Adventure, luxury, curiosity, culture and the freedom to let the wild and wonderful environment permeate your every day are at the heart of expedition cruising aboard True North. Life on this state-of-the-art purpose-built ship is marked by good company, expert crew and rare exposure to some of the most stunning coastlines on the planet.
There are early mornings and late nights and days full of activity that constantly reinforce the power of the spectacular and remote areas that are central to the experience. To sortie out into this world is exhilarating and affirming – whether on one of the six tenders or in the VIP-style Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter that travels everywhere with the ship.
True North Adventure Cruises, which owns and runs True North and her sister ship True North II, has been operating in the Kimberley for more than 35 years. At 50 metres long, True North accommodates 36 guests in 18 cabins, looked after by 22 crew. The ship rises 12 metres above the waterline yet draws only 2.2 metres. This is part of what makes her an ideal platform to experience the myriad waterways of the Kimberley, with their large tidal variations, and to also travel further afield. True North can get into places that larger vessels simply can’t. Taking part in hammer-and-tongs activity is not compulsory and on any journey, guests can opt for a morning’s rest, or an afternoon curled up with a book, but this is the exception.
While things appear seamless on the surface, travelling in remote areas presents constant challenges. From the laundry to the bridge, the engine room to the galley, dedicated, switched-on people help each other to keep the props turning.
“The real magic of True North is our people,” says Chad Avenell, who as a skipper, co-owner and director of True North Adventure Cruises, has devoted decades to ensuring the experience of his guests is world-class. “We work in amazing places: the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and all around Australia – they are amazing places. What lifts up True North is the people who we share those amazing places with and the way we all work together. It’s because they truly believe in what we are doing. This sort of travel can be life changing for people and so the staff are really focused on making a difference in people’s lives.”
Apart from an annual refit in February, the ship offers a varied program of departures, which includes coral atoll cruises to the Abrolhos Islands, Ningaloo Reef and Rowley Shoals in Western Australia; wilderness cruises along the Kimberley coast; adventure cruises in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; and Christmas/New Year cruises in Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. True North II, meanwhile, remains solely in Australian waters and features itineraries that head over the Top End across Arnhem Land and all through the Great Barrier Reef.
The cuisine on board both ships is very much tied to both the local catch and seasonality. Guests are welcome to spend time with the chef and often have the pleasure of seeing fish they themselves have pulled from the waters grace the table later in the day. This combines with the chef’s expertise to produce fare guided by an appreciation of modern Australian culinary sensibilities and the sort of simple yet sophisticated dining that comes from an appreciation of flavour, sustainable practices and the ability to let the excellent produce work to its best advantage.
“Our people are all excellent at what they do,” Chad says. “Whatever it may be – chefs, engineers, hosts, guides or biologists. But it’s their personalities, their characters that lifts it into something more special. It’s a really Australian thing, y’know? They provide excellent service, but they treat everyone equally and with respect, and they expect that in return. And our guests really appreciate that and respond to that: they love that sense of humour, and that sense of being on an adventure together.”
