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heading nORTh There is a heightened sense of peace, purpose and pleasure to life aboard True North that casts a spell over all who experience it. The environment is stunning and the sense of laid-back luxury, well ordered adventure and of complete detachment

from the every-day wraps like cool silk around you. It is also so very real and tactile. There are early mornings and late nights and days full of activity that constantly re-enforce the power of the absolutely spectacular, wild and remote areas that are central to the experience. To sortie out into this world is exhilarating – whether on one of the six dedicated tenders, or on the helicopter that travels everywhere with the ship.

North Star Cruises, which owns and runs True North, has been operating in the Kimberley for 25 years. True North herself was commissioned in 2005, and has 18 cabins accommodating 36 guests, who are looked after by 20 crew. The remoteness, the pampering salted with breathtaking scenery and more than a dash of adventure combine to create a state of relaxed and delighted satisfaction most of the time. Taking part in hammer-and-tongs activity is not compulsory, and on any journey guests do on occasion opt for a morning’s rest, or an afternoon curled up with a book, but this is the exception. “Well, you get tired, but you just know you’re missing out on something that you’ll probably never experience again if you stay behind,” says guest Rhonda Lewis, from Denmark, WA.

For the crew this is their workplace, and work they do. While things appear seamless on the surface, there is the constant challenge and effort that goes in to travelling in remote areas. There are naturally the frictions and tensions of strong, independent, personalities rubbing together in a hierarchical structure. This is part of life on any ship and in any isolated work place. Nevertheless, from the laundry to the bridge, the engine room to the galley, dedicated, switched-on people are helping each other to keep the props turning.

Brad Benbow is the ship’s master. Like all the other crew, he operates on a time on-time off basis, with two other

captains rolling through the roster. Brad’s a long-term part of the North Star Cruises operation, having been with the company for some eight years.

“The best thing for me is that the itineraries are always changing,” he says. “We always see the iconic sites – things like King George Falls, Cascade Falls, Montgomery Reef and the Horizontal Falls – but outside of that there is the opportunity for a lot of variation. Certainly working with 10-metre tides as we do here is challenging at times, but you’ve got guests and, while you must do everything safely, you also have to make sure they get the experience they require and get to see what you want them to see.”

The Kimberley is an absolute bio-hotspot and this is one of the main attractions for people visiting, whether to fish, photograph or simply bear witness. In the space of 40 minutes slowly motoring along Sampan Creek with True North’s naturalists doctors Andy Lewis and Cristiana Damiano, birds sighted include the great billed heron, chestnut rail, lesser egret, sandpiper, ibis, heron, jabiru, curlew and the lesser crested tern. Crocodiles – both salties and freshies – fish and insects abound.

Certainly staying behind is not on the agenda for Colin Makin. He and companion Judith O’Farrell are from Echuca, Vic, and

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True North was commissioned in 2005 and purpose-built to

cruise the stunning waters of the Kimberley coast.

True NorTh and her crew lap aUstralia each year, by way of indonesia and papUa new GUinea, bUt their home will always be the kimberley.

StorY + PhotoS mark muller

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regularly travel together. Col is a laid-back former dairy farmer, and Judith owns a mediation and counselling practice in the Murray River town. For this trip they drove across the Nullarbor and up the west coast, and will be heading back through the Tanami.

Right now, however, Col’s mind is far from the desert. The fishing line is bent double in his hands as he works what is very evidently a big, big fish. Guide Mitch Campbell keeps a steady stream of calm and salient advice as Col plays the fish. They are rewarded after about 15 minutes with the landing of a 22-kilogram mulloway – a good eating fish that will grace the tables on board in

the next couple of days. Col is delighted with his catch. “I’ve never caught a mulloway before,” he says. “That’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught! Probably the biggest fish I’ll ever catch!”

Enabling guests to have experiences such as this is satisfying for cruise director Marese Caldwell. Marese has been with True North for a total of four years. Part of her role is to set the cruise itinerary with Brad Benbow and ensure that the guest experience is safe and happy. She’s back on True North after a stint working on ships in the Mediterranean, but says she always knew she would be return. “It’s rewarding to have people coming on board and doing so much and having people take away memories that they’ll never forget,” she says. “I feel like I’m in the position now where I know my job but I’m still challenged every day.”

