• Adventuring Down Under
    Walking along the beach to the salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.
    Van Sittart Bay view with the Xplorer and Coral Discoverer ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Tide coming back into the salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Heading down the dune to the salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Walking across the salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Walking across the salt pans ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.The DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Boab tree near the DC-53 Sky Trooper wreck. ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.African black beetle ... invasive species ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Scarlet Percher Dragonfly ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Feral cattle ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Elegant fiddler and hermit crabs — Anjo Peninsula ... Kimberleys, WA.Hiking out the long way around ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Beach stone curlew ... Anjo Peninsula — Kimberleys, WA.Dried up fan coral — Anjo Peninsula ... Kimberleys, WA.Coral Discoverer awaiting the Xplorer with the landing pad down — Vansittart Bay, Kimberleys.

    Kimberley Expedition: Day 3 (Afternoon)

    14 aprile 2024, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Returning to the Coral Discoverer for lunch, we didn’t have much time to relax before we found ourselves back in the Xplorer.

    Our destination this time was the wreck of a C-53 Sky Trooper on the Anjo Peninsula. The aircraft, which crash landed here in 1942, is the cargo version of the DC3 aircraft.

    Once again, we were told to prepare for a wet landing, but got a dry one right onto the beach. We arrived as the tide was just coming in across the salt pans beyond the small dune we had to negotiate. This was a boon because we didn’t have to make the long trek across the white-sand beach that was reflecting the sun right back at us to go around the salt pans. Instead, we crossed to the woodlands, walking through ankle-deep water … stopping to check out the hermit crabs where the land was still dry.

    On reaching the site of the wreck, the expedition team held everyone back so we could all get people-free photos of the site. Steve then gathered us in a semicircle around the edge of the wreck and told us about the wreckage and how it got to be here.

    The story goes that there was no navigator onboard the C-53 and the aircraft lost its way in bad weather. Running out of fuel, the young pilot — an American — was forced to make an emergency landing in the savanna woodlands that cover most of the area. The story ends well. All onboard survived and they were rescued a few days later by a Qantas flying boat.

    We were next split into two groups … one exploring the wreck site; the other walking off to look for birds. When we swapped places, we didn’t see any birds, but the melodious song of the butcher bird sounded periodically. Nor did we glimpse the agile wallaby the other group saw. We did spot a feral cattle sitting in the shade, and a ton more hermit crabs.

    By the time we were ready to cross the salt pans again, they were covered with water too deep to wade through. So, we had to trek through the bush in a wide circle to get back to the beach … part of the walk through prickly grasses that made us happy that we had opted for long pants despite the heat.

    On returning to the vessel, we had a short respite before it was time for Steve’s presentation, “Jewels of the Top End” … a talk about the flora and fauna of the Kimberleys. Any other time, I would have been front row-center, but the hot and humid hike this afternoon was just too draining. In fact, not only did we skip the lecture, we skipped drinks on the Sundeck and the documentary after dinner.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione