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Aurora Expedition has released the Australian early birds for departures from July 2021 until March 2022. Aurora is offering the most unique expeditions travelling in Australia, Ross Sea and Commonwealth Bay, where you can explore our beautiful island home showcasing the very best of our breathtaking coastlines, unique wildlife, rich indigenous history and spectacular marine life. Or experience the historic significance on an epic expedition to Commonwealth Bay and the Ross Sea.
The activity program includes sea kayaking, paddling in clear bottom kayaks, snorkelling (including with Sea Lions in Hopkins Island and Dolphins in Kangaroo Island), scuba diving, shark diving, climbing, helicopter rides over incredible waterfalls and more.
The Ross Sea & Commonwealth Bay will be uniquely accessible from Australia and is being offered exclusively by Aurora Expeditions on a selection of voyages, operating as a round trip from Hobart.
These activity-rich voyages will explore the absolute best of our breathtaking coastlines aboard purpose-built expedition ship, the MV Greg Mortimer.
It will be the first time an X-BOW® passenger ship will sail in both Australian waters and down to the Ross Sea and Commonwealth Bay.
The voyages
Check out some of Aurora’s new itineraries:
Kimberley Explorer
Departure Broome to Broome: 9 Aug 2021 – 19 Aug 2021 (11 Days)
Highlights:
- One of a kind itinerary
- Enjoy Mother Nature’s artistry displayed in the contorted and weathered rock sculptures around Yampi Sound
- Visit Careening Bay’s iconic ‘Mermaid’ tree and discover the outstanding biodiversity of the Prince Regent National Park
- Explore Montgomery Reef – Australia’s largest in-shore reef – and the diversity of its marine life
- Keep an eye out for some of the estimated 40,000 humpback whales returning from Antarctica to give birth in the warmer waters of Lalang-Garram/Camden Sound Marine Park
- Marvel at the thousands of brown boobies that call the Lacepede Islands their breeding home
- Optional add-on activity: Michell Falls Helicopter Ride
Ningaloo Reef Adventure
Departure Broome to Broome: 10 Sep 2021 – 19 Sep 2021 (10 Days)
Highlights:
- Zodiac-cruise, snorkel, kayak or dive among spectacular coral reefs, lagoons and canyons of Rowley Shoals Marine Park
- Dawn birdwatching to spy red-tailed tropic birds, ruddy turnstones, white-throated needle-tails and more
- Snorkel and dive the magnificent coral gardens of Ningaloo Reef – part of the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area, and designated Mission Blue ‘Hope Spot’
- Stroll pristine beaches and discover underwater treasures in the Muiron Islands Nature Reserve
- Enjoy the Dampier Peninsula’s maze of waterways alive with hawksbill turtles, dolphins and shy dugongs
- Optional add on activities include diving and kayaking. Snorkelling complimentary for all
Tasmania Circumnavigation
Departures Hobart to Hobart: 15 Nov 2021 – 28 Nov 2021 (14 Days) and 28 Nov 2021 – 11 Dec 2021 (14 Days)
Highlights:
- Head off the ‘mother ship’ each day for a range of adventures and explorations that may include hiking options, wildlife watching, Zodiac cruises, diving, snorkelling, climbing or kayaking
- Access some of the best (and least) known walks in Tasmania, including those on Bruny, Flinders and Maria Islands, and the Hunter and Kent Island Groups
- On Maria Island – nicknamed Tasmania’s “Noah’s Ark” – enjoy an abundance of native wildlife, keeping an eye out for all but one of Tassie’s 12 endemic bird species
- Cruise the waters around the remote Maatsuyker Island Group, and spy the southernmost lighthouse in Australia
- Learn about Tasmania’s long human history, fascinating geology, and unique biota from our onboard experts
- Learn how the waters of Tasmania fit into the vast and unique ecosystem known as the ‘Great Southern Reef’ – part of a “Hope Spot” designated by Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue team
- Optional add-ons including snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking and climbing
Antarctica featuring the Ross Sea
Departures Hobart to Hobart: 5 Jan 2022 – 30 Jan 2022 (26 Days) and 31 Jan 2022 – 25 Feb 2022 (26 Days)
Highlights:
- One of a kind itinerary – the only way to access East Antarctica from Australia
- Delve into New Zealand’s hobbit world of stunted rata forests on Enderby Island where shy, yellow-eyed penguins shuffle and sea lions roar, and witness Campbell Island’s royal albatross ballet
- Stand quietly in huts little-changed since Scott, Shackleton, Mawson and others wintered there, then launched desperate journeys that would define the Heroic Age
- Gaze in wonder at ethereal, ice-clad summits of the Transantarctic Mountains, in the unique ‘Ross Sea’ ecosystem – part of a “Hope Spot” designated by Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue team
- Optional add-on activity – kayaking
Other expeditions include Kimberley in Depth, Kimberley Coast, Western Australia & the Coral Coast, Southern Australia Coastal Discovery, Kangaroo Island Explorer, Kangaroo Island & the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait Islands & East Coast Discovery, Tasmania South East Coast Discovery, Mawson’s Antarctica and Subantarctic Discovery.
Bookings are open now.
Click here to register expressions of interest.
