It would be easy to think of this landscape as a desert, to forget about the months of constant rain that deluge these now dry shores. Pandanus screw palms and eucalyptus trees punctuate the deceptively welcomingly appearing spinifex tufts that thrive atop the red sandstone. The building morning heat is delightfully diminished by gusts of cool wind and the always welcome breeze that riding in a Zodiac to a tropical sandy beach brings. The tidal range all over the Kimberely is significant, boasting some of the largest tides on the planet, augmented even more with recent occurrence of a super moon, and Freshwater Cove is no exception. At low tide our arrival on the beach provides a slightly longer hike than the one planned to visit the nearby cave paintings.
We are greeted by the indigenous landowners that guide us to these images which can be conservatively dated to be over 40,000 years old. Daubed with ochre and shown the cool groundwater spring that looks no different from any of the dozens of nearby salty tidepools we head off into the bush to be shown the images of the spirits that are still honored and revered today. Wandjina mythology and iconography are one of the shared legends that connected many of the Aboriginal peoples in this region. A Wandjina is both a creator and guardian of the lands, the cave paintings that have been dutifully maintained, embody their power and are treated with the utmost respect.
After being shown such hospitality by our guides for providing such a rich experience it seemed only fair to try and repay them in some fashion by sharing the hospitality of the onboard galley team and their tireless culinary feats. After all there are few things that can’t be improved with ice cream, particularly when you live in remote Western Australia! After more shore excursions and a few presentations it was time to raise the anchor and continue our expedition leaving the beautiful landscape, and treasures it holds, tightly in our memories and the hands of the people that call it home.
