The charismatic town of Broome has a colourful history and a unique, cosmopolitan feel, which stems from its early pearling days when over 400 luggers plied the coast. The town is full of contrasts: stroll along kilometres of pristine white sand and swim in the clear water of Cable Beach or skim across tidal flats aboard a hovercraft to Gantheaume Point, home of the 130 million year old Dinosaur Footprints. Visit the Paspaley Pearls Boutique to sip champagne at an exclusive private viewing or take a walk along the white beaches and impossibly blue ocean. Spend some time uncovering the town's history at the Broome Historical Society Museum or reflect on the dangers of the early days of diving at the Japanese Shinto Cemetery, final resting-place for over 900 pearl divers. The fishing is great in Broome so board a fishing boat or simply try your hand at landing a big one from the deep water jetty. And if you enjoy bushwalking, the Minyirr Park has a number of self-guided trails.

Optional Shoreside Expeditions 
BROOME DISCOVERY TOUR (offered for Darwin to Broome itineraries)
This coach tour is an essential and enlightening orientation tour of Broome. Circumnavigate the town’s spectacular peninsula, visiting major icons and natural attractions. The rich multicultural and pearling history is revealed. Learn about cultured pearling; take in the spectacular Cable Beach, historic Gantheaume Point and ancient dinosaur footprints. Taste the local beer at Maso’s Brewery. Discover what makes Broome tick on this entertaining, informative and friendly tour.

Duration: 4½ hours approximately
Price: $100 per person

On arrival at Com, Orion will clear Customs and Immigration, giving you an opportunity to go ashore, and then immediately depart for the next Australian port.

Darwin is Australia’s closest city to the equator and the gateway to the Top End. Following bombing during World War II, Darwin was more a frontier town of crocodile and buffalo shooters and pioneer cattlemen. After the city was wiped out by Cyclone Tracy in 1974 it was rebuilt as Australia’s cosmopolitan northernmost tropical capital. Beyond the city lies Litchfield National Park (about 2 hours drive) and to the south-east the teeming wetlands of Australia’s largest national park, Kakadu. Much architecture remains from the city’s early periods, with museums, markets and an incredible diversity of restaurants to keep visitors entertained. The harbour foreshore area is a great place to discover the city’s maritime links. Take a relaxing cruise on an old pearl lugger, a thrilling flight in a seaplane or a gentle hovercraft trip. Spend a day out fishing for barramundi, jewfish, golden snapper and threadfin salmon, or go for the adventure of scuba diving around shipwrecks. At sunset, savour a taste of Asia’s night markets at Mindil Beach, where you can browse the food stalls for a picnic dinner on the beach.

Elcho Island is located off the coast of Arnhem Land, at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group in the East Arnhem Region. The island’s largest community is the settlement of Galiwin’ku. It is bounded on the western side by the Arafura Sea and on the east by the Cadell Strait. Elcho Island is only a short distance away from the mainland.

The island is home to the largest Aboriginal community in northeast Arnhem Land, with approximately 2,000 residents living in the main settlement of Galiwin’ku and across many outstations including Matamata, Ingliss Island, Maparru, and Gariyak. The island has a base population of 2,200 people, including 70 non-Aboriginal people. The population of Galiwin’ku varies during the seasons, with many outstation residents migrating up to the community during the wet season due to inaccessibility. The community also serves approximately 25 outstations with a total population of approximately 450 people. There are a large number of tribal groups, with up to 22 different dialects being used in the community. The people of Galiwin’ku retain their tradition and culture for future generations by strict traditional methods, and through education, embrace the wider Australian community.

Included Expedition
After a Zodiac landing on Galiwin’ku’s town beach, we will visit the Elcho Island art centre on the cliff top over looking the sea.

Local artists will be present at the art centre during our visit. A series of select cultural performances has been arranged for you throughout the day.

Today Orion will drop anchor in Koolama Bay. Originally known as King George Bay, the area was renamed after the merchant ship Koolama was bombed near here by Japanese aircraft during World War II. The 12km journey up the King George River reveals some of the world's most spectacular scenery and a wealth of bird species. The almost vertical sheer canyon walls have been eroded over millions of years and look like stacks of sandstone reminiscent of a child's building blocks. The King George River drains the Gardner Plateau and the falls are the highest single-drop falls in the whole of the Kimberley (100m or 330ft). Whether you experience the mighty thundering of the falls early in the season, or have the chance to get up close and personal later in the year, you'll be in awe of the sight.

