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Rapid Reel
  • 5/20/2025
The Kimberley - Season 1 Episode 2
#CinemaJourney
Transcript
00:00In warm tropical waters, a tiny giant is finding her fins under the watchful eye of her mother,
00:25a 40-ton humpback whale.
00:36She's only three weeks old, and she's lucky enough to have been born off the most pristine
00:41tropical coastline on the planet.
00:53When this little bub is strong enough, she'll join one of the largest populations of all
00:59time.
01:00She'll come every year to the Kimberley.
01:59I
02:28come from one of the most remote corners of our earth, a place where the wilderness
02:34is a source of wisdom and country creates culture.
02:45The Kimberley is a land defined by its extremes.
02:53A wild climate and harsh terrain have kept the modern world at bay.
02:59It's a last refuge for incredible biodiversity, but our land is as fragile as it is rugged,
03:07and it's now facing threats that could change it forever.
03:13First Nations peoples have played a central role in the preservation of this country,
03:18and as the wet season gives way to the cool dry, we'll follow rangers and scientists working
03:24together to protect this incredible part of the world.
03:36The wet season, or willigera, is a time of renewal on Country.
03:52The power of the monsoon turns the land into a labyrinth of raging rivers, waterfalls and
03:58pristine creeks.
04:06When the rain finally stops, our arid landscape is transformed.
04:16This is the season of Guluwa.
04:22It's one of the most beautiful times of the year to witness Country.
04:33This morning we've had the absolute privilege of hiking up in the early hours to catch the
04:38dawn sunrise at Bluff Pools, and it's, I don't know, epic, breathtaking, I don't know what
04:46words you want to use, there aren't really any words, words seem to fail.
04:51It's so beautiful to be here this time of year, to see the waterfalls running, and to
04:56see all the spinifex and all the plant life just thriving, and we're only just getting
05:02started.
05:04Oh, this time I've seen the water, and the splatter coming through the sand.
05:21Oh, nice!
05:25Oh, yeah!
05:28Oh, yeah!
05:36The annual pulse of rain is the heartbeat that brings Country to life.
05:42In the season of Guluwa, rivers become arteries and veins that bridge vast distances across
05:48our landscape.
05:59For many young male crocodiles, it's time to make some big life choices.
06:07It can be hard to find your place in the world as a teenager, competition for food and females
06:12on the river is fierce.
06:16And the best territories are controlled by boss crocs.
06:21These kings of the river can be well over 40 years old, and reach over 6 metres in length.
06:29They wouldn't hesitate to kill a 3 metre teenager.
06:35Even an accidental encounter could turn deadly.
07:05Oh, yeah!
07:35Oh, yeah!
07:39Rather than fighting with their elders, the smartest ones go with the flow and follow
07:45the river through to the sea.
07:51Those brave enough to leave home discover an expansive coastline teeming with vulnerable
07:59and delicious life.
08:12And some of that life has travelled a lot further than the crocs to visit our coastline.
08:20Robak Bay, Onyaru Country, attracts some of the Kimberley's most devoted international
08:26visitors.
08:34Over 100,000 migratory shorebirds fly across the planet to spend the summer with us.
08:42Many from as far away as the high Arctic.
08:50Around 30 species make the annual pilgrimage.
09:02It's the shorebird capital of Australia.
09:08At high tide, the beach gets pretty crowded, but these birds aren't here to work on their
09:20tan.
09:24They're waiting for some of the largest tides on earth to reveal Robak Bay's main
09:30attraction.
09:32160,000 square kilometres of the richest intertidal mudflats on the planet.
09:40Every square metre of this mud hides hundreds of different species and over a thousand animals.
09:48It's the world's greatest all-you-can-eat bird buffet.
09:54One of the most delicious items on the menu is the bugle bugle.
10:06At low tide, they emerge from their burrows to feed in the rich mud.
10:14A fish unlike any other, mudskippers aren't confined to the water.
10:22As long as they stay hydrated.
10:30They can even moisturise their eyeballs, making them one of the only fish that can
10:38wink.
10:40In breeding season, these mudskippers show off their blue spots to attract the ladies.
