Rare MMDown Under Posted November 25, 2023 #1 Share Posted November 25, 2023 The things you discover when you read all the correspondence from cruise lines. Coral Expeditions Managing Director has recently been in Canberra discussing plans for Australian Strategic Fleet and the Review of the Coastal Trading Act, The WA Govt is going to implement Marine Booking and Capacity Systems for the Kimberley. Discover News Coral Expeditions This is good news long overdue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted November 25, 2023 #2 Share Posted November 25, 2023 Perhaps, how so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Yaya_in_Oz Posted November 25, 2023 #3 Share Posted November 25, 2023 3 hours ago, MMDown Under said: The WA Govt is going to implement Marine Booking and Capacity Systems for the Kimberley. Discover News Coral Expeditions This is good news long overdue. I'm not sure what this means. Limiting cruise ships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted November 25, 2023 #4 Share Posted November 25, 2023 7 minutes ago, Yaya_in_Oz said: I'm not sure what this means. Limiting cruise ships? Exactly, maybe the types of vessels and or fuel being used for power. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted November 25, 2023 Author #5 Share Posted November 25, 2023 15 minutes ago, Yaya_in_Oz said: I'm not sure what this means. Limiting cruise ships? I read it as limiting the number of cruise ships touring the Kimberleys at the one time. There has been a large increase in the number of overseas cruise ships in the Kimberleys. Coral Expeditions is a small shipping coy based in Cairns. I was lucky to be able to cruise with them, as a solo, from Cairns to Darwin, when the ship was redeployed when cruising was banned in WA during Covid. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted November 25, 2023 Author #6 Share Posted November 25, 2023 28 minutes ago, MicCanberra said: Perhaps, how so? Australia has been long overdue of having its own Strategic Fleet. Australia is an island. When I think of countries like Norway which has ferries continuously cruising along its coastline, I'm amazed that Aust has left itself so vulnerable Optus is a recent example of leaving vital infrastructure to private enterprise. The foreign cruise ships, which come and go to Australian shores, can leave at any time. Are there any commercial Aust owned shipping in Aust.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted November 25, 2023 #7 Share Posted November 25, 2023 I don't think the Kimberley will be getting a ferry service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiser3775 Posted November 25, 2023 #8 Share Posted November 25, 2023 I'm glad that the numbers of ships in the Kimberley coast will be regulated. It's a few years since I did the Darwin to Broome part on a smaller catamaran, and, even then, some parts were becoming crowded. One obnoxious upmarket cruise ship had parked itself right in front of a beautiful waterfall for hours, blocking anyone else's view of it, and shattering the peace with take off and landings by the on-board helicopter. And the Horizontal Falls was a zoo, with jet boats and float planes and ships everywhere, and some serious flouting of OHS rules. It was not the wilderness experience I was hoping for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted November 25, 2023 Author #9 Share Posted November 25, 2023 28 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said: I'm glad that the numbers of ships in the Kimberley coast will be regulated. It's a few years since I did the Darwin to Broome part on a smaller catamaran, and, even then, some parts were becoming crowded. One obnoxious upmarket cruise ship had parked itself right in front of a beautiful waterfall for hours, blocking anyone else's view of it, and shattering the peace with take off and landings by the on-board helicopter. And the Horizontal Falls was a zoo, with jet boats and float planes and ships everywhere, and some serious flouting of OHS rules. It was not the wilderness experience I was hoping for. I knew there were too many cruise ships in the Kimberley. I had no idea that the crowding was spoiling the unique wilderness. Overdue for regulation. When I cruised from Cairns to Darwin with Coral Expeditions it was magical, as we didn't see another cruise ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MMDown Under Posted November 26, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted November 26, 2023 2 minutes ago, MMDown Under said: I knew there were too many cruise ships in the Kimberley. I had no idea that the crowding was spoiling the unique wilderness. Overdue for regulation. When I cruised from Cairns to Darwin with Coral Expeditions it was magical, as we didn't see another cruise ship. In Antartica there were a number of small cruise ships cruising at the same time. However, they kept out of view as much as possible to not spoil the isolated wilderness experience. I wonder who enforces these rules. Your son would know if it was enforced or just an honour system, Les. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiser3775 Posted November 26, 2023 #11 Share Posted November 26, 2023 I don't want to give the impression that my Kimberley cruise was entirely crowded with other cruise ships. In fact, we hardly saw any others for most of the trip, so that part was a good wilderness experience. I'd recommend it to anyone. But there were some choke points where the peaceful setting was spoiled by too many other vessels and some selfish behavour. That will only get worse, now the Kimberley coast has become deservedly popular. The Horizontal Falls, in particular, needs a well regulated environmentally sensitive schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted November 26, 2023 #12 Share Posted November 26, 2023 When we were there, we didn't se anyone else apart from some small yachts/boats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted November 26, 2023 #13 Share Posted November 26, 2023 SBS are showing a Kimberley cruise- the full journey right now. Currently by Horizontal Falls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted November 26, 2023 #14 Share Posted November 26, 2023 Maybe I am just being a tad cynical here, but when a government regulates something, it usually translates into some sort of fee or environmental levy so that they can cash in on an increasing number of visiting ships. Alaska is crowded with large cruise ships - in port. Between ports you need to know where the ships are in order to try to spot them, and the cruise lines prefer it that way. The government only regulates the national parks, and with that comes a levy and park rangers that board to provide an educational narration. A national park like Glacier Bay is spectacular, and I don't know that the rangers really add much to the experience. I am not fussed either way, but the cruise ship passengers are the ones funding a national park that belongs to everyone in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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