Introducing Australia’s Galapagos: The Houtman Abrolhos Islands

IN 1619, CAPTAIN FREDERICK DE HOUTMAN of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was en-route to the Spice Islands of present-day Indonesia, when he nearly collided with a treacherous chain of islands and reefs. He marked it “Abrolhos” on his charts, meaning “open your eyes” in Portuguese. It later become the “Houtman Abrolhos” islands, but despite the warning in the name, the archipelago would claim at least 49 vessels and hundreds of lives.

Known locally as the Abrolhos, the islands lie 60 kilometers off the coast of Geraldton in Western Australia, 400 kilometers north of Perth. The archipelago consists of 122 islands, 100 of which are a national park, with the remaining 22 being home to colorful lobster fishing and aquaculture camps.

Despite its grisly shipwreck history, this is a place of supercharged biodiversity, frequented by millions of seabirds. It’s the southern distribution limit for many tropical species, and the northern limit for many temperate species. White-faced storm petrels nest here at the northern limit of their range, while sooty terns and wedge-tailed shearwaters are at their southern limit. Scurrying around the bigger islands are lizards found nowhere else, and elusive tammar wallabies rest under shady bushes.

Underwater, it’s a similar situation. For the endangered Australian sealion, this is the furthest north they venture. This is the only place they’re found cavorting over vibrant coral reefs, which are the southern-most coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. This bizarre mashup of tropical and temperate species means the Abrolhos is sometimes considered Australia’s Galapagos.

What you won’t find on these islands is tourist accommodation, so I’m visiting on a five-day, low-key cruise on the Eco-Abrolhos. The boat features just 16 ensuite cabins and a relaxed vibe. It’s helmed by an ex-lobster fishing family, owner Jay Cox being joined by his son, Bronson Cox as skipper.

We’re welcomed aboard the evening before departure, and at dawn, we’re chugging out of Geraldton Harbour, the sun rising behind us. I choose a seat outside for the four-hour journey, watching flying fish skim across an unusually glassy surface.

The first of the Houtman Albrolhos islands comes into view, and with much excitement, I’m donning snorkeling gear and sliding into the clear, aqua waters at Coral Patches. Parrot fish, baby squid, and turtles glide by, and under tabletop corals, masses of entwined lobster antennae wave back.

Every trip on Eco-Abrolhos is a little different from the last, and as we dry off, we find out we’re in for a rare treat. Here we’re all invited to afternoon tea at a fishing camp on Basile Island with brothers Peter and Nino Scarpuzza, second-generation lobster fishers.

Like most islands here, Basile is composed of coral rubble, thrown up from the sea, and populated by low, wind-blown bushes. In our small tender boats, we pull into the Scarpuzzas’ jetty, admiring the ramshackle fishing shacks decorated with washed up whale bones and shells. Our chef has provided cake, and the brothers chat with us as they make the coffee.

Peter explains that in past decades, whole communities lived on the Houtman Albrolhos Islands, intensively fishing for months at a time. These days, the community halls and pubs are mostly quiet, and although fishing is still vital, there’s no longer the need to spend continuous months here. But for the Scarpuzzas, there’s nowhere they’d rather be.

For a different perspective, we land at Post Office Island, home of Jane Liddon, one of the first women to skipper a lobster fishing vessel. These days Jane leaves the lobsters to her sons, while she runs the family’s newer venture, a black pearl farm. Jane has a lifetime of experience out here.

“I like having the whole horizon, and the whole dome of the sky,” Jane says. “The water and the sky are continually changing. I like the colors, the extremeness of it, and I really like living in a shack!”

Before we leave, passengers purchase unique jewellery, right from Jane’s kitchen bench.

On the national park islands, nature is the drawcard. From a distance, we view seabirds nesting in their thousands, while at Morley Island, a baby sealion glides up to inspect me. I ease in for a swim, and I’m not sure who is more thrilled: me or the sealion. The more I splash and tumble, the more she interacts, approaching my mask, quivering whiskers extended. Each time I stop, she stares at me crestfallen, imploring me to play.

Most afternoons, keen fishers join Jay on a fishing trip on our large tender. While they’re out, they set baited lobster pots, and in the mornings, passengers can jump onboard to watch the wooden traps get pulled, with orange legs and antennae protruding.

Lobsters carrying eggs and those below legal size are returned overboard, but Eco-Abrolhos has a licence to keep up to 80 lobsters, are these are handed to the chef. In the ultimate indulgence, we’re hoovering them down for every meal; boiled, barbecued, in chowder, fried rice and curry.

In the evenings, we adjourn to the rooftop bar, watching the sky turn orange in 360 degrees. On the final night, Jay and Bronson entertain us with “Jay’s Controversial Quiz Night,” testing our knowledge of the Abrolhos. The answers are hilariously subjective, but the laughter is entirely real. 

During our journey, we’ve learnt about many historic shipwrecks on the Houtman Albrolhos Islands, the most infamous of which is the Batavia. In 1629, the flagship of the Dutch East Indies fleet was carrying the richest cargo ever to leave the Netherlands, plus 322 crew, soldiers and passengers. It ploughed into Morning Reef at top speed, and although many aboard made it to nearby Beacon Island, their harrowing ordeal was only just starting.

Landing on Beacon Island myself, I tread the same inhospitable ground where the survivors tried to live on whatever they could salvage from the shipwreck. Unbeknownst to them, a mutiny had been planned, and undeterred by the wreck, these mutineers now planned to ambush the rescue ship, if one ever came, and steal the Batavia’s treasures. Standing above excavated graves, it’s chilling to learn how mutineers brutally murdered 115 innocent men, women and children.

We land on West Wallabi Island, learning that a handful of loyal soldiers found freshwater and wallabies to eat here, these heroes eventually warning the rescue party, leading to the hanging of the mutineers. As we stand inside the two defensive stone forts the soldiers built, Australia’s oldest European buildings, we try to imagine their life-and-death struggles.

On my final afternoon, I’m boarding a tiny plane on East Wallabi Island for a scenic return to Geraldton. As we bank over coral lagoons and fishing huts in rainbow colors, our pilot points out a turquoise gash in Morning Reef. It’s Batavia’s impact site, and on particularly calm days, snorkelers can swim around her canons and anchors.

It’s sobering to think of the horrors that occurred here almost 400 years ago, but for modern seafarers like me, with cozy lodgings and deluxe seafood dinners, it’s a nature-filled wonderland like nowhere else.

Getting there:

From Perth, take a one-hour domestic flight to Geraldton with Qantas (Qantas.com), Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com) or Nexus Airlines (nexusairlines.com.au).

Cruise:

The five-day cruise on the Eco-Abrolhos starts from AU$3,510 (US$2,309) per person on a twin share basis. Most departures utilize small charter planes for a transfer to the islands either to start or finish the cruise, while others fly both ways. Some departures feature a local historian, stargazing or a special focus on wine and seafood. Price includes all meals and excursions and excludes alcohol.

ecoabrolhos.com.au

The writer traveled as a guest of Eco-Abrolhos Cruises and Tourism Western Australia.
Photographs by Carolyn Beasley, unless otherwise noted.

Written By