Horizontal Falls

The Horizontal Falls is the name given to a natural phenomenon on the coast of the Kimberley region. David Attenborough described them as "one of the greatest wonders of the natural world". They are formed from a break in-between the McLarty Ranges reaching up to 25m in width. The falls run horizontally rather than vertically. The effect is created as seawater builds up faster on one side of the gaps than the other, creating a waterfall up to 5m high on a high tide. Within each change of the tide the direction of the falls reverses, creating vast tidal whirlpools.

For more than a dozen years, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures has been running trips by seaplane to see and experience this phenomenon. We had made our booking last October so were very much looking forward to it as we were bussed to Broome airport in a party of 12 to board the seaplane that flew north up the coast to Cape Leveque then east low across the Buccaneer Archipelago, with its multitude of small and mostly deserted islands, before landing smoothly on the sea in Talbot Bay and mooring at a highly well-equipped pontoon.

The hi-speed boat ride through the first falls was exhilarating but the second falls was deemed too dangerous by the skipper because of eddies that can swallow a boat of that size. So we went back to the pontoon for a barramundi and salad lunch and then a close up look at a group of tawny nurse being fed from behind a cage. On a subsequent boat trip later it was possible to get through the second falls which is significantly narrower than the first so even more exciting.

The one hour flight back to Broome was straight as the crow flies and overall, we all agreed it was a wonderful experience, expensive but well worth it.