New Guinea Odyssey

The new Darwin cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf is adjacent to the convention centre, only one kilometre from Darwin’s CBD. Modern amenities, hotels and parking are there, plus a mini-market with beautiful local productions – Aboriginal art and crafts, diamonds and opals, and eateries, distinctive of the Top End. Darwin is a home port for the small luxury vessels Coral Princess and Coral Discoverer that explore the Kimberley coast to Broome. Read more about Darwin, Australia

The Kei Islands of Indonesia lie on the edge of the Banda Sea, South of the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. Very few tourists visit the islands, but to many this adds to the attraction. The islands areas made of sand and coral, and as such are completely flat and covered with dense coconut tree foliage. Read more about Kei Islands, Indonesia

The Banda Islands are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about 2,000 km east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. Until the mid-19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices nutmeg and mace produced from the nutmeg tree. These days the islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkelling. Read more about Banda Islands, Indonesia

Pulau Aiduma is a small island on the south coast of the West Papua province of Indonesia. If you picture Papua New Guinea as a flying duck, then Triton Bay is just under its “neck”, and Aiduma Island is at the south end of the bay, two kilometres off the mainland. The island is in one of the most remote regions of the Indonesian Archipelago, only reached by sea as there are no significant ports nearby. Read more about Aiduma Island, Indonesia

Read more about Kwatisore Village, Indonesia

Read more about Kwatisore Village, Indonesia

Jayapura is the capital of the Indonesian-administered territory of Papua on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on a bay called Teluk Yos Sudarso, aka Humboldt Bay. The city lies just 32 km west of the border with Papua New Guinea. Read more about Jayapura, Indonesia

The Sepik is the longest river on the island of New Guinea, and is Papua New Guinea's equivalent to the Amazon and the Congo Rivers. The 1126 km river flows from the Victor Emanuel Range through an undeveloped catchment to the Bismarck Sea with no delta. Situated in the mystical East Sepik Province on the north coast of Papua New Guinea, the river is central to the everyday lives of the people who live along its banks. Read more about Sepik River, Papua New Guinea

Madang is the capital of Madang Province and a port on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was settled by Germans in the 19th C, then under Australian administration from 1919, and occupied by Japanese 1942-1944 when the town was virtually wiped out. Today its population of 24,000 includes many expatriates, and the city is the base for many NGOs and business branches. Read more about Madang, Papua New Guinea

Tami Island is part of a small island group of the same name, in Morobe Province, northern Papua New Guinea. The island includes four atolls that form a circle around a lagoon. It is a seldom visited isle and delightfully peaceful. Read more about Tami Island, Papua New Guinea

Tufi is a small village in the Oro Province on the NE coast of Papua New Guinea on the Bird’s Tail Peninsula, overlooking the Coral Sea. The village is approached by sea or by air on the grassed airstrip at the water’s edge. Inland rises to mountains and rain forest. Read more about Tufi, Papua New Guinea

Read more about Alotau, Papua New Guinea

Cairns is a Far North Queensland city located on the northeast coast of Australia. This laid-back city is just over a 2 hour flight from Brisbane, Queensland’s state capital. With a backdrop of rainforest mountains, Cairns is known to be the gateway of 2 iconic Australian sites, The Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. Read more about Cairns, Australia