| Cruise Line |
Ponant |
| Ship |
Paspaley Pearl |
| Destination |
Australia |
| Nights |
12 |
| Departure Date |
27 Sep 2025 |
| Description |
12 Night Cruise sailing from Darwin to Cairns aboard Paspaley Pearl.
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of luxury exploration as we unveil the extraordinary wonders of Australia’s Northern Frontier. Embark on a journey that transcends conventional tourism, offering you a unique and fulfilling journey that will forge everlasting memories.
DAY 1 Embarkation | Darwin. Northern Territory, Australia
Darwin is the largest city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, with a population of 136,245. It is the smallest and most northerly of the Australian capital cities, and acts as the Top End’s regional centre. Darwin was originally a pioneer outpost.
PASPALEY PEARL will be alongside the wharf at the Darwin Cruise ship terminal located at Fort Hill Wharf.
DAY 2 Tiwi Islands. Northern Territory, Australia.
The Tiwi people are culturally and linguistically distinct from those of Arnhem Land on the mainland just across the water. Most residents speak Tiwi as their first language and English as a second language. The creation of Indigenous art is an important part of Tiwi Island culture and its economy. Tiwi Design is one of the oldest and most artistically diverse art centres in Australia, producing ochre paintings on canvas and bark, ironwood carvings, screen printed fabrics, ceramics, bronze and glass sculptures as well as limited edition prints
DAY 3 Cobourg Peninsula, Arnhem Land. Northern Territory, Australia
The Cobourg Peninsula forms part of the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, an area known for its natural beauty, historical and cultural importance. The park is also home to significant Aboriginal cultural sites, emphasizing the importance of the area to the Indigenous people. It is also historically significant as one of the early non-Indigenous outposts in the Northern Territory of Australia. A settlement was established by the British in 1838 with the intention of creating a military and trading port to enhance their presence in the region. However, the outpost faced numerous challenges, including harsh environmental conditions, disease, and isolation, leading to its eventual abandonment in 1849.
DAY 4 Maningrida, Arnhem Land. Northern Territory, Australia
Located 500 kilometers East of Darwin on Kunibídji country in Arnhem Land, Maningrida is well-known for its vibrant Indigenous art scene. Maningrida Arts & Culture is an important institution that supports and promotes Indigenous art and culture. It plays a crucial role in preserving traditional art forms, supporting local artists, and providing a platform for the expression of cultural identity. The centre features traditional and contemporary art, bark paintings, sculptures, fibre craft, prints and items of material culture. Conical woven fish traps made by the local men and women are unique to the area and a popular collector’s item.
DAY 5 Galiwin’ku. Northern Territory, Australia
Galiwin’ku, also known as Elcho Island, is situated approximately 150 kilometres west of Nhulunbuy at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group. The island is home to around 2,500 people making it the second largest and one of the most remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. The First nations peoples who reside on the island speak up to 22 different dialects, highlighting the cultural richness of the community. Elcho Island has been home to notable individuals, including the late folk musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Gurrumul, as he was commonly known, gained international acclaim for his soulful music that often featured lyrics in the Yolŋu languages.
DAY 6 Wessel Islands. Northern Territory, Australia
The seldom visited Wessel Islands are an uninhabited rugged, ribbon-like archipelago off the north-east tip of East Arnhem Land. Marchinbar, is the largest of the islands and home to some spectacularly rugged scenery and ancient rock art. The rock art reflects the rich cultural traditions of the Yolŋu people. The artworks were created using natural pigments and depict various aspects of Yolŋu dreamtime stories, and the relationship between humans and the natural environment.
DAYS 7-8 Yirrkala, Arnhem Land. Northern Territory, Australia
Aboriginal people have inhabited Arnhem Land for more than 60,000 years. The Methodist Church of Australasia established a mission at Yirrkala in 1935. Yirrkala is home to a number of leading indigenous artists, whose traditional Aboriginal art, particularly bark painting, can be found in art galleries around the world, and is available to the public from the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre and Museum. Yirrkala is also the traditional home of the Yidaki (didgeridoo), and some of the world’s finest didgeridoos are still made at Yirrkala.
