The Northern Kimberley and Horizontal Falls..... simply off your chops wow !!!

Tues 9 - Wed 10 July 2019

We had heard a little about Horizonatal Falls although couldn't have told you much about it....other than that it was an amazing tidal phenomenon. Not long before we headed off we popped into our Solicitor in Orange tidying up a few jobs and shared what our plans were up north in WA. Well he levitated with excitement talking about Horizontal Falls and how absoulutely incredible it is - we looked further into it and booked us in whilst in Kunuurra ! Cracking recommendation JPF !!!

We booked in with Go Broome for their Go Horizontal Falls Day - it was a flawless day and truly exceptional on every level! From Trish who picked us up from the Caravan Park through to the phenomenal Yindi who few us there and back, and Goddes Jess  our hosty and Davo the Skipper who took us for a great boat tour up to the falls and back...truly fabulous !! 

Horizontal Falls from the air....

Loading up in Broome in 14 seater....

B1 & B2 ;) 

Scored !!! Up with the fabulous Yindi in the cockpit...simply breathtaking flight

Somehow the tall girl scored the front seat on the flight up...total flipping wow. Yindi has been flying in the Kimberley for the last 20 years or so and lives in Broome with her family and had no end of intrigueing and hilarious Kimberley stories to share on the flight up and back. I would have been happy had we just flown up and back, so amazing seeing the rough northern Kimberley country from the air and so different to the small area we saw near Mitchell Falls. Yindi was a seriously Zen operator and we loved flying with her.

Areas of black where planned cool burns have occurred for the season

The mouth of the mighty Fitzroy River

Incredible !!

We landed at Cockatoo Island after a 70 min flight heading from Broome towards the north east. Seeing things from the air and landing somewhere pretty remote was incredible. 9 people currently live on Cocatoo Island from the Tour group Go Broome owned by the Parker Family. Cockatoo Island had a touch of fame being the island that Alan & Eileen Bond bought in the 80's, with the pink houses for the resort.The whole show didn't go too well - being so remote !

Here's a great article from the ABC covering the better part of the history of the island...


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-23/alan-bond-resort-symbol-of-1980s-excess-set-to-reopen/9279604

Another flight landing at Cockatoo Island

Go Broome are the only tour company with permission to utilise the landing strip and base there tours to the falls from here from the local Dambimangari people who are slowly moving back to the island after recognition of native title in 2011. There is masses of iron ore on the island and essentially the level of iron ore is so high in the rock 62-68% ish you can weld pieces of rock together! Being on the island was incredible - there is very basic developments here as well as ghosty houses from the 80's that may slowly come back to life hopefully in a different colour!! 

Low tide transport to boat - was like something off Disney Pixar Cars movie !

The geological history of rock formations up here million of years ago is extraordinry and the pictures speak the words, colours and textures. It looks like the rock has just ever so easily folded onto itself, like you're rolling up fabric....

Aaah the colours......

We stopped for a 10 mins on this amazing beach which I think was called Moona Beach

Parks and Wildlife inspecting the other Go Broome boat for illegal fish catches up near the Falls

Just chilling with life jacket on ready to experience the falls

So going to the falls we all had life jackets on as the seriously horse powered up boat we were on. We would go through the wide gap numerous times, thought not the narrow gap of 4m. Force of the incoming tide - extraordinary. Some fisherman had a sealed 44 gallon they plonked into the falls, it got sucked down into the vortexof the current and popped back up a few minutes later completely crushed....holy cow !!!

Incredible - tidal forces are amazing !!!!

Sitting in front of the narrow gap 4m wide, with inflowing tide

Wide Gap 20m 

See the tide marks to the left - tides of up to over 11m here

Great cruise back to the plane

Looks like the rings of a tree.... so stunning

Another view of the falls

We had a more subdued cruise back through some spectacular mangroves before the return flight, loads of birdlife and great learning more about the protective role mangrove ecosystems play on the growth of baby salties and growing animal species in general. 

Mangrove area - incredible part of the ecosystem

Sea Hawk or white bellied sea eagle nest high up in a Darwin Woollybutt tree

High tide and we rolled on into the shore easily getting off the boat, I think on the day the tide was 9.13m and is the second highest in Australia behind Derby and third highest in the world behind somewhere in Canada with 17m tides from memory.

Silica Beach right in the foreground

Flying over the Dampier Peninsula ner Cape Leveque where we were a few days before hand.

Requested some pics west out the plane and got this !! 

Cable Beach fly over at sunset coming in to land

One of my fave pics so far love the angle - camels walking on Cable Beach at sunset

Thank you Charlie, Foxtrot Lima Caravan !!!

A truly memorable day that we all loved, a big day for a one day tour and geez for a tour that only commenced in Sept 2018 - Go Broome are seriously doing a top job. Would absolutely recommend investing in such an incredible, small group and personalised trip experiencing such a phenomena natural wonder in the world at Horizonatal Falls ! 

Dinner on the Beach