Across the Kimberley: Exploring Australia's Untamed Outback

Arrive in Perth and overnight stay in a stylish, Art Deco-inspired hotel in Perth's cultural centre. The hotel consists of 74 elegant and comfortable rooms, a lounge bar, library, wine bar, bistro-style restaurant and a pretty roof terrace. The hotel also offers free bicycles so you can explore the city.

Fly to Broome. Spend two nights in an elegant hotel just a stone's throw from the beach. A 27-acre hideaway in the middle of the tropical gardens. The decor is relaxed, a combination of Asian serenity and colonial charm. It's the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the lovely beach before exploring the Kimberleys.

Located in the north-west of the country in a remote location between the Great Sandy Desert and the Kimberleys, Broome is an ancient pearl capital converted into a charming small seaside town. Its intriguing past is reflected in the faces of its inhabitants, who are descendants of Japanese, Chinese, Aboriginal and European pearl fishermen. With its magnificent Cable Beach, Broome is busy during the high season, which runs from May to October. We love this place.

Pick up 4x4 hire car. Drive to Fitzroy Crossing. Fitzroy Crossing, which is a small town in the Kimberley area on the Great Northern Highway and just a short distance from the Fitzroy River Road, is an ideal base for exploring Tunnel Creek National Park, renowned for its 2,460ft long natural cave and rock paintings.
Spend the night in a comfortable and well-appointed hotel, which has a swimming pool and restaurant.

Head to the King Leopold Ranges Conservation Park and its stunning scenery in Mount Hart, which is home to some spectacular gorges and natural pools. Spend the night in a small country hotel.

Drive the Gibb River Road to Mount Elizabeth, which is home to a few large livestock farms. This little corner of the Kimberleys is one of the wildest places in the world, with its untouched beauty and vast, uninhabited landscapes. Spend the night in a rustic but clean homestead, one of the only places to stay in the area.

Now it's off to El Questro Nature Park which covers almost a million acres and has exceptional biodiversity. El Questro Nature Park is an operational livestock breeding site and offers stunning scenery of the mountains and gorges, which is home to parts of the rainforest. Take a boat trip to the Chamberlain Gorge, swim in the natural pools in Zebedee Springs, or ride through the fabulous scenery with a ranger who will tell you epic stories about the Outback.

Drive to Kununurra, through an arid land of wild beauty. The land and sand have made this their home, forming strangely-shaped cliffs thanks to the winds. The wide Gibb River-Wyndham Road takes you into this mineral landscape, which is scarcely dotted with vegetation. On the way you'll stop off at the creeks, before getting back on the road again on the Great Northern and Victoria Highway. As you go, plant life becomes more abundant; you're now getting closer to Kununurra, crossing over the Ord River.
A comfortable hotel with a lovely outdoor swimming pool awaits you. We love the spacious and contemporary rooms and the welcoming atmosphere.

Kununurra is named after the huge Lake Argyle, renowned for having the world's largest diamond mines. If you are unable to get out on a boat, there's nothing like a flight over the area to really appreciate its beauty. The city streets are packed with diamond jewellery of all shades from white, pink and brown to red and yellow, and Aboriginal art that is typical of Western Australia. In the Itinerary: Helicopter flight over Lake Argyle and the famous Bungle Bungle Range, followed by a walk around Cathedral Gorge and Piccaninny Creek.

To get to Katherine, you'll travel from Western Australia to the Northern Territory along the Victoria Highway. The plains stretch as far as the eye can see, and are only interrupted by the occasional mountain. As you head north, you'll notice that the earth is tinged a beautiful red colour, which is spectacular at a sunset.
Things to see - Nitmiluk National Park and the stunning Edith Falls, where, after a short walk, you can swim in the natural pools. In a savannah landscape, which is characteristic of the Australian Outback, the magnificent gorges on the Katherine River also display the rock paintings of the Jawoyn indigenous people.
Spend the night in a lodge in the National Park. It's the best place to stay in this remote region of the Northern Territory's Top End. The view of the gorges on the Katherine River is quite sublime.

Return to Darwin. After returning your hire car, you'll flue to Queensland, the Sunshine State, which is known for the famous Great Barrier Reef, but that's not all. On arrival in Cairns, embark on a 20-minute drive with a driver to Palm Cove. Spend three nights at the Reef House Resort, a hotel just two minutes from the beach. It has tropical gardens, a swimming pool, colonial architecture and a Mediterranean decor. The hotel, which is very stylish and low-key, also boasts a renowned spa.

About half-an-hour's drive from Cairns, at the northern end of Australia, the small town of Palm Cove is perfectly situated between the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. The coastline is bordered by a lovely beach where you both can relax and visit the many restaurants and shops. Out at sea, the coral reefs flaunt their bright colours whilst the rainforest to the north is potentially the oldest forest in the world. Palm Cove allows you to venture out into the surrounding areas and easily reach the Mossman Gorge where you can bathe, visit the beautiful Cairns Tropical Zoo as well as the village of Kuranda and its many artisans.