Editor’s note: TPG’s Gene Sloan accepted a free trip from Seabourn to get an early look at the new Seabourn Pursuit. The opinions expressed below are entirely his and weren’t subject to review by the line.
One of the world’s most remote destinations, Australia’s Kimberley region, is now home to one of the most luxurious cruise ships.
On Saturday, luxury line Seabourn formally unveiled its newest vessel, the 264-passenger Seabourn Pursuit, along the famously rugged and scenic coast of the Kimberley — an increasingly popular destination for off-the-beaten-path expedition cruising.
Designed specifically to operate in remote places where there is little infrastructure, Seabourn Pursuit will sail 10-night voyages to the Kimberley every summer out of Broome and Darwin, Australia.
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The ship will visit locations such as the Hunter River, known for its abundance of crocodiles, and Ngula (Jar Island), home to ancient Indigenous Australian cave paintings. Other sites will include King George Falls, the highest twin waterfalls in Western Australia, and Montgomery Reef, the world’s largest inshore reef.
Seabourn executives unveiled Seabourn Pursuit on Saturday during an unusual and moving naming ceremony for the ship at Ngula, which included representatives from the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation.
The Wunambal Gaambera people, who collectively were named the godparents for the vessel as part of the ceremony, are the Traditional Owners of the part of the Kimberley that includes the bay where Ngula is located, as well as the Hunter River (known locally as Yirinni) and the nearby Mitchell Plateau.
Seabourn President Natalya Leahy (left) presents gifts to Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners. SEABOURN
Traditional Owners is the term used in Australia to denote Indigenous individuals or groups who have a traditional connection to an area of land.
In recent years, Seabourn has built a relationship with the Wunambal Gaambera people in advance of Seabourn Pursuit’s arrival in their traditional homeland to develop plans for sustainable and authentic visits.
“Wunambal Gaambera is proud and honored to celebrate with Seabourn and your guests here in Wunambal Gaambera country and naming your new ship,” Catherine Goonack, chairperson of the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, said at the start of the naming ceremony, which began on a beach at Ngula.
Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners prepare a welcome and smoke ceremony in advance of passengers arriving at Ngula. SEABOURN
“Wunambal Gaambera welcomes Seabourn visiting our country, bringing guests from Australia and other parts of the world to share our country,” Goonack added as about 200 Seabourn Pursuit passengers stood listening in a semicircle on the beach.
The passengers had arrived on the beach by Zodiac boats from Seabourn Pursuit, which was anchored offshore, and were welcomed by the Wunambal Gaambera people as they walked up the beach with a traditional Welcome to Country smoke ceremony, known as “jimirri.”
The ceremony, during which Wunambal Gaambera representatives shook smoked ironwood branches over the heads and hearts of the arriving passengers, is done to welcome guests to the country and bid them safe travels, and “so that our old people’s spirits won’t follow them,” said Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owner Lillian Karadada.
Seabourn President Natalya Leahy takes part in a Wunambal Gaambera welcome and smoking ceremony, known as “jimɨrri.” SEABOURN
“It’s a very emotional day for us all,” Seabourn president Natalya Leahy said in remarks to the Wunambal Gaambera representatives and Seabourn Pursuit passengers on the beach.
Speaking to the Wunambal Gaambera representatives, Leahy noted it was their dream to live again on the land where the naming ceremony was taking place. Many Indigenous Australian children in the area were removed from their families during the 20th century, severely disrupting their society and ties to their homelands.
“Today we all were reminded of the power of dream,” Leahy said, adding that it was Seabourn’s dream to bring its passengers to remote places such as the Kimberley “to build these connections between each other and between the people we visit. As we … participated in the most sacred traditions that you’ve passed from generations to generations for thousands of years, we all build the bond that will stay with us forever.”
Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners carry out the traditional “Junba” song and dance. SEABOURN
Leahy said the hospitality of the Wunambal Gaambera people at the event reminded her that “travel has a power to touch our lives far beyond what we can imagine. It is a power to make the world smaller, closer, kinder.”
The ceremony on the beach included Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners, painted in ochre, carrying out a “Junba,” a traditional storytelling song and dance. It then continued back on board Seabourn Pursuit with a traditional bottle breaking with a twist. Instead of a bottle of Champagne, a Seabourn representative christened the ship with a bottle made from sugar and coated in sand from Ngula — a nod to sustainability.
The naming day events ended with an opera performance at the back of the vessel accompanied by Champagne and caviar, followed by a special inaugural dinner served across the vessel’s dining venues.
Built for off-the-beaten-path travel
Seabourn Pursuit is one of two new expedition ships Seabourn has unveiled in the past two years as it has entered the expedition cruise space for the first time. The second vessel, Seabourn Venture, debuted in 2022 and is nearly identical to Seabourn Pursuit.
Like all expedition ships, the two vessels are specifically designed and equipped to get travelers to remote and hard-to-reach places, such as Australia’s Kimberley region, that most people never get to see.
Specifically, Seabourn Pursuit has a strengthened hull that allows it to bump through ice in polar regions such as Antarctica and unusually large fuel tanks and food storage areas to allow it to operate for long periods in remote areas without reprovisioning.
Seabourn Pursuit sails with 24 Zodiac boats for landings in remote areas. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
Additionally, it travels with its own landing craft — small rubber Zodiac boats — to get passengers ashore in remote areas where there is no infrastructure. It carries 12 kayaks and, notably, two submarines for exploring, snorkeling equipment and scuba diving gear. It also travels with a large expedition team of experts on the places it goes who lead landings and lecture on board.
Related: Expedition cruises: The ultimate guide to cruising to remote, hard-to-reach places
Still, Seabourn Pursuit isn’t just about adventure. Like all Seabourn ships, it’s also a luxury vessel that delivers some of the highest levels of service and pampering at sea.
Seabourn Pursuit’s onboard venues include two elegant and upscale restaurants, several stylish lounges and a full-service spa — all beautifully designed by noted luxury hotel and cruise ship designer Adam Tihany.
The Club is one of several elegant lounges on Seabourn Pursuit designed by Adam Tihany. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
Seabourn is the latest in a wave of expedition cruise operators to add the far-flung Kimberley wilderness to its schedule. Luxury cruise operator Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours also launched Kimberley sailings this summer for the first time. Others include Ponant and Silversea Cruises, which added sailings to the region in 2017 and 2014, respectively, and have been growing their operations in the region.
Lindblad Expeditions resumed sailings in the Kimberley in 2023 after an eight-year absence.
Several small Australian adventure cruise companies, including True North and Coral Expeditions, have offered trips to the Kimberley on small ships for many years.
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