This sense of constant challenge draws high-calibre people. It’s a rare mix of skills and character traits that ensure expeditionary travel like True North’s is done safely and enjoyably. It’s not enough to be a great chef, or a skilled sailor, or a fine engineer – all of that is a given. For this sort of work people also have to have the more nebulous interpersonal skills essential to travel and tourism – particularly when dealing with the sort of people who decide to spend their money on an experience like this. Guests are by and large well-heeled, successful, independent people who know what they want and have set out in their lives to get it. To guide and control such people without it seeming overbearing, and without egos clashing, is a nuanced skill and one not possessed by everyone.

Down in the engine room Scott Hocking is smiling and explaining the ins and outs of the systems that keep the ship

moving, powered and topped up with fresh water. As the ship’s

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The EC130 helicopter opens up the back country and allows access to sights few are able to experience; guests cool off in the deep waters of Melaeluca Falls, high up in the gorge country; barbecue spiced squid, Asian salad and sweet chilli dressing; master Brad Benbow (left) and first officer Simon Benneworth man the bridge; Dr Cristiana Damiano (left) tempts Vicki Risby with sundown nibbles.

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Mitchell Falls

Wyndham

Cape Leveque

Derby

MontgomeryReef

Broome

Koolan Island Kununurra

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Horizontal Falls

Cathedral Falls

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Mitchell River

Prince Regent River

Hunter River

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engineer, this is all his responsibility, one he’s been happily carrying for the seven years he’s worked on True North. It’s something of an open day on board, and guests are watching with interest as Scott points things out. Even to a novice eye, it’s clear that this is an organised, clean, smoothly run world. “Well, it’s got to be,” Scott says. “This boat is set up so that even if we do have a problem, the show doesn’t stop. We’ve basically got two of everything as far as the main systems go, and plenty of spares for everything else. We operate in remote areas, so you’ve got to be self sufficient, and we are.” As part of this preparedness, True North undergoes a complete refit and overhaul each year. “The refit is a full-on process,” Scott says. “It’s our opportunity to get everything going just right, then we just have to maintain it throughout the year.” It also means that the ship looks like new each and every year.

For guest Duncan Telfer this attention to detail in terms of the systems and seamanship involved is readily apparent. Duncan first went to sea at the age of 16 in the waters off his native Scotland and went on to captain commercial cargo vessels throughout the world. He is currently based in Perth as the director and general manager of Swire Pacific Offshore and also a director of Swire Pacific Ship Management. A strong and good-humoured man who charmed all with his fleet-footed grace on the ship’s dance

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floor, Duncan knows boats, and is impressed by what his expert’s eye sees on True North.

“It’s very professional,” Duncan says. “There are clearly very tight procedures in place but they’re invisible. People are being looked after very carefully but they’re not in your face. They obviously carefully select all their crew, who are good at what they do. There’s no nonsense but we’re all having fun at the same time. They’ve also spent a lot of money on the design and construction – everything from the fixtures and fittings and the navigation equipment to the type of paint used and using stainless steel piping – it’s all the top-end gear. The refits are impressive, too. It’s a statutory requirement that it’s done twice every five years, but they’re doing it every year.”

The sun is setting and True North is underway, steaming to the next anchorage along the coast. Rainor Marshall

keeps a steady hand on the controls of the EC130 helicopter and tracks the lights of the ship below, keeping an eye on its position relative to his, and taking in the vagaries of the swell. The cabin is quiet as five guests, fresh from sunset drinks on top of a rocky island escarpment, take in the stunning view. Rainor deftly places the moving chopper on the moving ship and powers down with a quiet smile. There’s no room for error, and he makes it appear effortless.

“I could’ve gone to oil rigs ages ago, but I’m not really interested,” he says later. “I love flying in remote places and having a good look at the countryside – rather than shuttling along at 6-7000 feet. I love my job. I’m sharing amazing things

Guests share cocktails as the beachside bonfire gets going.OPPOSITE: Being able to absorb stunning Wandjina rock art is a treasured part of cruise director Marese Caldwell’s life on True North.

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“Now one set of tyres does it all”Australia’s ‘Mr 4x4’, Pat Callinan, tests Cooper’s new S/TMAXX

Before long w e e k e n d s and trips, I

used to change my on-road tyres for my off-road tyres. It was something I’d always had to do.

