I had managed to secure a great discounted deal for another bucket list activity – Horizontal Falls – but it wasn’t the tour that departs Broome, instead leaving from Derby.
After checking out of our Broome CP it was a relatively quick drive 220 kms north to Derby including several kilometres of unmade road where the worst of the recent flood damage is still being repaired. We had made a booking at one of the two caravan parks in town as our trip would include staying overnight on the pontoon so after checking in we headed out to explore the town. Derby has about 4,000 residents of which almost half are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and is situated on the edge of the tidal mudflats of King Sound. It has the highest tidal range of any port in Australia.
Our intention was to visit the impressive horse shoe shaped jetty but we were stopped at a roadblock where we learned that a film shoot was in progress! Eventually finding a detour we made it down to see the exposed mud flats as the tide was just starting to come in.
The boab tree is a major feature of Derby and they are used as an entry statement on the main road into Derby and one is particularly notable as a sunset shot along with several of the Sculptures on the Marsh. This project, a series of sculptures depicting life in the town are situated about the marsh area and well worth seeking out.
We took the Jimny and the drone out to the mudflats but once again were under attack from the local kites so it was a quick photo shoot 😁
The next day we were picked up by the tour operator and driven to the Derby Airport where we boarded our seaplane for the flight to Horizontal Falls. The scenery en route was spectacular and we had a great view of the Horizontal Falls themselves before coming in to land in Talbot Bay next to the pontoon.
As soon as we landed it was into the jet boats and out to the Falls as the tide was already on the turn.
Described by David Attenborough as “one of the greatest natural wonders of the world”, Horizontal Falls is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the fast moving tidal current squeezes through two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range. This generates a ‘rapid like’ formation which rushes through the twin gaps producing waterfalls turned on their side. We didn’t see it at it’s maximum flow (a ten metre variation) but powering through the first of the falls was exhilarating! The second and narrower gap is not traversed any longer, allegedly for cultural reasons but probably also related to the jet boat accident that occurred there a few years ago…
After the boat ride we were shown our rooms, quickly had time to change for the swimming with (next to) the sharks and then enjoyed bubbles and hors d’oeuvres before dinner. Dinner was served on the deck, beautifully cooked and locally caught barramundi and was accompanied by lively conversation amongst the twenty four of us staying overnight.
The next morning there was time for another quick ride through the Falls before breakfast and then our flight back to Derby, passing over more stunning scenery that is totally inaccessible by land. We felt very fortunate to have seen such a beautiful part of Australia.
Landing in Derby we were dropped off at the Caravan Park and by 10 am were on the road again, this time headed toward Ellendale Lagoon where we would reconvene with John and Steph.