THE KIMBERLEY, AUSTRALIA Soft adventure in the outer reaches of the outback
Even by Australian standards, the Kimberley region is remote,
with roughly 50,000 people living in an area larger than Germany. The
area has long been largely off-limits to anyone without a yacht or the
nerve to pilot a four-wheel drive through rocky riverbeds. Now luxury
lodges have opened up the region to travelers willing to trade big bucks
for land-based access to some spectacular spots. The Berkeley River
Lodge, a 20-villa, fly-in complex, opened last spring on a sprawling Timor Sea beach.
Inland, the classic El Questro Homestead added bungalows
overlooking the Chamberlain Gorge on a million acre
preserve. From any of these spots you can go fishing for barramundi,
hike to sacred rock art sites, and take tours to towering waterfalls or
up croc-infested estuaries to spy on wallabies and jabirus. The catch?
The region is loaded with iron, and mining companies will continue to go
after it.
www.kimberley-australia.com
Lodge, a 20-villa, fly-in complex, opened last spring on a sprawling Timor Sea beach.
Inland, the classic El Questro Homestead added bungalows
overlooking the Chamberlain Gorge on a million acre
preserve. From any of these spots you can go fishing for barramundi,
hike to sacred rock art sites, and take tours to towering waterfalls or
up croc-infested estuaries to spy on wallabies and jabirus. The catch?
The region is loaded with iron, and mining companies will continue to go
after it.www.kimberley-australia.com