Malcolm Douglas - Australia - The Wild North West (1985)

[Music] [Music] it's february the wet season and malcolm douglas sets off on another adventure towing his boat right across australia heading for the wilds of the northwest kimberley after a hard seven days drive from sydney i finally reached windham the back end of australia at the bottom of cambridge gulf got a mate of mine brent nixon just flying over from kimberley cattle station he's going to come to me on this journey we're going to put the boat in here at windham so right up cambridge golf the mitchell plateau right around the far north west of australia in about two months time we're going to pull the boat out of derby very excited about this trip because in my 25 years traveling i've never yet been able to get up this eastern side of the kimberley all we have to do now is put the boat in and get going the boat's been specially constructed to carry 600 litres of fuel but another 200 litre drums been added making a total of 800 liters needed for the first leg of the journey all supplies and last minute items must be purchased here in windham for it's the only town on the coast until journeys end at derby in the early morning with the boat heavily laden malcolm and brett motor passed the wyndham jetty to begin the long journey up the muddy cambridge gulf they're heading into one of the loneliest parts of australia malcolm's wanted to explore this part of the coast for many years for malcolm's dog jody it's just another trip near the mouth of the ord river their journey is interrupted the boats marooned by the dropping tide on a huge mud bank in the 40 degree heat a long trench for the boat's keel is gouged out towards deeper water if it doesn't float on the next high tide they'll be stuck for a week until the tides build again around midnight water covers the mud bank the boats pushed free and they steer slowly towards deeper water with all settlements left far behind now a close weather watch must be maintained for this is the season of cyclones malcolm and brett head for the first big river on this section of the coast [Applause] we're 100 nautical miles north from windham we're just about to enter the mouth of the berkeley river down at the mouth here fairly typical river with low sand dunes and mangroves on each side but as it flows inland it enters some of the most spectacular gorge country in the whole of australia we're just going to boil a billy and go and have a look at it [Music] um [Music] the sand dunes and mangrove soon give way to magnificent cliffs rising higher and higher as they run inland [Music] a small creek leads them into a beautiful gorge and the first of many waterfalls that the travelers will see as the weeks pass [Music] this is what these trips are all about we've battled up the coast 100 miles from windham but it's all worthwhile when you come to something like this a huge natural amphitheater its serenity disturbed only by the splash of water cascading from the rim [Music] the cool deep shadows are arrested from the intense heat malcolm drags his lunch over the rocks to cook it on an open fire fresh barramundi [Music] and plenty of it late in the afternoon they motor further up the chasm and anchor for the night in a small bay carved from the cliffs by countless wet seasons with a casual flick of the wrist brett catches his breakfast at the back of the [Applause] boat [Applause] a good sized mullet the men motor up river following the spectacular line of cliffs to the limit of tidal influence looking for a likely spot to fish for the mighty barramundi when i'm in the cities one of the questions that i'm asked most is where you catch big barramundi well that's the secret but i can tell you that this river is a perfect barra river you've got the salt water and the fresh water meeting i've got a rising tide i've got storms building in the background up in the headwaters it's very hot it's very humid this is the perfect time to get a barra so let's see if we can catch one all i have to do is drop the lure into the deep water and just work the lure around the rocks [Music] [Music] so [Music] how's that for a fish it's about 15 kilos beautiful specimen the reason i caught that fish so quickly is because we're in such an isolated place too big to eat just for brett and i or getting back in the water he looked knocked up but i tell you what give him a couple of seconds and he'll swim away malcolm fishes the dropping tide for the sheer thrill of it hoping to land something a little smaller and there's our tea what a magnificent looking fish not only are they beautiful looking fish they're also a gourmet meal and this one might be going back into the water this one's going into the frying pan a wet season storm lashes the high country as the rains clear the men returned to their deep water anchorage to find the gentle falls of the day before have been transformed into a seemingly solid column of white water the fickle weather creates many moods from dazzling sunlight to misty overcast the soft pastels of the morning light paint a dramatic picture as brett cooks the breakfast damper after a week in the gorge they head back to the open sea along the way a detour upper creek ends abruptly at an amazing cascade [Music] wow an arduous climb rewards the men with a distant view over the stony country out over the plateau and the waterfall tumbling in tears