Kimberly: Horizontal falls

The 21st of June seen us rising really early

We had to meet a tour bus at the front of the van park at 5am

For a flight to the Kimberly’ s to see Talbot bay and the Horizontal falls

The scenery from the air was just stunning and whilst I can’t tell you the exact location of the above image  it is part of the Buccaneer Archipelago

We arrived via seaplane to the Horizontal falls tour pontoon located in Talbot bay. This very large pontoon provides accomodation for  staff and for overnight accomodation for guests.

Unfortunately for me as i was exiting the plane, and bending forward my phone slipped out of my pocket and into the bay. Initiallly i had that horrible feeling you get when you’ve lost something valuable and i was mentally beating myself up, but when I stopped and looked around at what was surrounding me I thought to myself i am in one of the most beautiful place i have every been, the phone is replaceable this experience is not, and i just eat it go.

The photo above does not do this place justice , it was so stunning, the waters so  pristine and clear.

The first part of the day , we jumped on a boat and were taken to Cycone creek and the deep cannon that it runs into Talbot bay from. Our lovely tour guide explained that when they receive a cyclone warning they move the whole Horizontal Bay tours pontoon into cyclone creek as the high surrounding escarpements provide a safe place.

This beautiful gorge again was a gorgeous spot filled with wildlife and we were the only humans (our tour boat of 20 people or so ) there.

They believe geologically the Kimberly's were originally a small continent located closer to Africa, this continent drifted and became welded to the Pilbara and Yilgarn plates approximately 1830 million years ago, this welding and the subsequent moving and lifting of land masses since have all culminated in the spectacular scenery in this area today. You can actually see the geological layers in a 45 degree angle.  It also provides an explanation for the presence of Boab trees in the area which are native to the African continent. 

We returned to the pontoon for a breakfast and afterward had the opportunity to do the shark feeding and the Marine information tour.

The sharks that can be seen in the above image are know as tawny nurse sharks, These sharks apparently have very poor eye site and are attracted to vibrations , so our guide banged on the hull of the pontoon and very quickly we have five or six sharks swimming directly below us , they were fed with chunks of barramundi , but only a small amount , that would encourage them to come visit , but would ensure they would still fish in the wild, and would not lose their hunting skills. The tawny nurse sharks , do have teeth but are more likely to cause a de-gloving injury ( suck the skin off your limb) than to actually remove a limb.

After a morning tea we got to do the main event , travel through the horizontal falls ,well at least one of them 

The horizontal falls is a naturally occurring phenomenal and occurs as a result of the high tides that occur in  the Kimberly area, the largest in the southern hemisphere forcing there way through the two smallish gaps in the McLarty Ranges . This creates an illusion of a horizontal water fall, it is a little more pronounced in the second waterfall / gap. The image above shows the first gap. When the tide is rising the water rushes through trying to equalise in all three areas, then at the turn of the tide for one full minute the waterfalls stop, and then  the water starts rushing back out of the gaps back into Talbot bay.

The image above shows the second gap..

The first Gap is approximately 20 metres wide with  the second gap being just under 10 metres wide. unfortunately a few years ago an accident occurred on the second gap and it has since been closed by the traditional owners of the area, not just because of the accident, but also because it is a sacred spot. On the other side of the second gap there is apparently sacred rock art , however unfortunately now it is unable to be seen. There is now quite a bit of controversy about whether tourist will be able to travel through the first larger gap in the years to come. 

Above is the horizontal falls from the air ,

our guide explained that a few years ago geologists had measured the gaps to see whether with the constant flow of water they were getting wider and apparently they haven't grown one millimetre larger than they originally measured 50+ years ago.

We left Talbot bay by seaplane and flew back over the Buccaneer Archipelago  

We flew over the site of the previous Sunday island mission. 

And landed on the Dampier peninsula, we then traveled by bus to the aquaculture farm at Ardyaloon, which is owned and operated by the traditional owners of the area.

We got to meet their pet fish ,whom is so spoiled he will only eat fresh  barramundi and refuses to eat defrosted pilchards that all the other fish and turtles enjoy.

We also go to meet this gorgeous little green turtle that loves to have its shell scratched.

The we travelled to the Cygnet Bay pearl farm, where we had a lunch of Barramundi, then enjoyed a tour of the pearl farm and provided with the outline of the history of the farm , which is the oldest cultured pearl farm in Western Australia.

We then travelled back to Broome by bus.

Despite the loss of the phone we had a wonderful day and are so entranced by this part of the Kimberly’s that we are already looking at returning and doing a cruise into the Buccaneer archipelago.

Until the next blog

Travel safe 

The Touring Knights