The Kimberley cruise revealing a quieter side of Australia’s wild north

Aboard the 30-guest Paspaley Pearl, Sally Macmillan discovers rock art, remote reefs and pearling heritage on a small-ship voyage shaped by deep local knowledge

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2025, Australia’s largest, oldest pearling company has added another venture to its portfolio, launching Pearl Expeditions’ 30-guest, 50-metre motor yacht Paspaley Pearl in August 2025. This chic, petite vessel will sail consecutive seasons in the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Borneo and Indonesia, and I’m on board for her second voyage in the Kimberley.

The pioneering Paspaley family knows this remote region of Western Australia intimately. Having started in the thriving mother-of-pearl industry in the 1920s, they established their own pearling company in 1935. From the 1950s onwards they focused on cultivating the prized Australian South Sea pearls that grow naturally in the Kimberley’s clear, turquoise waters, partnering with skilled Japanese seeding technicians whose families still work with the company today.

Pearl Expeditions combines the heritage and deep knowledge of the Paspaleys with the unmatched expertise of Australia’s ‘First Lady of Cruise’, Sarina Bratton AM – ex-Cunard, Ponant and Orion – and her highly experienced expedition-cruise team. General manager and head of sustainability Mick Fogg, who is on board for the first few voyages, explains that not only have the Paspaleys sailed and charted local waterways over the years, the size of Paspaley Pearl means she can access lesser-known sites that larger expedition vessels cannot.

Into hidden country

“There are 68 approved visitor sites in the Kimberley, governed by our Traditional Owners,” Fogg says. “Of those 68, the current large expedition fleets visit nine to 10 of them. That means 75 per cent of the Kimberley is being missed. Our smaller group size also allows for slower, more meaningful exploration ashore without any crowds or time constraints.”

Our 11-day adventure kicks off with a fascinating narrated outing on the mighty Ord River from Kununurra before we board Paspaley Pearl in Wyndham for the voyage to Broome. Paspaley Pearl is everything early photographs promise and more: three decks of thoughtfully designed living, dining and accommodation spaces that exude understated, barefoot luxury. It doesn’t take long to get to know our fellow guests, the incredible, young hotel crew and the four-strong expedition team in this laidback, superyachty atmosphere.

Traditional owners

Catherine Goonack, chair Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, explains that under traditional Wanjina Wunggurr law and customs, visitors to the Kimberley had to seek permission to visit another graa’s (family group’s) Country. Today, permission and welcome are granted through the Uunguu Visitor Pass (UVP), and the Uunguu Visitor Management Plan serves as a communal need-to-know about who is on Country at all times. “We are obligated by our ancestors and future generations to keep our Country’s natural and cultural assets intact,” Goonack says. “Our goal is that all visitors are respectful of our culture, our assets, traditional law and customs, and that they have an inspiring uunguu (“immersive”) experience on our Country.”

Life on board

Every evening, we gather on the Sun (top) deck for cocktails while drinking in spectacular, lingering sunsets. Expedition leader (and Pearl Expeditions’ logistics and operations manager) Jorge Villamarin takes us through briefings and recaps on the airy Horizon deck, then it’s dinner in the elegant Ocean-deck restaurant – everyone agrees the cuisine, modern-Australian with Asian influences, is sublime. The wine list includes a selection from the Paspaley-owned Bunnamagoo estate in Mudgee, and French champagne by Lallier is the house pour.

Over the course of the voyage, we traverse waters and rugged coastal landscapes that belong to Traditional Owners, the Balanggarra, Wunambal Gaambera and Dambimangari peoples. The gleaming custom-built fishing boat is deployed regularly – chef cooks up a big flowery cod that a guest hooks for lunch one day – and most mornings and afternoons we’re exploring creeks, reefs and rocky coves on nimble zodiacs.

Paspaley Pearl is everything early photographs promise and more: three decks of thoughtfully designed living, dining and accommodation spaces that exude understated, barefoot luxury.