Included Expedition
The Orion Zodiacs and tenders will cruise up the stunning sandstone canyon that culminates in the twin drops of King George Falls and convey guests back again to Orion. For guests looking for a bit more adventure, you will be able to take a walk to the top of the falls and have the opportunity to enjoy a swim. This is quite a steep, difficult walk with lots of loose uneven ground underfoot and all participants will need high levels of fitness and mobility.

Optional Shoreside Expedition
KING GEORGE SCENIC HELICOPTER FLIGHT
A fantastic way to see the stunning gorge of the King George River. Fly along the course of the dramatic sandstone lined canyon, orbit the twin drops of the falls with ample opportunity for photography before returning to our landing site near our anchorage in Koolama Bay.

Duration: 15-20 minutes
Cost: AU$475* per person

Maningrida is a town that was established as a trading post in the late 1940s. It is on the east bank of the Liverpool River estuary, on the Arnhem Land coast, 400 km east of Darwin by road. Approximately 1700 people live in Maningrida and the surrounding outstations including Yilan. Over 10 different languages are spoken and most people can speak three or four of these languages.

Maningrida is a centre for marketing bark paintings and other arts and crafts from surrounding areas. So much cultural diversity in the one place means there is a wide variety of traditional art styles.

Painting on bark is a traditional way some groups of Australian Indigenous people record and illustrate life, stories and knowledge. Bark is cut from the stringy bark tree during the Wet Season and in the early part of the Dry Season. Once off the tree the outer layer is removed and the inner layer is scraped and smoothed and then cured over a fire to remove the curl. The prepared bark is painted with red and yellow paints made from ochre (a powdery, coloured rock), white paint made from gypsum or pipeclay and black paint made from manganese ore or charcoal. Brushes made from sticks and bark are used to apply the paint.

Included Expedition
After a Zodiac transfer ashore, a short walk from the landing site will lead you to the Maningrida Art & Culture Centre, which includes a fascinating museum where local guides will give you an interesting insight into local culture and history.

A large variety of art including the renowned bark paintings can be viewed and purchased.

On arrival at Merauke, Orion will clear Customs and Immigration, giving you an opportunity to go ashore, and then immediately depart for the next Australian port.

Arriving at high tide, you'll see very little of Montgomery Reef. However as the tide drops rapidly away a raging torrent of water, cascading off the top of this 400ha reef, erupts as miles of surrounding reef appears to slowly rise out of the ocean. A Zodiac will maneuver you into a channel in the reef as water cascades down on either side. It's the perfect spot to watch cormorants, egrets and sandpipers forage for sea life trapped on the surface of the reef. Below the waterline opportunistic sea turtles, reef sharks and many larger fish also take advantage of this feast.

One of two islands known as the Tiwis, Pirlangimpi is an Aboriginal Reserve, home to the ascendants of its current inhabitants for thousands of years. Much of the coastline is indented with meandering mangrove-lined rivers, while the beaches are long stretches of white sand bordered by whispering she-oaks and shallow waters.

Tiwi culture is distinctively different to that of mainland Aborigines, and this is best expressed by magnificent artwork created from natural media, particularly the impressive Pukumani burial poles.

Art lovers and collectors will enjoy a visit to the Munupi Arts and Crafts Association to view a wonderful range of contemporary works including paintings, pottery, carving, woven goods, screen prints linocuts and lithographs. The artists’ approach celebrates Tiwi cultural heritage and the island’s natural environments.

Included Expedition
Zodiac landings at Pirlangimpi and access to the Munupi Art Centre are included today. The Art Centre is a short walk from our Zodiac landing site.

Optional Shoreside Expeditions
Guests can only select one tour today due to time constraints

TIWI MARINE ECO EXPERIENCE
Guests will gain an amazing insight into the Tiwi culture. Your personal guide will navigate you through the mangroves searching for turtle tracks, and mud crabs in their holes. Gain an understanding about the abundance of food available in and around these waters. This is the experience we suggest if you want to get up close and personal amongst this unique environment. Be prepared to get wet and muddy.

Duration: 2 – 3 hours
Cost: To be confirmed

GUIDED ART CENTRE AND FORT DUNDAS TOUR
Munupi Art Centre features some of the most highly acclaimed indigenous artists in Australia. Their works are more colourful than traditional indigenous art and many gallery owners from around Australia buy their works from this centre. Guests will have an opportunity to see the artists at work and to view the exceptional works from this region. You will also visit Fort Dundas which was opened on 30 September 1824 by Captain James Gordon Bremer who arrived on the Tamar. He named the fort for Sir Philip Dundas, First Lord of the Admiralty. You’ll also be given the chance to sample native fruits and other bush tucker in season.