DAY 9 Thursday Island & Cape York. Queensland, Australia
Thursday Island is known as Waiben by the locals, Meaning place of little water, and is colloquially referred to as ‘TI’. It is situated some 35 km from Mainland Australia and some 166 km from Papua New Guinea, with a population of just over 4,000. The community of TI was established in 1877 when the Queensland government relocated their northern administrative centre from Somerset on Cape York Peninsula. By the 1880’s the island had become the centre of the pearling industry. Cape York Peninsula has been described as the largest unspoiled wilderness in Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth. At the tip of the peninsula lies Cape York, the northernmost point on the Australian continent.
DAY 10 Wuthara Island National Park. Queensland, Australia
Located of the north-east coast of Cape York Peninsula Wuthara Island National Park (CYPAL) comprises three high continental islands characterised by rocky slopes and headlands rising steeply from small, sheltered bays overlook the surrounding fringing reefs rich in marine life. The Kuuku Ya’u people are the Traditional Owners of Wuthara Island. The island was previously named Forbes Island by Lieutenant James Cook. In the 1800s various camps were set up to work on opportunistic salvage of shipwrecks, particularly from nearby Wreck Bay. Several small leases existed on the main island and evidence such as coconuts and the lone gravesite of Frederick Landcaster still remain.
DAY 11 Cape Melville. Queensland, Australia
Formed some 250 million years ago the distinct weathered granite boulders Melville Range create a dramatic and unique landscape. Aboriginal people have occupied and used the Cape Melville (Othawa) area for thousands of years. Traditional Aboriginal life remained relatively undisturbed until the Palmer River gold rush in the 1870s when large numbers of non-Indigenous people arrived in the area for the first time. On 4 March 1899, more than 100 pearling luggers were anchored in the area when, severe tropical Cyclone Mahina crossed the coast at Cape Melville. On this tragic and terrifying night, more than 300 crew members perished, along with an estimated 100 Aboriginal people on the mainland. Half of the pearling fleet was destroyed.
DAY 12 Lizard Island. Queensland, Australia
Lizard Island is the northernmost resort Island on the Great Barrier Reef and boasts 24 powdery white sand beaches. Dominated by grasslands, the rugged beauty of Lizard Island, contrasts sharply with the sparkling blue waters and rich fringing coral reefs surrounding the island. Lizard Island is known as Dyiigurra to the Dingaal Aboriginal people and is regarded as a sacred place. It was used for the initiation of young males and for the harvesting of shellfish, turtles, dugongs and fish. The Dingaal believe that the Lizard group of islands had been created in the Dreamtime.
DAY 13 Disembarkation | Cairns. QLD, Australia
Cairns thrives on its tropical climate and has become a hub for travellers seeking to explore the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and the surrounding Far North Queensland region. The city’s strategic location makes it an ideal starting point for marine adventures, with access to the stunning coral reefs and diverse marine life that characterize the Great Barrier Reef.
PASPALEY PEARL will be alongside in Cairns. |
|
| Itinerary |
Cruise Itinerary
| Day | Date | Activity | Arrive | Depart |
|---|
| 1 |
27/09 |
Darwin, NT, Australia |
|
|
| 2 |
28/09 |
Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Australia |
|
|
| 3 |
29/09 |
Port Essington, Cobourg Peninsula |
|
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| 4 |
30/09 |
Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia |
|
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| 5 |
01/10 |
Elcho Island, Australia |
|
|
| 6 |
02/10 |
Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, Australia |
|
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| 7 |
03/10 |
Yirrkala, Australia |
|
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| 8 |
04/10 |
Yirrkala, Australia |
|
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| 9 |
05/10 |
Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia |
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| 9 |
05/10 |
Cape York, Qld, Australia |
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| 10 |
06/10 |
Forbes Island, Queensland, Australia |
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| 11 |
07/10 |
Cape Melville, Queensland, Australia |
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| 12 |
08/10 |
Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia |
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| 13 |
09/10 |
Cairns, Qld, Australia |
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All itineraries and ports of call at the discretion of the cruise line subject to local weather conditions and may change without notice.
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