Once we passed north of Uwins Island into Hanover Bay, the last of the ebb turned against us at half a knot. The wind increased even further and the waves were spaced just so we could spend long periods surfing at ten knots down their faces.
On the other side, we turned south and had ten minutes of being thrown around by beam seas before the protection of the mainland flattened them. We now had the flood behind us as we sailed close-hauled into the narrowing Rogers Strait. We started an engine after entering another vast unsurveyed area and picked our way carefully to the anchorage at Sheep Island.
The recommended route depicted in our guide shows lots of hazards, is vague and depicts a large area on a tiny chartlet. The water is also generally too murky for atoll-style eyeball navigation. The seabed around here is not uniform and the depth varies quickly and alarmingly from thirty meters or so to single digits. Often, offsetting to the side by one or two boat widths would make all of the difference. There are cliffs and spires down there. It was a huge relief for me at the helm when Maryanne dropped anchor, allowing me to finally release my death grip on the poor wheel.
We love the boab Trees dotted around the area!
This part of Camden Harbour, by Sheep Island, is home to a failed colony that was established late in the nineteenth century (and barely lasted a year before being totally abandoned). Today, what remains on the mainland are a few stone foundations and some pottery and glass shards.
On Sheep Island itself can be found several graves from that time, as well as memorial plaques installed since on the adjacent boab tree. At the foot of the tree is a canister containing drawings and some history of the settlement, which really brought the area to life. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it was to try to eke out a living in such a place between the rocky soil, the dry season heat and the endless monsoon rains of the wet. Even the Aboriginals didn’t do it, remaining nomadic in this region. The local aboriginals were naturally resentful of the newcomers coming in and competing for scarce resources, so they tried to drive them out, which added another layer of hardship for the settlers. All the hopes and finances invested into the new life were abandoned so soon, but it was a rediculous place to imagine would ever work.
Reading the history of the settlement, kindly left by the ancestors of Walter Gee
Exploring Scenery and History at the settlemnt (on mainland) and the graves (at Sheep Island)
Adventuring among the mangroves at high tide, deeper into Talbot Bay
Our guide kind of oversold the area by saying “It is considered one of the most beautiful areas in the Kimberley region”. Uh, well, it is one of them. Had we been dropped into Camden Harbour from afar and then had the hoods pulled from our heads, we would have thought it was pleasant enough. We particularly like the big boab trees. Unlike most of the places we have been so far along this coast, Maryanne and I both agreed that while Camden Harbour is nice, plenty of other Kimberley scenery far outshines it. As a stop between other places in the Kimberley, it was a pleasant and peaceful place to break up the journey, but would never make the list of “must see” places unless there was a personal connection to the history here.
[Maryanne]The kind people who left the history information at Sheep Island really did have a personal history there they were the grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-Grandchildren of Walter Gee; a police officer among the early settlers who was attacked (speared) and later died from his injuries and is buried at Sheep Island. They also shared this video that documents their family visit to honor him and to witness the various sites associated with Walter Gee's time at Camden Harbour.
Walter Gee Film.mov from Josh Ball Images on Vimeo.
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