This artwork begins with a meeting of one boat and one bird, a Far Eastern Curlew, one of the world's most endangered shorebirds can be seen poised on the bow of a wooden pearling lugger, another creature shaped by tide and distance now vanishing from the world it once defined.

The Curlew travels close to 10,000 kilometres each year, from breeding grounds in the marshes of eastern Russia and northern China down through the East Asian-Australasian Flyway to mudflats like Roebuck Bay, where it probes the tidal shallows with that long, impressive down-curved bill searching for crabs and molluscs for a few short months before turning north again. It is a bird built entirely for passage, never quite arriving, never quite staying. They arrive in the Northwest of Australia in late August and leave again late February and March. The species ‘Numenius madagascariensis’ is listed as critically endangered.

"Watch Out Rosalie" pays tribute to celebrated Australian/New Zealand artist Rosalie Gascoigne, whose transformative use of found materials including road signs, that reshaped the way we see everyday objects. This sculpture echoes her spirit while turning attention to a very real issue on Australian roads: the growing amount of wildlife struck by vehicles.

Across the country, land development, new subdivisions and expanding road networks continue to push animals out of their natural habitats. Country drivers know the risks well as kangaroos account for around 90% of animal collisions on open roads, a statistic that speaks to both their abundance and their vulnerability.

Rosalie the Roo stands as a reminder to slow down, stay alert and respect the creatures that share our landscapes. Created during a time when many Australians were holidaying closer to home, she encourages travellers to be mindful as they explore the Kimberley and beyond.

The Willie Creek Pearl Farm family hopes Rosalie’s presence prompts both reflection and care. She is a playful warning, a nod to Gascoigne’s legacy, and a call to protect the wildlife that makes our country so extraordinary. Safe travels and enjoy your time in Broome.

Flatback and Green Sea Turtles are regular visitors to the waters around Willie Creek, gliding through the tides in search of food. Each year, adult females return to Cable Beach to lay their eggs between October and January, with hatchlings emerging from December to February. A single turtle can lay up to 100 eggs, and although many young turtles wait for the safety of a full moon to begin their journey to the sea, it can take several determined days of digging before they reach the surface.

This sculpture began its life as “Tommy the Tool Man Turtle,” named during construction for the way his open mouth made him look as though he were chatting. When he arrived in Broome, the family renamed him “Donatello,” after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle that was an inventor and thinker whose creativity and gadgets echoed the spirit behind the sculpture. Donatello the Ninja Turtle also wore the purple headband, my favourite colour. He was designed and built by myself and my husband Geoff, using tools passed down from Debbie Banfield’s father, Robert Tak Cho Chan. Robert’s story is woven into Broome’s own history: He married Shirl Fong, a Broome local who, like many women and children, was evacuated to Perth in 1942 during the Japanese bombing. Their daughter Debbie later returned to Broome to pursue her teaching career, where she met Robert Banfield, continuing a family legacy deeply rooted in the town.

Donatello now stands proudly at Willie Creek, he is very warm to the touch in the Kimberley sun so be careful not to climb on his back but he is always ready for a photo, and forever up for a chat.

"Willie III" celebrates one of the last pearling luggers to work the waters of Broome, a graceful survivor from a bygone era. No longer part of a hard‑working fleet, she now carries visitors on gentle sunset cruises, drifting past Cable Beach with the same charm she once carried into the pearling grounds.

This sculpture has its own journey. One of the very first sculptues made by Donna Fortescue during her arts degree back in 1998. First displayed in the Willie Creek Pearls showroom at Cable Beach, it eventually found its way back to the Farm, where it was repaired, restored and given a new lease on life. Built from old wooden floorboards, canvas, copper and mixed materials, it captures the romance of sailing these iconic vessels, with creaking timbers, sails luffing in the breeze of the wide Kimberley skies and the slow rhythm of tides that shaped Broome’s early pearling history.

"Willie III" stands as a tribute to the luggers that once defined the coast, inviting visitors to pause, remember and to imagine the wind in their hair and to feel a little of the nostalgia of being carried across the water.

The Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is one of northern Australia’s most iconic fish, always celebrated by anglers for its powerful fight and prized in kitchens for its mild, buttery flavour. Versatile and delicate, it remains a favourite on tables across the Kimberley and beyond.

Native to Australia’s northern waters, the Barramundi inhabit estuaries, rivers and coastal creeks, thriving in the tropical regions of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. For many First Nations saltwater communities, Barramundi hold deep cultural significance and remain an important traditional food source.

These impressive fish can grow up to 1.8 metres long and weigh as much as 60 kilograms. With their green‑grey backs, silver sides, large mouths and rounded tails, they are perfectly adapted to both fresh and saltwater environments.

This artwork celebrates the Barramundi as both a Kimberley delicacy and a creature woven into the cultural and ecological fabric of northern Australia, it is strong, sleek and always a welcome sight in the water or on the plate.

"One Boat, One Bird" begins with a meeting between a wooden pearling lugger and a Far Eastern Curlew, one of the world’s most endangered shorebirds. The bird stands poised on the bow, two creatures shaped by tide, distance and labour, each now fading from the worlds that formed them.

The Far Eastern Curlew travels close to 10,000 kilometres each year, migrating from breeding grounds in the marshes of eastern Russia and northern China down the East Asian-Australasian Flyway to tidal flats like Roebuck Bay. There it probes the mud with its long, down‑curved bill, feeding on crabs and molluscs for a few short months before turning north again. Built entirely for passage, it is a bird that never quite arrives and never quite stays. They reach the northwest of Australia in late August and depart again in February and March. The species, Numenius madagascariensis, is listed as critically endangered.

This sculptural curlew is named after the region and for my friend Kimberley, who visits Broome seasonally and loves to fish. Her recent 116‑centimetre Barramundi catch, is too impressive not to celebrate and sits in playful contrast to the curlew’s more delicate mudflat diet. In the sculpture, Kimberley the Curlew surveys Willie Creek like a ship’s captain through her telescope, while below deck the rats drink B4 rum, snack on cheese and crackers, and cause cheerful chaos. They have developed a taste for the new B4 beverages.

The lugger itself is named for the Sam Male Lugger, registration B4, one of the last commercially operating vessels on the Broome and Kimberley coast. The real boat now rests in Chinatown at Pearl Luggers on Dampier Terrace. Built for the pearling grounds of the Northwest, these luggers carried crews of Japanese, Malay, Filipino, Aboriginal and European workers. Their hulls were scarred by cyclones and salt; their labour reshaped coastlines and communities. Long after the industry waned, their timber frames remain weathered but enduring.

Willie Creek once served as a safe harbour for luggers waiting out storms. The brass plates on the sculpture record cyclones by name, wind speed and category, reminders of the lives, homes, wildlife and vegetation that have been lost to these violent storm systems.

Bringing bird and boat together creates a single moment of stillness inside two long, restless journeys. Steel legs hold the Curlew’s fine balance; its bill, shaped from agricultural tools, carries its strength and tenacity. Beneath it, reclaimed jarrah and recycled ship fittings hold the memory of passage. The rats remind us to enjoy every moment however fleeting.

These sculptural rings echo the Willie Creek Pearls logo, symbolising both the perfect pearl and the jewellery crafted to celebrate nature’s artistry. Set against the pristine waters of Willie Creek, this photo spot offers visitors a chance to capture the magic of a landscape shaped by powerful tides and constant change. Every minute and every hour, the creek ebbs and flows shifting its colour, texture and depth, revealing just how remarkable this corner of the Kimberley truly is.

Enjoy your moment here at the Creek, and thank you for making the journey to experience nature at its finest.