Rock art and river stories

The breadth of experiences is astonishing. At Koolama Bay, we learn about the 1942 sinking of the merchant ship MV Koolama, and the miraculous escape of all but one of its crew; a few hours later we are on a zodiac cruise along the dramatic King George River, mesmerised by towering, rusty gold sandstone rock formations that are 1.8 billion years old.

In the islands of the Bonaparte Archipelago, we see rock art depicting Wandjina, powerful spirit creators, that date back millennia, images of fish, turtles and animals signalling food sources in the local area, and distinctive, elongated Gwion Gwion figures that are estimated to be 20,000 years old.

A surprise lunch in a cathedral-like cave on Bigge Island that Fogg ‘discovered’ years ago is one of many highlights. Another is visiting Paspaley Pearl’s busy floating operations platform, where the genial, knowledgeable captain Brett Smith outlines the complex processes of harvesting, cleaning and seeding pearls.

We spend some time observing the Japanese seeding technicians at work (sorry, no photographs allowed), then Brett opens a few sample oysters “in the hope they will reveal pearls”. They did not disappoint – it’s a magical moment when a lustrous gem is persuaded out of its home, along with the tiny crab that lives inside every oyster.

Wilderness wonders

Guides are experts at spotting and identifying the many different bird species we see nesting on high rock ledges, hopping along the shore or swooping overhead – and as Paspaley Pearl makes her way south, bird and wildlife sightings increase. We explore lush, mangrove-lined creeks along the Roe River that are home to massive saltwater crocodiles, then swim in freshwater pools and picnic on a shady escarpment – well away from the prehistoric apex creatures.

Montgomery Reef is a powerful natural phenomenon that is almost impossible to describe – seeing it rise from the ocean as the tide drops up to 10 metres is utterly hypnotic. Green turtles, black-tip sharks and myriad fish tumble through foaming cascades of fast-moving water, providing egrets, cormorants and sea eagles with a rich marine feast.

Pinctada maxima

Otherwise known as the Australian South Sea pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima is the largest and rarest of all pearl oysters. The pristine waters of the Northern Kimberley coast – a World Heritage marine park – are home to the world’s largest Pinctada maxima oyster beds. Divers collect the wild oysters by hand, which are then taken to pearl farms for an intricate seeding, growing and harvesting process that takes several years.

As well as producing exquisite pearls of exceptional size, shape, complexion, lustre and colour – the five virtues – Pinctada maxima shell is highly valued for its mother-of-pearl, which is used for jewellery, fine quality buttons and inlay. Pearl meat is a sought-after delicacy – nothing is wasted.

Paspaley Pearl anchors nearby for the day, allowing us to return to the reef as the tide rises again; we drift soundlessly across the surface in zodiacs towards sandy islands where perfectly camouflaged crocs bask on the beaches. Sunset drinks are set up on a sandbar where we toast yet another day filled with geological, marine and wilderness wonders.

Over the last few days of our voyage, an excellent guided tour of Paspaley’s pearl farm at Kuri Bay complements our earlier visit to the operations platform in the Osborn Islands. We watch as tidal waters rush through two narrow gorges in Talbot Bay, creating the dramatic Horizontal Falls, and take a zodiac cruise through the Lacepedes Islands, home to thousands of brown boobies and frigate birds.As we farewell our new friends and wish fair winds to the dedicated captain and crew, I think we all agree with the guest who says he cannot imagine a better way to cruise the Kimberley than on this small, but very beautiful vessel. Paspaley Pearl is a gamechanger.

Journey notes

Pearl Expeditions’ Paspaley Pearl sails seven- and 10-day voyages in the Kimberley between Broome and Wyndham from April to September 2026. Fares start at $18,495 per person for an Ocean Double stateroom on a 10-day itinerary. Single supplement pricing is available on application. pearlexpeditions.com