Fly to Darwin and after check-in and lunch, we'll take a guided tour of the town, finishing at the Darwin Sailing Club for a spectacular tropical Darwin sunset over the water and dinner.

As a strategic Allied military base, Darwin was the target of Japanese air raids in February 1942, with more bombs dropped on the city than on Pearl Harbour. Savage air raids continued to rain across the Top End during World War II, leading to a repositioning of armed forces in the Darwin region. Adelaide River, 100 km south of Darwin, become a huge base for Australian and American headquarters.

There are plenty of options today. We'll take a short tour to Humpty Doo to look at the large horticulture developments and have lunch at the local pub. Or, if you prefer, take a day trip to Kakadu or Litchfield or try your luck on a barramundi fishing trip. Free evening and our hotel has a swag of good restaurants, shops and other sights within walking distance.

We will make an early start to visit famous Tipperary Station and look at their cattle and cropping operations including their recent foray into cotton production.

After our packed lunch under the shade of a suitable tree, we will visit and talk to other pioneering farmers in the region.

8am departure for the morning cruise on the Katherine Gorge. After lunch, we'll visit a very successful horticulture operations growing a range of crops, from melons to mangoes to asparagus. Then visit the new cotton gin which promises to produce enormous benefits for both the cropping and grazing industries in the NT.

It's an early start as we head west and watch the country change into a Kimberley landscape in the Victoria River district before we cross the border into WA and continue to the massive Lake Argyle to get a panoramic view of the lake.

After lunch at the pub, we take an unforgettable cruise on Lake Argyle, feed the local catfish and with a swimming option not to be missed. Then back on the bus to continue the journey into Kununurra.

Full day of farm visits in the Ord, including the latest Stage 2 area. We will discuss cropping opportunities with a range of local farmers and other experts.

We'll talk with Kimberley Agricultural Industries, the developers of Ord Stage 2, visit a Sandalwood plantation and catch up with farmers growing crops such as hay, corn, cotton, rockmelons, honeydews, pumpkins, chickpeas, Borlottis – just about anything.

A highlight (for some) will be lunch at The Hoochery, a rum distillery developed by local farming legend Spike Dessert who sadly passed away in 2017. The award winning distillery is the ultimate in farm diversification and is still operated by Spike's family.

Return to Kununurra for sunset drinks and dinner at the fabulous Pumphouse restaurant on the banks of the Old Diversion dam..

The East Kimberley is not only home to Lake Argyle and the Ord Irrigation Area, it is a base to explore arguably the best scenic areas of the Kimberley.

This morning we will visit some of the highlights of the Ord such as Ivanhoe Crossing and meet some "traditional" Ord farmers growing a wide range of crops.

After lunch, we'll board our charter flights for a two hour aerial tour which gives a birds-eye overview of the irrigation area, Lake Argyle and the diversion dam, the Lower Ord and Wyndham with the late afternoon sun giving an unforgettable panorama of the Cockburn Ranges.

Free evening.

We fly to Broome this morning (this flight is included in the tour). After a quick lunch at an iconic Broome eating spot, we take a tour of this historic town including the wharf, the Japanese cemetery and Gantheaume Point.

Later we will freshen up at our hotel before dinner at Zanders restaurant which has the best possible view of the sunset over Cable Beach.

And then back to the Mangrove Hotel with its fabulous views over Roebuck Bay.

This morning, we head north of town to the Willie Creek Pearl Farm nestled on a tropical inlet of the Indian Ocean. You will learn about the collection and spawning of oysters in the purpose-built hatchery, appreciate the delicate operations of seeding and harvesting oysters and understand the value of pearls and the creation of stunning jewellery.

A highlight of the tour will be cruising Willie Creek's calm azure waters and view live oysters suspended in their natural environment.

After lunch, we will head back to Broome with options such as a visit to the dinosaur footprints or just some shopping for a wonderful Kimberley Pearl. Dinner at the Mangrove Hotel.

ALTERNATIVE (EXTRA COST):

An option to take a day trip to the Dampier Peninsula and Horizontal Waterfalls. Visit Cygnet Bay and fly over the amazing Buccaneer Archipelago to the Horizontal Waterfalls where you will land on Talbot Bay for lunch, maybe a (safe) swim in the beautiful Kimberley water and an exhilarating boat ride through the "Horis" before float plane return to Broome.

There's time this morning to check out some of Broome's wonderful exhibits such as the Pearl Luggers (for those who went to the Horizontal Falls the day before) where you discover the 150 year history of Broome and how its unique maritime and pearling heritage unfolded on the foreshore of Dampier Creek. There is also the open air theatre, plus one or two shops that happen to sell magnificent pearls.

Then after lunch (own arrangements) we board our special overland coach bound for Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, 130km south of Broome.

Eco Beach is in the heart of Yardoogarra country, amidst the pristine coastline of Cape Villaret with amazing views of the Indian Ocean.

There are a number of optional activities available including guided blue water and land-based fishing as well as bush walks.