10:49But good looks don't always get the girl, and this female bugle bugle knows she's
10:57a high-value fish.
11:01These two are going to have to prove their worth in battle.
11:19The loser slides back to his burrow, tail between his fins.
11:43Ah, don't be ashamed bugle bugle, there's plenty of fish in the sea.
11:51If you can make it through the night.
11:59For the bugle bugle, a full moon can be trouble trouble.
12:05Especially in Roebuck Bay.
12:09When the birds go to bed, other creatures are just waking up.
12:17At night, a dangerous predator waits patiently in the shallows.
12:25The Roebuck Bay mangrove snake.
12:29It's an ambush predator.
12:31And tonight, mudskippers are on the menu.
12:37These snakes are triggered by movement.
12:47And the full moon has bugle bugle in the spotlight.
13:07Found nowhere else on earth, the Roebuck Bay mangrove snake is unique to the small stretch
13:23of Kimberley Coast.
13:25And thanks to the abundance of tasty mudskippers, there's nowhere else she'd rather be.
13:37A few hundred kilometres north, you'll find the huge mudflats at the mouth of the
13:43Kimberley's largest river system, the Mudawara or Fitzroy River.
13:49This is my mother's country, Nigina country.
13:53It's where I grew up.
13:57Once the rains have subsided, the mudflats dry up and become hard enough to drive on.
14:03It opens up access to a whole lot of deadly fishing spots and some awesome days on country
14:09for Almor.
14:19We've got a big tide today, 11 metres on its way in, so we've come just before that.
14:23And as that tide starts to come in, it's going to push all the fresh fish and bring all the
14:29mud back in, up into this little system.
14:33Run, run, run, run.
14:35There you go.
14:37We need at least five mullet each, I reckon.
14:41They passed me, these girls.
14:45Fish is so good.
14:47Mum, you got two.
14:49You guys come out every afternoon?
14:51Mum got all these.
14:53Mum loves these fishing too, eh?
14:56Pretty spectacular place, because it's where the Mudawara reaches the ocean, you know?
15:02It's quite amazing.
15:04And then this is all a big tidal river system, so we get like 11, 12 metre tides.
15:08Then this whole place just transforms.
15:12It's pretty powerful.
15:18I wouldn't encourage having you back to the water here.
15:22There's a whole bunch of young, territorial and very aggressive male crocodiles in these areas
15:28that would love a mark-sized snack.
15:34So we've got mullet running through here, we've got barra running through here.
15:40We've even got things like sawfish, and you never know what you're going to catch.
15:52The river mouth is a bridge that connects the inland country with the sea.
15:56And there are many different species that rely on this connection to survive.
16:04One of the most sacred species to Ngina people
16:08is the Beelbeel, the freshwater sawfish.
16:14They can grow to over six and a half metres in length.
16:18And travel hundreds of kilometres inland to give birth to their young.
16:24Like many other species, the Beelbeel depends on the continued connection
16:28between the saltwater and the freshwater country.
16:32And the health of both is intrinsically bound.
16:36This is a part of why spending time on country is so important.
16:42There's some places in the world where you don't want to go.
16:46There's some places that are special for us culturally or individually,
16:50but this is really a family place.
16:54It's just a moment for us to just be together, and we'll spend all day out here.
16:58I think the biggest thing is practising our skills,
17:02which makes us proud as individuals.
17:06You catch something, you're proud of what you caught.
17:10Then you're proud of how you cook it, and you're proud of how you share it.
17:14It's those skills that connect you to country, but they also connect you to family.
17:20When you're the one coming home with the fish, you're everyone's favourite.
17:36In Roebuck Bay, the shorebirds have been enjoying their fish too.
17:40Since they arrived, their bodies have undergone an extraordinary transformation.
17:48Some have literally doubled their weight.
17:52They're now sporting richly coloured breeding plumage.
17:56Their heart and flight muscles have increased in size.
18:00And while their bodies have changed, so too has country.
18:10The shifting tides, the cooling temperatures,
18:14the passage of the moon and sun,
18:18the season of Guluwa
18:22is coming to an end.
