It’s an early start today as we have organised Venture North to provide us a tour of the waters around Port Essington.

We travel in darkness to the boat ramp a few kilometres from camp. In transit a mature and juvenile male Betang run across in front of us. These are endangered species in SE Asia, Australia now the only place a wild herd can be found.

We have breakfast on the shore while we wait for the boat, which arrives as planned. We head South and its not long before we spot a pod of Dolphins. We stop and they come to investigate. They are mainly Bottlenose dolphins but a couple of Humpback dolphins are amongst them. They swim right up to the boat, as inquisitive as we are excited.

We continue, it’s not long before we spot a Jabiru and Great Egret feeding on the beach. An Osprey gives us an up close and personal demonstration on catching fish while a little latter we see a White-bellied eagle doing likewise. The foreshore landscape is stunningly beautiful.

We stop at Victoria Settlement ruins. This was the British attempt in 1838-1845 to setup a militarised community to protect the North from pesky Dutch and French. A lot of hard work went into trying to make this settlement viable but eventually a lack of trade and disease saw the community leave. The remaining buildings are a testimony to the tenacity and skill of those who tried to make a go of it. The bricks are either honed out of laterite or hand made, the mortar comprised of sand, shells and likely home made lime. They had a kiln, forge and sawpit, government house, cottages for married soldiers, officers mess and quartermaster stores and of course a hospital. At one point most of the population of the settlement was hospitalised. Malaria took its toll up here as did dysentry and consumption. 

While the location is picturesque the climate would have been harsh. A cyclone destroyed their groyne/jetty, so they built it again. 

The monsoon forest offered us relief from the heat but much of this area is Savannah, beach and some mangroves. We can see a turtle cruising below the cliff.

We move on, stopping of at Observation Point for lunch. The water was alive with fish of all kinds and sizes. A crocodile glided into the nearby creek with only its nose above the surface.

We cruise along just off the shoreline. The coast is diverse but the laterite red cliffs are just outstanding. Their shades of red, orange and white, the abrupt cliff edge and aqua blue sea, it’s  picturesque.

We cruise over what looks like beds of sargassum, it has the appearance of a seaweed forest.

By 4pm we arrive back at the boat ramp. It was a great day thanks to Venture North.

We go for a quick drive to Smith Point. When back at camp we walk up to the sand dunes to watch a fiery sunset over the sea. The breeze is warm the mosquitoes arrive time to retreat to the tent.  Curlews and frogs calling in the night. Water birds flying overhead. A nice end to the day.

Track (18/06/2015 8:28:22am) Port Essington in Explorer. You can view a map of it on Hema Explorer Cloud.