Friday 5 June 2026: True North II, King George Falls – Sylvia
Wow and wow! This keeps getting better. True North has a slogan: Life’s Different After… and I do feel that I have rekindled my youthful spirit a bit being here. We woke this morning and at 6:45 Guia, one of the crew led a yoga session up on the helicopter deck. This was a fantastic way to start the day, at the mouth of the King George River. True North, the slightly larger sister of this boat sailed past us while we were doing our yoga. The yoga was followed by a pancake feast on the bar deck. The chefs had prepared delicious pancakes with a variety of toppings. Yum! During breakfast Roger was awarded the coveted fishing hat for his exploits yesterday.
After breakfast we started cruising up river. This massive river with its red rock walls, towering some 80m at times, was only discovered in 1911. It is really magnificent. The rock has been eroded over millenia, with different layers showing both the formation of the rock and the effects of weathering over time. Eventually we reached the twin falls, separated by a large rocky outcrop. They were stunning today and must look even more incredible in the wet season. Lloyd, guided by Max, who had been dropped off on a rock ledge near the falls by tender earlier, nosed the boat right under the falls and we all got drenched as the water cascaded over us. We had done this at another waterfall earlier in the trip but this was more powerful and more exhilarating.
As we turned to head back, I went down to my room to shower and change. No sooner had I done that than Lani’s voice came over the speaker saying it was time for our tender excursions, ‘don’t forget to wear your bathers as you’ll get wet’. I quickly changed again and we headed back to view the falls from an even lower perspective. We really felt like ants. We stopped to watch True North make their way up to the falls. It was impressive to see from outside the boat just how close it gets. We then continued our way down river marvelling at the rock formations.
At one point we came across a massive 4m croc basking on a rock ledge just out of the water. Lloyd gunned the outboard, spraying the croc, hoping it would open its mouth, but instead it slunk very quickly back into the river and out of sight.
A little further on we came to the Fountain of Youth waterfall, where we had our second cold shower of the day, although Roger opted to sit at the back of the boat and take photos, before making our way back on board for a delicious lunch of fresh fish and chips.
After lunch it was back into the tender and up river to a small inlet where we clambered a short distance over some rocks and boulders to a little rain-fed grotto. A few brave people swam, but this late in the season the pool was getting shallow and had lots of midges flying around. I didn’t want that to be my last memory of swimming here so chose not to. We made our way back on board where it was sadly time to start getting our things together and packing up.
Later in the afternoon Roger headed into the bowels of the boat for a tour of the engine room. Then, just before 4pm we boarded the helicopter for a 30-minute scenic flight over the falls. I am about out of adjectives to describe it. We started low over the bay as we did a fly past of True North. It has been obvious how well the crew on board gets on. They all just jump in to help each other with anything that needs to be done. From all the interactions today with the crew from the sister boat, it is clear that the whole team (there are about 100 in total) connect.
We then flew along the river and circled the falls a couple of times to ensure we all got a good look before swooping down the front of the falls and along the river with the rock walls towering on either side. It was another exhilarating experience. As we flew out to the ocean we could see a few sharks swimming in the bay before returning back on board to have a group photo with all guests and crew.
After our last delicious onboard dinner (goat ragu with tagliatelle and a pumpkin and feta salad, followed by coconut and passionfruit pannacotta), we retired to the lounge for a quick recap of the trip and a viewing of the impressive video that Ryder, the onboard photographer, had put together of the trip. We will all receive a copy of this video which will be a great reminder of this holiday. I can truly say this has been a marvellous experience. Every little thing has been put together with excellence. I couldn’t help myself and have booked for another trip with this company next year…
Saturday 6 June 2026: Wyndham to Perth – Sylvia
We woke this morning berthed in Wyndham, and packed up ready to disembark and travel to Perth for a few days before heading home. While I was getting ready I heard an almighty clatter, followed by a lot of expletives coming from the bathroom. Roger had fallen while stretching with his leg on the bench and had hit the toilet quite hard. No damage to the toilet but I wasn’t too sure about Roger. He assured me he was okay so I continued getting ready.
We said long goodbyes to Ryan (captain), Lani (cruise director) and their incredible crew and boarded a bus along with the other guests, headed for Kununara, about an hour’s drive south. The road was pretty straight and on both sides we were flanked by small boab trees, which looked as though they had been planted. At one stage a dingo ran across the road in front of the bus, the first one either of us had seen in the wild. It didn’t hang around long enough for a photo.