18:26And as the air cools, the birds prepare
18:30for an unimaginable journey.
18:34It's time for them to return to their breeding grounds.
18:40Their last days are spent cleaning and preening their feathers.
18:52To witness the first wingbeats of an epic journey like theirs
18:56is a rare privilege.
19:00Some will fly close to 10,000 kilometres non-stop
19:04all the way to the high Arctic.
19:12From the chaos of tens of thousands,
19:16they find their travel buddies and head north over the horizon.
19:21Somehow they find their way over featureless oceans
19:25through storms and mountain ranges.
19:31Their story is proof that no life exists in isolation.
19:35No life exists in isolation.
19:39No life exists in isolation.
19:43No life exists in isolation.
19:47Their story is proof that no life exists in isolation.
19:51Every creature, every plant, every breath of wind
19:55is a reminder of how vast and interconnected
19:59the world we share truly is.
20:11It's been a few months since the shorebirds left our coastline,
20:15even longer since it last rained.
20:19The cool, dry season of Bagana has arrived.
20:23And just off the coast, a distinctive sound announces the return
20:27of one of our most cherished annual visitors.
20:39These humpback whales have just completed a 5,000 kilometre swim
20:43all the way from Antarctica.
20:55Some of them are almost 11 months pregnant.
21:01A long way to swim with a baby on board.
21:05But it's a journey worth the effort, so that their calves can be raised
21:09in the stunning sea country of the Dambimangari people.
21:25The Dambimangari land and sea rangers look after more than
21:2910,000 square kilometres of remote sea country.
21:33But despite its isolation, it's now facing
21:37increasing threats from the outside world.
21:41Destructive industries are looking to move into the area.
21:45Illegal fishing operations are increasingly targeting these rich waters.
21:49Introduced species and climate change
21:53now threaten many of their most precious animals.
21:57Facing down these threats is a monumental task.
22:02But for ranger Kala Mangalu,
22:06it's more than just a job.
22:10It's a cultural responsibility.
22:14In Wuroro country, all of the islands on the land
22:18is significant to us. They still hold a lot of our ancestors
22:22in them as well now, whether it's their spirit
22:26or their bones.
22:32Our country has not really been touched.
22:36You know, you don't see much skyscrapers
22:40on our country and whatever.
22:44On their week-long patrols, the rangers tend to thousands of significant sites.
22:48And this country is not only an incredible gallery
22:52of art and culture, it's the timeless resting place
22:56of their ancestors' spirits.
23:02So it's good
23:06that it's preserved the way it is.
23:10Our old people always had that sense of caring for all of this.
23:14Before they knew about science, I guess,
23:18they had that sense that they have to do it
23:22in order for all things to
23:26move and rotate perfectly in the world.
23:32On their coastal missions, the Dumbie rangers
23:36navigate some exceptionally challenging waters.
23:40Cyclonic storms ravage the region.
23:44And the largest tides in Australia
23:48can turn the ocean into a boiling mess of whirlpools
23:52and whitewater.
23:56It's the complex and rugged nature of this country that has helped
24:00to safeguard it from outside interests.
24:04Navigating these waters is all in a day's work
24:08for Azania Mullay.
24:12So out here as rangers, we monitor the reef,
24:16we monitor turtle, dugong, whale,
24:20even people.
24:24The rangers regularly work with scientists and conservation organisations
24:28to study and protect the animals in their region.
24:36These islands are vital nesting sites for marine turtles
24:40and the rangers come every year to conduct long-term
24:44population monitoring.
24:48There's one of them that didn't make it. So what are we going to do?
24:52We're going to get DNA from the flipper.
24:56One in every thousand sea turtles survives to adulthood in the wild.
25:00And in this changing world, they need
25:04all the help they can get.
25:08Look at that, look at that. He's still alive.
25:12Ah, he's still alive.
25:16You're so cute. We're here to save you.
25:20Why not?
25:24Yeah, old people had their own science.
25:28Our people already knew all this.
25:32And it's good for us to keep carrying on what our people used to do.
25:36But now we're doing it in a different way.