to the river below [Music] [Music] their descent attracts a crocodile curious at the intrusion into its territory in the lull between the storms the sea is mirror calm and it's a pleasure motoring along the coast at times the rocky cliffs come close to the coast creating some of the most scenic beaches in australia everywhere there are fish especially schools of mullet and these provide the men's staple diet once a day the nets run out and within minutes fresh fish any fish not wanted must be released quickly malcolm has some trouble with a small shark it just won't go away until jadi lends a hand as fuel is used up and the boat gets lighter propellers are changed to give maximum economy stainless steel props are always fitted they don't snap on contact with submerged reefs at the entrance to the king george river the boat motors through eroded cliffs a massive buttress blocks the waterway we've left the berkeley river far to the south we've motored up the coast and now we've come right to the top of the next main river the king george river this is truly remarkable country you know it's almost 200 years since european first arrived in australia and this country is still unknown to the majority of australians i just hope in a few years this whole northwest area will be classified as a huge national park because this area would have to have some of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring scenery in the whole of australia just have a look at this isn't that fantastic what brett and i are going to do now is anger the boat we're going to walk right to the top of the gorge and hike around so we can have a look at the falls from behind just before we go i notice with the tide dropping the biggest oysters i've ever seen in my life starting to appear on the rocks here i think brett and i we better have a good feed of these giant oysters before we head off up the top of the cliff conditions here must be perfect for oysters nowhere has malcolm seen such large ones abundant and so easy to collect barbecued for a few seconds and with the luxury of bottled lemon juice they're delicious the oppressive heat and high humidity plagued the men on the long climb up the cliff but at the top it's all worthwhile for the view is absolutely breathtaking far below the boat is reduced to a mere dot leaving the first falls the men hike around to the second drop there are some anxious moments keeping the camera above water in the flood finally the awe-inspiring view from the [Music] precipice [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] the sheer magnitude of the falls dwarfs the boat in the foreground after the spectacular king george river it's a long run around cape londonderry then westwood along the top of australia's north west coast quite suddenly an animal surfaces near the boat it's a dugong a shy marine mammal rarely seen at such close range changes pollution development and hunting are threatening the existence of these inoffensive mammals throughout the world to many people including the aborigines dugong meat is a delicacy but the aborigines have long since left this remote coastline and today the dugong live undisturbed dugong are also called sea cows because they feed on marine grasses folklore attributes the mermaid legend to the dugong with the winds rising they anchor behind a small sandy k the water teams with schools of whiting and little effort bags a delicious meal it's a waiting game here we're waiting for the tide to come in and these strong winds to stop we're angered in shallow water behind the little sandy island about two kilometres off the coast just out in front of me is a giant saltwater croc waiting for me or brett or jaudy to go down into the water just goes to show how alert you've got to be up here all the time most people assume that salt water crocks are only found over in the mangroves and the muddy rivers that's quite wrong because this is a classic example the tide is just starting to come in and this croc is just down there in front of me now on the rising tide the crocodile retreats slightly and floats like a log out from the boat jaudy unaware of the danger watches small fish her favorite pastime the croc begins to move in only the slightest ripple suggesting its approach [Music] a warning from malcolm and she immediately leaves the water the strange shape only increases her curiosity any closer and the croc will attack rushing forward with lightning speed a final command and jarry moves to safety the big croc lurks close by until they leave the next stop is a small bay on the mainland on one of the loneliest stretches of the australian coast during the second world war it was a bustle of activity when the allies landed supplies here for the truscott air base today there's little to see except a few relics like this framework for a shower a bed frame and piles of drums these are the last of the drums left after the war been here for what over 40 years now the heavy galvanized ones are still all right the lighter ones of course are just about disintegrated this is interesting where this tree growing out of the top of this drum and it's brought its root right out of the drum right over the side gone down into the ground down the side of the drum there not a good place to camp because all these drums are full of water and thousands of mosquito lava in all of these drums what we have to do