See rugged, remote Australia by boat on this bucket-list cruise

Because the True North has a shallow draft of just 7 feet, the ship can shimmy into nooks that large ships avoid, nosing right into the waterfalls at Kings Cascade to drench passengers under the crystalline waters, cruising beside crocodiles in the Mitchell River, and tucking into a mangrove forest where guests set traps for sand crabs.

To sneak into fishing holes, stalk crocodiles and access even more remote locations, six dedicated expedition boats helmed by experienced guides launch off True North’s rear deck. And to take in something utterly spectacular like the Horizontal Falls, where a massive tide sweeps between two narrow gorges and lifts the water more than 30 feet, or Montgomery Reef, where hundreds of square miles of land appear to rise from the ocean as the tide quickly falls, guests can hop aboard the True North’s seven-passenger helicopter.

The ship carries just 36 guests and 20 crew members (including specialist guides and naturalists) in style. Bright, modern cabins, spacious lounge areas, sundecks, an al fresco bar, and an all-Aussie crew who deliver indulgent service are hallmark qualities. Two talented chefs cook primarily locally sourced food, which means you might dine on barramundi caught earlier that day, queenfish sashimi during cocktail hour or crabs steamed on the beach at sunset.

Except for an occasional yacht, we rarely saw another ship — or any humans — during our seven-day voyage tracing the coast from Broome to Darwin and hopscotching between such Kimberley must-sees as Montgomery Reef, King George Falls, Prince Regent River and Horizontal Falls.