25:40The animal keep the country alive.
25:44Yeah, give him a little prop, that's good.
25:48Thanks to the rangers,
25:52this little hatchling might have a chance.
25:56Keep going little buddy, you'll make it.
26:00He got it, now he got it.
26:04Swim little mate.
26:08Swim.
26:22The cool season of Bagana sees the arrival of many little ones.
26:30These baby ospreys are only a few days old.
26:34And they're utterly defenceless.
26:42But they are not alone in the world.
26:46Their parents are powerful raptors.
26:52And for the next few months,
26:56mum and dad will work together
27:00to keep these tiny chicks alive
27:04until they can fend for themselves.
27:09It's not easy to raise little ones out here.
27:13Growing ospreys need a lot of food.
27:17At least six meals a day.
27:21And mum and dad work around the clock.
27:25But they can't let their guard down.
27:29Her bubblers are starting to show up.
27:33They're starting to show up.
27:37Her bubblers are starting to look like a pretty good feed
27:41to some other predators in the area.
27:49A flock of reef egrets has taken an interest in the nest.
27:59These guys are notorious nest raiders.
28:07When dad goes in search of food,
28:11the egrets close in.
28:27Mum's outnumbered.
28:31But she's not afraid of a few sticks.
28:35She takes the fight to them
28:39and makes it clear who's boss.
28:47But now the chicks are on their own.
28:51Dad makes it back just in time.
28:55And two eggs are hatched.
29:03The eggs are hatched
29:07and they're ready to hatch.
29:11The eggs are hatched
29:15and they're ready to hatch.
29:19And two birds are better than one.
29:29It's tough work being a parent
29:33and it'll be months before these chicks can fend for themselves.
29:37But when they're ready, they'll soar off to make their home
29:41on one of the most beautiful coastlines on Earth.
29:45The Dumbimangari land and sea rangers
29:49look after an area of more than 25,000 square kilometres.
29:53Today, Azania is heading inland
29:57to meet up with a team of ecologists
30:01for their annual biodiversity surveys.
30:09Our old people used to speak about the country
30:14and we didn't know this place where they were speaking about.
30:20Me being a ranger, I got that opportunity to go and see.
30:26I'm really proud of myself, what I do.
30:30It's very important, not only for me
30:34but for my country and for my people.
30:38The Dumbimangari people
30:42know their country better than anyone.
30:46They know what to look for and where to find it.
30:50Invaluable knowledge to today's survey work.
30:54They've teamed up with scientists from the Australian Wildlife Conservancy
30:58to study and protect the unique animals and ecosystems on their country.
31:02Skye Cameron is the lead ecologist at AWC.
31:06The Kimberley has got a lot of species
31:10that are not found anywhere else in the world.
31:14They're highly evolved to the rugged and remote and harsh conditions
31:18and there's a lot of species that are still existing here
31:22that have disappeared across the rest of northern Australia as well.
31:26For the last 30 years we've been going out
31:30and understanding through research and surveys.
31:34You can't have real conservation if you don't understand what's going on.
31:38Organisations like the Australian Wildlife Conservancy have played a vital role
31:42helping the traditional owner groups restore damaged ecosystems
31:46and prevent animal extinctions in the Kimberley.
31:50But this year
31:54they face their biggest challenge yet.
31:58After a decades-long toxic march across the continent
32:02cane toads have finally invaded the region.
32:06And that's a big problem for the animals that eat frogs
32:10including one of the Dumbie people's most sacred creatures
32:14the northern quoll.
32:18In Dumbie language
32:22we call it Wijangari. It brings our culture and lore.
32:26You know how if you look at your fingertips
32:30every single one of you has different fingertips. Every quoll has different spots.
32:34The quoll Wijangari
32:38is very important to us.
32:42We're trying to protect this animal you know.
32:46Wijangari was once common
32:50right across northern Australia.
32:54But over the last 100 years a combination of feral cats, poor fire management
32:58and now the relentless spread of toxic cane toads
33:02is pushing these animals to the brink of extinction.
33:06For a long time the Kimberley was a safe place
33:10for these cheeky little fellas.
