we needed to be safely. The flat tyre was a...read more highlight for us, not so much for Darren!
Other highlights of the tour included all the gorges and some of the amazing views along the west coast. All different and all beautiful, but my favourite on-water experience in the Kimberley, was the Ord River cruise to Kununurra. The Outback experience at Katherine was a lot of fun, as was the visit to the rum distillery. The Bungle Bungles were stunning (I did the optional excursion of the full day 4WD tour) and the half-day tour to the Horizontal Falls from Broome was brilliant (also an optional but well worth it). We were also fortunate enough to see the huge carpets of wildflowers along the west coast, not something every tour gets to see.
Accommodation was good everywhere, particularly when you take into consideration the isolation of some of these townships. I really enjoyed the tented accommodation at El Questro and the resort in Broome. We were well catered for with food along the way, with the exception of our last night at the Crowne Plaza in Perth. Their restaurant definitely does not live up to the hype. All in all, this is one of my favourite tours, I'm just sorry that I didn't add a short trip to Kakadu to the beginning.