We arrived in Kununara and I got the first real sense that Roger’s injury may have been worse than he had initially let on when he asked me to carry his bag to the plane. Luckily we had business class seats for the three-and-a-half hour flight, but it was obvious he was quite uncomfortable as he kept wriggling around and standing up to try and get some release. Once we arrived in Perth and checked into our hotel, we headed off to the nearest doctor. On arrival were were advised that we had an appointment for 3:45pm, about 30 minutes later. We were eventually seen just after 5pm. By that stage there were no reasonable options for imaging and as he seemed okay, the doctor prescribed some pain medication and booked him in for a CT scan on Monday morning. We headed back to the hotel, where, after a quick room service dinner, Roger took a sleeping pill and managed a reasonable night’s sleep.
Sunday 7 June 2026: Perth – Sylvia
We had a very leisurely start to the day before grabbing an Uber to a highly rated cafe in a nearby suburb, where we enjoyed a delicious brunch. We returned to the hotel and set out on a slow stroll to explore some of the downtown area. Perth does not seem like a big city. Other than a few homeless people on the streets, it is pretty clean and easy to get around. We wandered past the old town hall and into Stirling Gardens. I was bemused by the names of some of the businesses in the State Building. Roger sat for a bit while I explored a bit, then we headed a little further on to Elizabeth Quay.
By this time Roger was pretty uncomfortable so he took an Uber back to the hotel and I continued to explore a bit. There is lots of cool street art around the city.
I had noticed a Titanic exhibition across the road from the doctor’s office yesterday and decided to head there. It was very well done, focusing on the personal experiences of different people involved. It started with an overview of the global environment in the early 20th century and continued through to the rescue, aftermath and more recent discovery of the wreck. Inside were replica set ups of first, second and third class spaces on board. I spent about an hour-and-a-half immersing myself in the history before returning to the hotel to check on Roger.
Later in the afternoon we had booked massages, thinking it might ease a bit of Roger’s muscle soreness. Then we had a very quiet evening back in the hotel.
Monday 8 June 2026: Perth – Sylvia
Roger headed off just after 8:30am to the radiology place to get a CT scan of his lumbar spine and hip. Once he got back, we caught an uber to Freemantle and wandered around the very impressive Maritime museum there. Outside the museum are walls with the names of thousands of immigrants who arrived in Freemantle. The museum houses some very interesting exhibits, including lots of different boats, a submarine and even a preserved shark! Upstairs they have a 180 degree dome theatre and this was a comfortable spot for us to sit. We watched three different movies, one on the stars and the stories they tell us about creation from both a scientific and an indigenous people’s perspective. Another was about the Ningaloo reef and the annual coral spawning, and the third was about the whale super highway.
After our visit, we headed back to the hotel to rest, then attended Roger’s follow up doctor’s appointment at 4:30pm. We were both surprised when he told us that Roger had fractured three vertebrae in his lumbar spine, as well as two ribs in his back. This was the minor part though. What they were more concerned about was the large haematoma he had developed that showed ongoing internal bleeding. The doctor couldn’t believe how good Roger looked, saying that if Roger didn’t look as good as he did, he would have sent him straight to hospital in an ambulance. As it was, he gave us a referral letter and sent us to the ED department at Perth hospital under our own steam.
We arrived, took a number and waited to be triaged. Overall I thought it was a very straightforward and efficient approach. It wasn’t too long before we handed over the letter to a nurse and Roger was rushed straight in to be seen. Even though we had travel insurance, it was great to be advised that because of the reciprocal arrangement with NZ our costs would be covered. The rest of the evening was spent with Roger being poked, prodded and examined by several different doctors, x-rayed and scanned etc. He kept his spirits up and entertained the nurses with tales of his crocodile catching exploits. He was admitted overnight for observation.
I returned to the hotel and made all the arrangements to postpone our flights home.
Tuesday 9 June 2026: Perth – Sylvia
I headed back to the hospital just after 8am. Roger had managed a little sleep overnight and the good news was the scan showed the internal bleeding had largely stopped. Having recently experienced the public health system in New Zealand and being underwhelmed and a bit concerned at the state of it, I was pretty impressed with the system here in Perth. Roger was seen by numerous different medical professionals, including occupational therapists, nurses, doctors etc. Despite it being incredibly busy the staff were friendly and attentive. After more blood tests showing he was stable, he was released after lunch (a meal he actually enjoyed, unlike the inedible food at hospital in NZ) and we were cleared to return to NZ tomorrow.
The hospital was only about 400m from the hotel we were staying at so we decided to walk slowly back. Roger settled back in and I rebooked our flights. I then headed out to walk and explore a bit more of Perth, visiting the massive King’s Park. Then it was back to the hotel for another quiet evening. Tomorrow we have a late evening flight back to Auckland.
Overall this has been a fantastic trip. I am just very grateful that Roger’s injury wasn’t more severe, and that it happened at the end of the trip. He will have 4-6 weeks of discomfort as his fractures and haematoma heal but shouldn’t suffer any long term effects.