Silversea has a new, hot bucket-list trip for the 2022/23 season as it shines the light on the rugged Kimberley region which was once overlooked by domestic travellers but is now drawing a luxury-loving crowd.
“There is no place on earth like The Kimberley,” says Silversea’s Steve Richards, Director of Sales. “We have over 900 destinations on all seven continents, we are the world’s most global cruise line and we know there is no other place quite like this. They call it ‘Antarctica without the ice’ because it is that type of extreme destination in our own backyard.”
The Kimberley has topped bucket lists overseas but it is only recently that Australian travellers have discovered it. “It’s exciting because while COVID has provided challenges it has also shone a light on this incredible destination that we do so, so well,” he says.
Extreme natural beauty
You can understand why Steve gushes about a region that has one of the most amazing tidal effects in the entire world at Montgomery Reef. When the tide goes out at the reef it falls by around six metres so you can see this giant landmass rise out of the water and the water disappears so quickly there is a huge scramble of wildlife, from dugongs to dolphins that have to make a hasty escape. Then you are left with thousands of tonnes of water cascading off the reef in a series of instant waterfalls, it is like nothing you have ever seen before.
At around 300 square kilometres, Montgomery Reef is huge and the water drops over eight metres in a short space of time, so it is this visceral, ancient display of nature, made even better with modern technology.
“We position the ship next to this event using GPS coordinates so we know exactly what is going to happen,” Steve says. “All the guests are right there when this phenomenal event takes place and you can only see that from a cruise ship.”
The Zodiacs also take guests not just to, but often under, the famous Kimberley waterfalls in a welcome respite from the hot weather. A smart and safe way to keep cool since the water around here has crocs that would make even the heartiest Territorian think twice about taking a dip. But there is plenty of other wet and wild fun on the trip.
The Kimberley is also home to the horizontal falls in Talbot Bay. Once again a feature of the huge tidal flow, these “falls” appear to run uphill which is an amazing site from a Zodiac as the mass of water is squeezed between the narrow cliff passages.
And if you want a break from the sea you will also be taking a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungle ranges in Wyndham as well as King George Falls, so you have the Kimberley covered from all angles.
Extreme luxury
Silversea does the Kimberley right so you will be greeted back on board with a cold towel and a hot shower on board the Silver Explorer, a 144 guest vessel purpose built for expedition cruising and with a one-to-one staff to guest ratio to make sure all your needs are anticipated. This is an ultra-luxury trip with two restaurants, butler service and more than 90 choices of wine. Your destination might be extreme but so to are the lengths Silversea goes to – not only to keep you comfortable but to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
You will tour the mangroves of Hunter River, home not only to the region’s infamous “salties” but also the tasty northern mud crabs; you will be able to sail across Broome’s luminous blue Rowley Shoals and into secluded coastal beaches and you can explore the streets of the Northern Territory’s capital with the new Darwin-to-Darwin cruising option.
The extreme importance of trade
The Darwin-to-Darwin addition is a great boost for trade as well as for guests. There are limited add-ons available if you head to the Kimberley out of Broome, but with Darwin as the base you have a gateway with more to offer in terms of what you can do pre or post a Silversea Kimberley cruise.
“You have Kakadu, Litchfield, Katherine Gorge and you have the Ghan train through the middle of Australia, so travel agents can add on a lot more value into a booking than they could out of Broome,” Steve says.
Steve knows how important commissions are to trade and he points to the simplicity of booking Silversea where everything is one set of documents. He also talks about Silversea’s commitment to trade through one of the biggest sales teams in the country for ease of booking, but also keeping commissions going through a tough COVID time.
“We have protected over A$3 million in travel agent commissions since the start of the pandemic, it’s commissions where cruises were cancelled and guests couldn’t go on them,” he said. “We have protected the agents’ commissions because we need those agents in the recovery. It is a partnership we have invested in massively through the pandemic not only in personnel but financially as well.”
Silversea’s 10-32-day itineraries are almost sold out for 2022 and they are impressed with the demand for 2023, given that Australia will hopefully be open to the world once again, so act quickly and get your clients into a Zodiac ASAP.
Click here for more information and here for the new brochure.
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