33:14Now it's up to the AWC scientists and Dumbie rangers
33:18to gauge the impact of the toad invasion.
33:32In the morning teams head out to remote study sites
33:36all over the region.
33:40They're hoping the rugged terrain and pristine habitat of the Kimberley
33:44has given the quolls a better chance than their cousins in other parts of Australia.
33:48Wijangari is nocturnal
33:52so the teams set baited traps overnight
33:56and wait for sunrise.
34:02This morning we've had about
34:06we had 40 traps out overnight
34:10and we've got three more traps left to check
34:14and there's no quolls so far.
34:18Animals that predate on the cane toads and die
34:22are really getting decimated.
34:26To see such a pristine environment
34:31being invaded by an invasive species
34:35and what that does to the biodiversity of the region, it's heartbreaking.
34:39The scale and speed of the decline is catastrophic.
34:43Azani's team set over 50 traps
34:47and not a single quoll was found.
34:51It's a crushing loss for the Dumbie Mungari people
34:55who hold Wijangari as a central figure in their creation stories.
34:59They make me feel sad, feel upset
35:03when we don't catch anything.
35:07It makes me worry. Like it's very important to us
35:11the quoll, you know. We don't want him to disappear.
35:15Without them there's no country.
35:19We all need each other.
35:23Ecologists and rangers across the Kimberley
35:27have been dreading the arrival of cane toads for years.
35:31No one on the continent has been able to stop this wave.
35:35But hope is not lost because Wijangari
35:39has been here for a very long time
35:43and some places are harder than others to get to.
35:47So over the years we've done a big survey
35:51over Dumbie country.
35:55We found out where most of the quolls live
35:59and our main aim is trying to protect the island.
36:03There are over a thousand islands on the Dumbie coast
36:07and 10,000 years ago they were all part of the mainland.
36:11For the lucky few who remained on the islands
36:15during the last sea level rise,
36:19there are no quolls here.
36:23The rangers regularly drop in
36:27to make sure the quoll population is happy and healthy.
36:35We're going to put some camera traps up
36:39in the rocks where quolls live.
36:43The cameras offer a glimpse into who's living here
36:47and what individuals there might be.
36:51Once night falls, our little superstars arrive
36:55and they're not camera shy.
36:59This frisky female is leaving her scent trail in full view
37:03and young fella has copped a whiff.
37:17Here on Quoll Island, contestants have lots of time
37:21to get to know each other.
37:25But tonight, it's like she's seeing him for the very first time.
37:35Whoops, someone's been caught staring.
37:39Maybe she's his quoll mate.
37:47Looks like he's been voted off the island.
37:59Once the quolls stop hogging all the limelight,
38:03we catch a glimpse of one of the rarest mammals on Earth.
38:07This is the first known wild footage
38:11of a Kimberley nabalek,
38:15a teeny tiny rock wallaby
38:19that lives amongst the sandstone escarpment.
38:25We don't know much about these gorgeous creatures,
38:29but they're thought to be on the brink of extinction.
38:33Feral cats may have almost completely wiped them out on the mainland.
38:37These islands offer a last refuge
38:41for many creatures in the region.
38:45Good thing the Dhambi rangers are here,
38:49working hard to protect all of their biological treasures on country.
38:59As the season of Bargana draws to a close,
39:03the weather is starting to warm up.
39:07The conditions for one of our most devoted mums.
39:11She's got a little calf up there, mate.
39:15Oh, that's the mother and a little calf.
39:19We only get to see them once a while up here in the Kimberley.
39:23We have to come travel 300 kilometres from where we live
39:27to see a beautiful animal like that.
39:31Yeah, it's a magnificent creature.
39:37This little bubba's only three weeks old
39:41and growing fast.
39:45Mum's providing hundreds of litres of milk a day
39:49and her little one is growing a metre each month.
39:57But mum has to remain on her guard.
40:01There are predators in these waters.
40:05Just outside the calm bay,
40:09a pod of false killer whales is on the hunt.
40:17These highly intelligent members of the dolphin family
40:21hunt as a pack.