Duration: 2 – 3 hours
Cost: $135 per person

HALF DAY SPORT FISHING AT PIRLANGIMPI
This is the chance to fish for some of Australia’s most notoriously difficult to catch marine life! Barramundi, Reef Fish and Jew Fish are just a few of the species you could potentially find on the end of your line. All equipment is included; locations and style of fishing will be adapted to suit tides and conditions on the day.

Duration: Half Day
Cost: $290 per person

The Horizontal Waterfalls in the Buccaneer Archipelago are a product of the huge tides in the region, and the effect is created by the rapid tidal fall on the ocean-side of gaps in the cliffs. When conditions are right it is possible for a "waterfall" up to 3 metres high to form as the waters trapped on the landward side cascade out through the narrow gap to the ocean side. A flotilla of Orion's Zodiacs will take you for an exhilarating trip to witness the phenomenon of the falls. Later in the day join expedition team members on a Zodiac excursion to Cyclone Bay where the tortured geological folds of what was once seabed will be explained.

Included Expedition
Today your Zodiac excursion will take you to witness the tidal phenomena of the Horizontal Waterfalls. You will also have the opportunity to view the stunning sandstone canyons of the nearby gorges. Your Zodiac excursion will be timed, where possible, to coincide with tidal movement through the gaps were the horizontal waterfalls are created. The amount of actual tide movement will vary depending on tide movement of the day.

Optional Shoreside Expedition
FAST BOAT THROUGH THE FALLS
Whilst Orion’s Zodiacs can provide a close up view of the falls, to experience the thrill of actually passing through the falls in full tidal movement, a larger, faster boat is required.

Local operator, Horizontal Falls Adventures, has two fast, rigid hulled inflatables based at the falls to give Orion guests the ride of their lives through the fast moving waters of the falls.

Speed through the two gaps in the sandstone walls as the tidal action creates foaming rapids.

Duration: 15 minutes approximately
Cost: $85 per person

Please note this expedition is not offered on 13, 23  May, 12, 22 July and 10 September 2012  expeditions as it is subject to tide conditions.

The hub of this tiny island is its beautiful harbour which was once home to a fleet of 150 pearl luggers. Commercial fishing and prawning is the main livelihood of the 2300 islanders today.

Thursday Island (traditionally known as Waiben) is recognised as one of the last frontiers in Australia, as it has witnessed some great Australian history. At the Torres Strait Museum learn about the feared Russian invasion of 1898. Had it eventuated the invaders would have been greeted with a salvo from the 6-inch guns which still peer out over the ocean approach from Green Hill Fort, now home of the Museum. Wander through the pearlers’ cemeteries where stories of this once dangerous occupation are revealed. Or take in brilliant, panoramic vistas of the surrounding islands and tropical seas from Lions Lookout.

The Gab Titui (Star of our Journey) Cultural Centre is a place where Orion guests can discover the rich diversity of the Torres Strait Islander people. It is the region’s first public keeping place for historical and cultural artefacts and tools, as well as both modern and traditional art.

Vansittart Bay is our destination, located at the southern end of Vansittart Bay. The island was so named by the explorer Phillip Parker King for the shards of pottery he found there, most likely left behind by Macassan traders. Other remnants of visits by the Macassans are tamarind trees which are not native to the Kimberley. After landing ashore, our destination will be an outdoor art gallery of Gwion Gwion (otherwise known as Bradshaw) Aboriginal art. Named after Joseph Bradshaw, the first European person to record them in 1891, the rock images are hard to date. It is believed they were created at least 17,000 yrs ago with some theories indicating they could be even older, potentially up to over 50,000 years ago when humans first explored this continent. If this is the case, the images are possibly the oldest known to man.

Included Expedition
After arrival in Vansittart Bay we will go ashore via Zodiac to a beach landing on Jar Island. There, our Expedition Team will take you on a short walk, past some fascinating rock formations, to the site of the Gwion Gwion art gallery.

The walk to the art site over uneven ground is relatively easy with only one small rock ledge to negotiate, however the access to the majority of the art is a little difficult and includes scrambling over large boulders and crawling under rock overhangs. The reward is a stunning gallery of this ancient and mystical art form.