Then earlier this year, Cooper’s new tyres were flown in from America to be tested in our conditions. After taking them through Victoria’s High Country, testing them at Beyond Hotham and driving on them ever since, I can report that Cooper has somehow managed to make a tyre that is genuinely great off-road AND on-road. It suits everything I do. For the first time, in all my years of driving, I have found the one set of tyres that does it all.Tough TestIf you’ve been to Beyond Hotham in Victoria’s High Country, you’ll know it’s a tough test for any tyre. We had snow, mud, clay, serious mountain inclines, treacherous tracks, ruts, corrugations, bitumen and endless sharp rocks to throw at the new tyres.The Verdict?These tyres are definitely Cooper’s next great leap forward. For a start, they have amazing grip. The company had promised

better grip than the STT - I thought the STT would be hard to beat but Cooper has done it. Puncture resistance - excellent. The mountain’s sharp rocks usually mean a flat tyre at some point, but the S/TMAXX tyres just kept rolling.Self-cleaning? We got some great slow motion footage of the tyres going through slop and you can see them cleaning mud out the back. You can see them gripping and cleaning as they go.Road noise? Very low which is surprising as S/TMAXX tyres look aggressive yet they don’t whine on the road. These new American tyres are truly great off-road and on-road. Put it this way - I’m not taking them off! Australia’s largest range of 4WD tyresWith tyres to suit every kind of driving from highway to the harshest off-road terrain, Cooper Tires has your 4WD or SUV covered.Authorised DealersCooper Tires are only available from authorised Cooper Tire dealers. To find the dealer closest to you visit the locator on the website.For your FREE tyre guide and more information about the Cooper Tires range visit: www.coopertires.com.au or call

1300 COOPER Pat Callinan tests Cooper’s new S/T MAXX All-Terrain Tyre Beyond Hotham

Pat C

allin

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with people – whether it’s rock-art sites or beautiful swimming spots right up in the backcountry or simply flying along the coast sightseeing. It’s something that people don’t do every day and so it’s something that really sticks in their minds and I love being able to share that.”

Sharing comes naturally to head chef Andy Tonge and his colleague Nikholas Flack,– met in the kitchen of Melbourne’s multi-award-winning Vue de Monde. They work well together, with the fast efficiency that develops between professionals who respect each other’s work. The galley is a no-fuss place. As with all kitchens, there are knives, noise, heat and speed, but a lid is kept on it. True North’s hostesses – Anthea Healy, Kate Tarrant, Halei Lopez, Evie Rustean, Sian Champkin and Kaitlyn Forster all rotate through the kitchen on dish duty, and serving the meals. They do an excellent job, both in the galley, and throughout the ship. “The girls are great,” Andy says. “A kitchen can be a tough sort of place if you’re not used to it, and Nik and I can forget that sometimes, but the girls just put in and get on with it.

“We’re not pushing the boundaries in terms of technique – what we are doing is good bistro food with Asian influences. We’re always changing and developing the menu, and basically all the fish used is caught during the trip. You’ve got to be organised, because you can’t just duck down to the shops if you forget something.”

But the job itself is not about spending 100 percent of the time in the kitchen. “It’s absolutely amazing,” Nikholas says. “For me,

that’s probably got a lot to do with the serenity and feel you get from the country, and the relationship you get to develop with the guests and crew. As far as the food goes, you need to be a lot more versatile and confident in all aspects of cooking than in a land-based restaurant. You need to be an all-round chef and you need to do everything – there are just two of us here and we need to adapt to our ingredients and to the needs of our guests – it’s challenging and demanding, but also hugely rewarding.”

It’s no wonder so many people – guests and crew – regard their time aboard True North as among the best of their lives. They are experiencing a magnificent environment on a stunning and well-looked-after ship run by some of the best in the business in one of the most stunning places in the world. “This was on Colin’s bucket list,” Judith O’Farrell says. “I was happy to come, but I didn’t really expect to be so deeply moved by the experience. It’s truly amazing.”

trUe NOrtHKimberley Cruises run from late-March to mid-September and prices start at $8995 per person for the six-night Kimberley Island cruise. For details, and information about the full cruising schedule, phone (08) 91921 829 visit www.northstarcruises.com.au.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Colin Makin shows his catch – a 22kg northern mulloway; Rhonda Lewis watches as the tenders are loaded onto the mothership; hostesses Evie Rustean and Sian Champkin watch on as head chef Andy Tongue serves up the curry on fancy-dress night.

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