Careening Bay sits within Port Nelson on Australia's remote Kimberley coast, a stretch of shoreline defined by rugged sandstone bluffs and largely untouched bushland. The bay takes its name from a maritime tradition: sailing ships were once careened, or tipped on their sides, for hull repairs along its sheltered shore. In 1820, British surveyor Phillip Parker King brought his vessel HMC Mermaid here for exactly that purpose, and the crew marked the occasion by carving the ship's name into a massive boab tree.
That inscription remains visible today, making the so-called Mermaid Boab Tree the bay's central point of interest and a rare, tangible link to early European coastal exploration in Australia. Access is by tender, and the surrounding landscape offers little beyond the tree and the bay itself, which is precisely the appeal for travelers seeking a quiet, historically resonant stop far removed from developed ports.
Pavlus Recommendations
How our planners would spend a day in Careening Bay.
See the Mermaid Boab Tree
Walk a short bushland track from the tender landing to view the 1820 inscription carved by Phillip Parker King's crew, one of Australia's oldest surviving European coastal markings.
Walk the Shoreline Track
Follow the sandy path linking the beach to the boab tree, passing through low scrub and pindan cliffs typical of the Kimberley coastline; allow 20-30 minutes round trip.
Take in the Untouched Bay
Pause at the water's edge to appreciate the sheltered cove and sandstone bluffs much as King's crew would have seen them, with no development to interrupt the view.
Cruise Lines That Call Here
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