Protecting the Kimberley's Humpbacks

A mother and her calf breach along Australia's Kimberley coast (Photo courtesy Kimberley Whale Watching)

As I write the headline for this article, the unmistakable shape of a whale’s pectoral fin rises and falls on the turquoise ocean surface near Broome, Western Australia. I’m about to write about humpbacks, so this comes as no real surprise. With time to notice, these kinds of coincidences are occurring with growing frequency on my personal Tour de Oz.

Most people don’t realise this remote stretch of coastline — part of the huge northern Australian region known as the Kimberley — supports the largest population of humpback whales in the world.

Meet Sam

A truly sustainable method of travel around the enormous continent of Australia

The first time we happened upon Sam Mitchell we were driving west in Outback Queensland on the Gulf Developmental Road. 

Fortunately, Sam is a little hard to miss. He appears along the road a couple of kilometres in the distance as a series of dazzling red strobe lights. As you grow closer, you start to make out that the “lights” are actually strips of highly reflective fabric flapping in the hot air, attached to a slowly moving series of solar panels.

Playing with Marbles at Dawn

Some 150,000 people descend on the remarkable Devil's Marbles Conservation Area (Karlu Karlu), south of Tennant Creek, every year. Sacred to First Australians (with ownership passed back in 2008), much of the area is off limits to the average traveller. Still, it's possible to walk solo amongst an impressive array of the huge granite boulders any sunrise. Here are some of my favourite views from doing so on the morning of July 30, 2013.

Wild Dog Misfortune

We were on the Stuart Highway north of Alice Springs when I saw a large piece of brown paper undulating in the wind on the side of the road. As we got closer, I realised my mistake.

“It’s a dog,” Melonie voiced first. “I saw him move.”

“We have to turn back,” I said.

“OK.”

Painting the Heart of Australia

Water Dreaming, by Mavis Marks

People refer to the red heart of Australia as the Central Desert. 

They’re talking about a massive region with tenuous margins. It appears empty even today, but Indigenous Australians have occupied this place for tens of thousands of years. (And I’m learning more about the strict borders clans respected back in the day.)

One of the most awe-inspiring things to arise from this long connection between humans and their environment is the modern yet traditional painting you encounter here. Most of it is acrylic on canvas, and it’s as vibrant and emotionally inspiring as the land itself.