This is eco-glamping (with ensuites) at its finest.

After awaking to a beautiful Indian Ocean morning we continue south along the Great Northern Highway and into the Pilbara. Further south, we also call into Pardoo cattle station where bore-fed centre pivots, which rarely stop, are at the heart of thriving hay and forage enterprises.

We continue down the road to Port Hedland – a town famed for its massive resource industry, long trains, big ships and salt piles. We will tap into some local knowledge to learn more about Port Hedland's very busy port (boasting the world's largest export tonnage) and its 15,000 or so (counting South Hedland) hardy inhabitants.

Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

We continue on this morning to Karijini, Australia's second-largest national park and one of the most spectacular. Featuring ancient cavernous gorges, some of the oldest rocks on the planet, and crystal-clear waterways – all with a stunning red rock and vibrant green trees contrast. This is a nature lover's paradise.

For overnight, we are glamping at the Karijini Eco Retreat. Here we are nestled amongst native bushland at the edge of Joffre Gorge, complete with an outback style restaurant and access to some of the park's best walks.

Karijini boasts abundant native vegetation such as spinifex, mulga, ghost gums, wattles, fig trees and the iconic 'snappy' gums. As we explore the park's major highlights, we might also spot rock wallabies, dingoes and the abundant birdlife, which all call Karijini home.

We enjoy an early morning (and easy) walk to the nearby and stunning Joffre Gorge and Falls. Then it's back to the retreat for a hearty breakfast before checking out.

We then exit Karijini to the south and call into Rio Tinto's Pilbara Agricultural Project. This project is also focussed on hay production under centre pivots with the water coming from the nearby Marandoo Mine.

We continue westward to Tom Price for lunch (own arrangements). Primarily an iron ore mining town, Tom Price is one of the more affluent non-metropolitan regions in Australia.

We continue westwards to Cheela Plains Station for dinner and overnight. This is a family owned and managed working cattle station nestled in the semi-arid, pastoral rangelands of the Pilbara. We will meet the owners who will introduce us to their very unique cell grazing operation.

We enjoy a BBQ dinner under the stars at the station.

Early departure to continue west and into the Gascoyne region and onto Exmouth. We arrive in time for lunch at Adrift Cafe, one of the town's best eateries.

After lunch, we will have a chance to visit the Ningaloo Visitor Centre for an excellent orientation to the Cape and Ningaloo Reef. We check into our hotel (the Mantaray Ningaloo Resort). Then at 4.15 we are all aboard Latitude 22 which has been chartered for our group for a sunset cruise. This 21 m craft is one of the most modern, luxurious, spacious and comfortable whale spotting vessels in Australia.

We enjoy Exmouth prawns, snacks and drinks while counting how many whales we can spot. We will be cruising in the sheltered waters of Exmouth Gulf (on the eastern side of North West Cape Peninsula) where humpback whales and other large sea creatures congregate in Aug-Sep.

Today we enjoy the main highlights of the North West Cape. We travel north this morning for 15 mins towards the tip of the Cape for breakfast, with magnificent ocean views, at the Bundegi Beach Shack, in the shadows of the "sneaky stuff" which makes this part of WA such a strategically important location.

After breakfast we venture to the western side of the Peninsula and the magnificent Ningaloo Reef. We board our glass bottom boat, and within minutes, we are in a magical coral reef environment where we get very up close and personal with the local inhabitants – and without getting our feet wet.

After an hour or so on the reef we head back to (the very nearby) shore and continue south along the western side of the Cape for about 60 km and onto Yardie Creek Boat Tours. We jump on board our specially chartered boat and head into gorge country with expert commentary supplied by very experienced locals.

After our gorge tour we will head back north and call into a few of the many beautiful beaches of the Cape Range National Park. We stop at the Milyering Discovery Centre for lunch and a chance to check out the excellent interpretive displays and to ask any questions you have about the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.

By around mid-afternoon we continue north to the spectacular Vlamignh Head Lighthouse and then back to the hotel and a farewell dinner.

Free morning and then at around 11 am we board our coach for transfer to the airport. It's a good idea to grab something to eat before our transfer as there are very limited options at the airport.

On the way we will call into the Potshot and Jaywick/Krait Memorial. In 1942 the US Navy established a submarine base at this location under the code name "Operation Potshot." Australian Army, Navy and Airforce personnel operated early warning radar, radio stations, anti-aircraft guns and provided fighter cover for submarines.

The famous and very successful Operation Jaywick also departed from this location. This was a commando raid by Australian special forces disguised as Singaporean fishermen aboard the Krait which attacked shipping in Singapore Harbour.

We say good-bye to our bus driver and board our flight to Perth and then various connecting flights home.

Booking the Exmouth to Perth flight, and then on to your 'home' airport, is your own arrangement. Currently, Qantas is the only option out of Exmouth (Learmonth) and in most cases, you will get the best flight deal by including the Exmouth to Perth sector in your Qantas ticket home.