Horizontal Falls

The highlight of our time in Broome was a trip that we took to Horizontal Falls.  Horizontal Falls is an area in Talbot Bay, about a 90 minute flight from Broome.  We took a very small sea plane, which flew along the coast line to Willie Creek, then headed inland to Cape Leveque and finally headed over to Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls.  The plane flies quite low on the way to Talbot Bay and we definitely felt every little bump and bit of turbulence, especially when transitioning between water and land.  The flight was really amazing, and well worth the little bit of shaking.  The scenes from the place are really striking, especially the contrast between the different colours of the water and the white beaches.  We really had no idea that this kind of landscape existed anywhere in Australia!

Willie Creek, just north of Broome

Blue water and white sand

We saw hundreds of little tiny bays and islands.  The tide was high when we flew in, so we saw all the mangrove trees up to thier necks in water and all kinds of things in the water.  The pilot spotted a couple of pods of sperm whales and flew out over them so that we could get a good look.  The whales are so massive but move so gently through the water.  It doesn't take long to get your eyes used to seeing whales from that height...they are the only things that are moving and not blue!

Valley at high tide

We didn't really know what to expect when we arrived at Talbot Bay, but the pilot made a couple of fly-overs to get us familiar with the area.  The geology of the area has long linear features and, where there is enough relief between these features, inland briny lakes, connected to the ocean, are created.  The water here can have 12m between low and high tide.  Horizontal Falls has two narrow inlets, 20m and 10m wide, that are the only opening through which all of that water can travel.  Since that volume of water cannot flow through such a narrow opening at once, a 'waterfall' is created from the high water on one side of the inlet to the low water level on the other side of the inlet.  The directional flow of the water changes with the tides.

Inland lakes

The Horizontal Falls

Once we landed in Talbot Bay we had lunch aboard a large houseboat that is moored there as housing for the staff and as overnight accomodation for tour groups.  There is also a feeding cage where the staff feed nurse sharks, although they sometimes get bullsharks, hammerheads, and crocodiles coming in for a little look, too!

Feeding nurse sharks

Our little 14 seater seaplane

After lunch we got in a little speed boat that took us through the Horizontal Falls as the tide was flowing out.  There was about metre difference in water level between the two inlets, so we really had a fun ride as the boat bounced along, up and over the water.  It is definitely not the kind of place to go on your own, this water is rough!

Horizontal Falls

Water levels

After touring the Horizontal Falls we zoomed around the rest of the area and saw a tiny old pealing boat where two of the boys from the houseboat live.  It had everything a couple of young guys could want: hammocks, a big screen television and a neighbourhood crocodile that hasn't yet figured out how to climb up the three steps from the pontoon to the boat deck...not exactly a dream home.

"Dream home" on Talbot Bay

We got back in the plane and flew back to Broome, inland the entire way which made for a much smoother flight.  We really couldn't believe how much we saw in a day.  This was really the most amazing place that either of us had ever seen.  We highly recommend that everyone make this trip, it is worth it!