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Hi all,
We are in the early stages of planing a kimberley adventure next April/May in our 8.2mt Preston craft diesel monohull. Looking for advice whether the trip is best done from Derby to Wyndham or the other way around. We have around 4 weeks to do the trip so anyone who has done the trip i would love to hear from you. There will be my wife and i and our 13 and 15 year old kids. We have a 3.3mt inflatable with 9.9 hp outboard for going ashore? Is this sensible in croc areas? What are the best way of dealing with the tides and are certain anchorages better than others at different tide ranges? Also need some idea of the miles covered in that stretch of the Kimberleys so we can plan the fuel for the trip.
Thanks for any info
New Member
Geoff
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Hi Geoff,
March/April is the start of the east/southeast trade winds, therefore I suggest the best direction to travel is from Wyndham to Derby to avoid heading into the breeze.
For fuel range, have a look at Fuel in the Kimberley Coast in the Anchorages pages. https://kccyc.org.au/anchorage-pdf-downloads/ it contains milage from my logs between fuel stops.
Do a key word search in this forum with words like RIB, or inflatable for relevant comments on inflatables. In general, a true inflatable tender is unsafe in Kimberley waters. A RIB is better, but still has the risk of being bitten by a croc. The risk with a RIB is relatively small if you use common sense. Also take a personal EPIRB, hand held VHF, and if possible, a hand held sat phone with you when going ashore in remote areas. If for any reason you get stuck ashore, swimming back to your boat in croc country is not a recommended option.
The tide pretty much affects everything you do on the water in the Kimberley. If you’re thinking about travelling slowly, or saving fuel, you’ll be working the tides, which you may need to factor into your plans about how far you can motor each day. Except for a few rivers like the Berkeley and King George where you need to cross bars on a rising tide, the tides don’t generally cause a problem at most anchorages. Make sure you let out enough chain to account for the depth at high water, and also allow for tidal flow, which can be 5-6 knots in some areas, particularly the big rivers. A scope of 5 times the maximum depth is usually safe. Take a quality anchor, big enough for the boat, and with an all chain rode. It’s possible you could find yourself sitting out a 25-30 knot southeasterly for days on end, and you need to trust your anchor.
Have a great trip.
Ross
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Gidday Bad,
Langgi is about the weather worn rocks on the beach, rather than rock art. It’s also a restricted cultural location, part of the Dambimangari Permit system required in this general area. See this link for details about the permit. http://www.dambimangari.com.au/visitor-location-schedule
The Dambi website also gives you the location of many other places to visit around the area.
Cheers, Ross.
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