40:35And they've been known to target
40:39vulnerable humpback whale calves.
40:43As the pod moves closer to shore,
40:47that calls alert mum to the approaching danger.
40:51She warns her calf to go quiet
40:55and stay close.
40:59The false killers
41:03enter the bay and cross paths with an unlucky shark.
41:11It's no match for the six metre long predators.
41:15But just as the falsies hope to consume their catch,
41:27the cavalry arrives.
41:35A group of dolphins
41:39and a group of whales
41:43A group of male humpback whales charge in.
41:51At close to 30 tonnes,
41:55the humpbacks have the upper hand.
42:07In the commotion, the young shark is released
42:11and swims over to its saviours.
42:15It's his lucky day.
42:31The male humpbacks chase the pod back out to sea,
42:35well away from mum and bubs.
42:39Humpback whales are social creatures
42:43and they've been observed harassing and bullying whale calf predators.
42:51It's nice to be a part of a community that has you back.
42:59The Wuruwa people have had a long relationship with these whales.
43:03They're woven into the art and songs
43:07of their creation stories.
43:29Navigating these pristine waters is nothing new to Kelo's mob.
43:33His ancestors have been seafarers on this saltwater country
43:37since the beginning of time.
43:41During the early days of European invasion,
43:45many First Nations people were driven from their homelands.
43:49Those who weren't killed on country were held in missions
43:53where many were forced to work as slave labour.
43:57For Indigenous people,
44:01the road back to self-determination has been long and difficult.
44:05But these days, ranger groups across the Kimberley
44:09are reclaiming the right to practise their cultural obligations to country
44:13and in the process, healing both the land
44:17and its people.
44:21It feels good. You get a sense of belonging when you're out on country.
44:25Everything comes back and sort of makes sense
44:29that we belong to this land and this land belongs to us.
44:45As an Indigenous woman,
44:49growing up from a small little town,
44:53I try to encourage young ones.
44:57If I can do it, I'm sure you can do it.
45:01This morning, ranger Azania is heading offshore
45:05towards one of the Kimberley's most remote natural wonders.
45:09Over 200 kilometres by boat
45:13from the nearest town.
45:17They've come out here to show us something few people ever get to witness.
45:21For just a few days each month,
45:25the full moon draws the ocean away
45:29and something sacred rises from the sea.
45:39This is Yaujap,
45:43Montgomery Reef.
45:51Over 300 square kilometres
45:55of living coral.
45:59When I first went there,
46:03I couldn't even believe my eyes, you know.
46:07When you're driving and the tide is up, you won't see it,
46:11but then when you sit in the channel and the tide drops,
46:15oh, it just opens up the country, you know.
46:19It just lights up.
46:23Beautiful here.
46:31I believe that the country
46:35feels us, that we're there,
46:39and he knows we're there.
46:43It's very important to bring the rest of the world on that journey,
46:47to go after our country, because we all breathe one air.
46:51We share the one ocean,
46:55so it'd be good to start looking after it.
47:09Just like the tides,
47:13things are always shifting,
47:17and now the cool weather of Bagana is coming to an end.
47:21Changes on country are constant,
47:25and a deep part of Indigenous culture is understanding
47:29how those changes affect the lives of all who call this place home.
47:33So from a scientific point of view,
47:37it's said that Indigenous people have been here for at least 40,000 years.
47:41But if you ask any of the locals, they'll tell you they've been here since the beginning of time.
47:45One of the results of that deep time wisdom is a profound sense of respect
47:49and custodial obligation to the natural world.
47:53If you journey across the Kimberleys, what you actually see
47:57is the result of that custodianship and the result of
48:01a deep time relationship of Indigenous people for their country
48:05and on their country.
48:09And that is a deep reverence for nature
48:13and an intimacy with nature that's really profound and really beautiful.
48:25Next time, as we move further into the dry season,
48:29life begins to heat up.
48:33Animals concentrate around the last water,
48:37and rangers work to save species
48:41found nowhere else on Earth.
49:07Music
49:11Music
49:15Music
49:19Music
49:23Music
49:27Music
49:31Music