now just wait for the high tide we can head for trouton island one thing about this country you give the old aussie salute to the men of truscot getting rid of these flies all the time because they're really really bad come on buzz off right let's get this gear packed up and get out of here heading deer north they make for a tiny speck in the timor sea here they are to pick up their next 800 liters of fuel we're now on trout and island this is where the men fly in by plane from darwin and go by helicopter out to the jabu orwells this is a big new discovery off the north west of australia it's basically run by bhp petroleum and with their cooperation we're going to use a big bell helicopter behind me fly over to the mainland and have a look at the mitchell falls we're not able to reach these falls by boat then we're going to fly along the coast and hopefully spot some of the planes that went down during the war [Music] [Music] within 20 minutes they're over the mainland following the course of the mitchell river it flows through low flat mangrove plains but soon give way to stony escarpment country [Music] minutes later they're over the mitchell plateau an area where huge deposits of bauxite have been discovered [Music] in a good wet season after cyclonic rains the mitchell falls a raging torrents this year with only sporadic rain during a late build-up to the monsoons the falls although not at their peak present a dazzling display leaving the falls they fly back east along the coast towards truscott the wartime airfield not far from the strip near the coast they spot the wreckage of a plane [Music] after pinpointing the wreck they swing inland and locate the old service road from the coast this leads to the overgrown runway the bombers from this airstrip played a major part in defeating the japanese in the second world war with the boat refueled malcolm and brett head back to the mainland and anchor near the location of the plane wreck they spotted two days earlier [Music] walking inland they soon come across this grim reminder of the conflict this united states army dc3 crashed only minutes from the truscott runway cut in half by a salvage crew retrieving its cargo it still lies largely intact in the encroaching scrub 40 years later um [Music] with storms all around the air is unbelievably hot and the sticky humidity unbearable the men wait for the tide to re-float their vessel lazing in the only decent shade around and now they put in several days constant traveling while the weather is calm without protection the intense glare would quickly blister malcolm's face this wild rugged coast is full of surprises while motoring towards the hunter river the men come upon a spring gushing high in the rock face this is what's so special about this north west coast we've just come into a bay it will be as hot and as dry and as barren as you can imagine come around the first corner and this is what we find it really is a magic place [Music] wow motoring on they pass the distinctive sphinx-like landmarks at the entrance to the hunter river the hunter river is lined with a thick wall of mangroves a young saltwater crocodile floats camouflaged in the shadows weather salt and freshwater meat the men anchor and go ashore for lunch within minutes the tide drops and the boat keels over at a precarious angle on the rocks the men work quickly roping the boat to the mangroves to prevent its rolling further if it jammed at this angle the next rising tide would sink it within minutes brett works quickly saving some of the precious fuel that's flowing from the air bungs there's nothing that the men can do now but wait 12 hours for the turn of the tide malcolm heads inland to a place where the map pinpoints unusual rock formations [Music] and he's not disappointed [Music] within the hour he stands in a huge basin ringed at the base with lush tropical rainforest the distant roar of water urges malcolm on and at the end of the chasm he discovers yet another majestic waterfall without a doubt this wild northwest coast must have some of the most remarkable scenery in australia by sundown he's back at the boat and there's the long anxious wait until the tide rises at midnight all ends well and the next day they head back out of the hunter to explore some of the other nearby rivers malcolm spots wild cattle ahead and hungry for red meat he's quickly ashore in the next few years the government's planning to use helicopters to shoot all the wild cattle in the north they're a health risk to station bred stock with only a few minutes to get the meat before the change of tide brett hurriedly cuts out the fillet wraps it in green hide and to be sure they'll have a good supply takes a leg malcolm only shot the feral cow because it's already marked for eradication [Music] having grown up on a cattle station brett's favorite meal is beef he skillfully bones out the meat and hangs it to cool back out at sea the coast watch plane sweeps low they patrol regularly looking for unauthorized craft and always monitor malcolm's position ahead lies a sandy beach where malcolm hopes to locate a historic marker the men head towards a jungle thicket on the edge of the timberline here they find an ancient boab tree these bayam trees would have to be one of the most extraordinary trees in australia these grotesque shapes and this huge trunk but this one is particularly significant