“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” - Jacques Yves Cousteau
As National Geographic Orion gently sailed into calm waters, we gazed in wonder at the magnificent vast sea around us. After a brief stop at Com, Timor Leste, we are heading back to Australia and the anticipation and excitement can be felt throughout the ship, as we prepare for the adventures ahead. Blessed with beautiful and pleasant weather, this was an informative day, with many interesting talks being ministered on board. Cotton Coulson and Sisse Brimberg, our National Geographic photographers, presented a very instructive talk where we learnt how to express our creativity through photography.
Naturalist Cristiana Damiano introduced us to the amazing geology, fauna, and flora of the Kimberley region. After a delicious lunch on the sundeck, where we savoured delightful Asian specialities, Captain Mike Taylor invited us to join him on a ship tour and explore the Navigational Bridge, where he explained the high-tech equipment that enables the National Geographic Orion to circle the globe exploring both tropical and polar waters. In the comfort of our spetacular vessel, we can only wonder about the Macassan Traders that set sail onboard their small seaworthy boats (perahu, or prau), regularly visiting and trading around the Australian coast. These seafarers were known as Macassans trepangers. They came to Australia to collect trepang (sea cucumber or bêche-de-mer), naming The Kimberley, Kayu Jawa (“Wood of Java”). Naturalist Mark Watson gave us an interesting presentation about the history of the S.S Kolama incident and after a beautiful sunset, it was time to join Captain Mike and his officers on a welcome reception in the Lounge. After a delicious dinner to conclude our relaxing day, we feel ready to explore the pristine and grand Kimberley region with knowledge that we can’t shape the environment in the Kimberley, we can only learn from it, because it’s a lot bigger than we are.
