An explosive sunrise greeted early risers as National Geographic Orion steamed towards Australia from the tropical islands to her north, heralding a day to look forward to - of relaxation, conversation, education & celebration on the high seas. Our wellness specialist Kim drew an enthusiastic crowd of participants to begin this day with her popular stretch class on the upper sun deck.
A delightful open air breakfast followed in the fresh surrounds of the Outdoor Café, setting the scene for a day of engaging activities, all at an easy & social holiday pace.
After breakfast we gathered in the Lounge for what would be the beginning of a wonderfully entertaining complement of presentations from a passionate line-up of expedition naturalists –a great way to enjoy the passage! David and Andrew kicked off the day with their combined presentation Ancient Rocks & Raging Waters. David focused on the geological creation of our unique landscape the Kimberley and shared many fascinating information about how this ancient landscape has come about. Andrew followed with his part about our huge tides in the Kimberley and answered many of our questions on why out tides here are so extreme.
Marieke followed up with her excellent retelling of the dramatic account of the bombing of the Australian passenger ship Koolama in WWII and the tale of survival at a most remote site we would visit on the Kimberley Coast. Everyone loves a good story, especially as this is a story unknown to many…!
Lively conversation echoed around our scrumptious luncheon under shade from the tropical sun, as we sailed on southwards. After lunch, a little more relaxing, for some a siesta on the sundeck or exploring the well stocked library for a good read.
Our afternoon program opened up some very interesting new areas for discussion, vital to understanding this unique region that we were about to explore in depth. These sea days are certainly a great fortune as they afford this opportunity to get a real feel for the Kimberley and some of the many aspects that enhance a deeper appreciation of its importance & beauty.
Christiana started our afternoon discussing the ancient type of Rock Art we find all around the Kimberley, the Gwion Gwion or Bradshaw Rock Art. A type and style of rock art that still holds so many mysteries relating to age and who created these depictions. It was a fascinating and intriguing presentation that raised a lot of questions but many will stay unanswered…
Mark Ziembicki followed with another great presentation ‘The Future Belongs to the Tropics.’ An eye opening presentation about how our tropical regions are becoming more and more important on the world’s stage. With more than half of the world’s population, most of its biodiversity and many of the fastest growing cities in the world, it’s important to pay attention to the Tropics.
And if that was not enough of a day already, our executive chef Lothar Greiner invited us down into the galley for a Galley Tour.
Everyone was amazed to see where our delicious cuisine is created, a small galley space but efficiently used, with some very talented chefs working around the clock to look after our tummies and nutrition.
We spilled out onto the outer decks to enjoy the sunset, flowing into evening festivities and some fun conversation as the very welcoming Captain Brian Larcombe invited us all for a welcome cocktail party in the lounge. A lovely Captain’s dinner followed as we sailed ever south, very much looking forward to the morning’s adventures.