because of this graffiti carved on here in 1820 lieutenant philip arthur king and his crew on the sloop the mermaid exploring and discovering his north west coast to australia they careened the mermaid in this little bay just in front of me and is now marked on maps as caring bay while they're checking the boat some of the crew have come up here and they've carved this extraordinary graffiti in the tree so we now have h m c m e r m a i d mermaid and down the bottom 1820 so on this lonely coast of australia we now have this little bit of australian history these extraordinary trees grow all along the coast during the wet season they're covered in dense foliage but with the end of the rains they lose their leaves to conserve moisture during the long dry these two almost at the water's edge are bonsai specimens obviously very old but no taller than malcolm [Music] in the morning the travelers head for the mighty prince regent river to visit the enchanting kings cascades named after philip parker king they were discovered when his crew rode up the river looking for fresh water these splendid falls run all the year but at this time they are truly spectacular [Music] although much of the northwest is harsh and barren there are isolated pockets of rainforest [Music] near the cascades is the lush splendor of masses of kimberley fern this glorious specimen has been only recently introduced as a popular indoor plant throughout australia out on the open mud flats malcolm spots what he thinks is a mud crab and investigates but it's a newly hatched crocodile [Music] malcolm with his great interest in reptiles checks it carefully before releasing it this handful only weeks old could live for 80 years and grow to a length of over six meters crocodiles have extra eyelids for visibility underwater [Music] leaving the cascades they head back down the river into some george basin in the distance mount trafalgar and mount waterloo named after the famous battles as the basin narrows again between the islands the men have some anxious moments in the title turbulence these dangerous eddies are a common occurrence as the huge rise and fall of the tide churns the water in whirlpools [Music] malcolm's now back in familiar waters and heads towards some low islands off the coast to do a spot of fishing in the intense heat cormorants pant to cool down while in the mangroves a young turtle browses lazily an osprey these regal birds so rare in many parts of the world are often seen on this remote coast in the cleaner water away from the land big trevally are always biting this one too big to eat is quickly released there's always plenty more at the entrance to secure bay the massive rush of the tide will in the future be used to generate electricity malcolm and brett venture through the narrow gap and skillfully negotiate the whirlpools continuously building and disappearing [Music] [Music] inside the bay are strange hills of stark rock dark and somber quite different from the vivid colors of the cliffs of the coast its amphibolite formed deep beneath the ocean and during times of geological upheaval has been pushed to the surface pushing back out of the bay the powerful outboard motor really works against the tidal current at the southern end of coolan island lies a natural wonder that few people have seen usually concealed beneath meters of water vast expanses of brain coral are exposed for only a few minutes at dead low tide [Music] on the ebbtide the water is clear and the abundant marine life is briefly visible [Music] then within minutes the rising tide surges over the reef [Music] the following day they visit another exciting natural wonder off the coast a tidal waterfall that appears twice a day when the sea drops 10 meters off the reef in just a few hours the water spills off the rim of this vast underwater plateau creating a ring of sparkling cascades this whole coast is still so remote that few people know of these amazing scenes [Music] the ecology of this unique region presents a fascinating field of study below the tidal waterfalls grow strange corals and grasses that attract the dugongs and turtles at the top of king sound the full intensity of the kimberley tide is dramatically demonstrated surging around pelican rock because of this huge and dangerous tide and the uncharted reefs few yachts and larger boats visit the area good local knowledge is essential only a short distance away a stunning phenomenon as the tide drops a curious apparition appears like a deep sea monster it is in fact the enormous force of the current rushing past a submerged rock [Music] finally the long run down king sound and into the muddy waters of the estuary towards the end of their journey the radio warns of an approaching cyclone so the men are relieved when the boat swings into the landing at derby wharf well here we are at derby at last it's quite a trip and as usual we're stuck in the mud it's way a while country always waiting for the tide to come in or the tide to go out brett will have to stay with the boat now i'm just about to grab my swag and bag go to the air the airport catch the plane to cannon arrow pick up the vehicle and trailer in two days we'll be back here and eight days from now back to sydney you

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Id: RtL_Icap4nQ

Length: 46min 5sec (2765 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 09 2020