Ah well , got up at 6am , feeling better than last night , so that was a bonus ! Breakfast out of the way , backpack organised , we wasted some time before heading up to the front gate and awaited our pick up . We didn't have to wait long , and the bus arrived , delivering us to the airport .
Waiting again , we finally boarded the plane and taxied down the runway and took off . The views were amazing , mangrove lined creeks , mudflats , mountain ranges and King Sound .
We left the mud flats and tidal areas and started over the mountains , the turbulence was starting early when we were flying lower , gradually our young pilot took us up to 5,000 ft and things smoothed out again . There are some remote properties and communities that live up this way - we do mean remote, come the wet season , they don't go anywhere by 4WD !!
Again the views are still spectacular , can't see that changing any time soon !!
We were tracking northwest from Derby , it was only a half hour flight and we were nearly there when I got my first glimpse of what we'd come to see - Horizontal Falls !!!
We circled a few times gradually getting lower , giving everyone a view at one stage or another .
If you look closely at the edge of the shadow , you can see one of the boats at the right side of the whitewater .
We turned again and looked out at Talbot Bay , where we would be landing - a bay you say , yes , we are in a sea plane !! It would have been up there with the smoothest landings we've ever had !!
Tied up at the pontoon , we got out and went up stairs to where we will base ourselves for the next 4hrs45mins . First stop was a brief run down of todays activities , then down to the fish feeding area , where 2 shark cages are installed . You can get into the cages and feed the sharks - they are tawny nurse sharks , and while they have teeth , they generally just suck their food into their mouths , you would probably lose a finger and have a bad case of suction damage . They are about 3m long and know when they are going to get fed , so turn up at feeding time with monotonous regularity , otherwise they are free to go anywhere they like !!
There were also large bat fish , school of garfish , baby gold trevally & giant trevally . They tell us there is a bull shark that comes in as well , but the water is a little murky today .
Okay action time , into the boat - not just your average boat , a very powerful fast boat - 3 x 300hp motors on the back - this thing gets up and boogies !!! We round the corner into a smaller bay , the mountain range towers above us , orange cliffs , green trees , blue sky and turquoise water - what a combination .
We spot the 20m wide gap between the cliffs , with so much water flowing through - apparently there is between 30 to 40 MILLION litres of water passing through this gap every SECOND !!!! That's impressive . The gap is also 40 m deep !! The water surges through at amazing speed , and the turbulence stretches for several hundred metres on the other side as well , eddies , whirlpools and water surging upwards turn the boat sideways with the current . The water on the other side is about 1.5m lower than the side we entered from - this is where the 3 x 300 hp motors come into their own - the young skipper skilfully guiding us through , powering our way through as was necessary . They stopped the boat to allow for photos , before powering through again , turning and going though again and again , some of the runs through were with speed , the skipper was enjoying himself - so was everyone else on board !!!
We headed over to the next gap - only 10m wide and again 40m deep , the height change in the water is about 2.5m and was too dangerous to go through safely , so he took the boat into the gap backwards and sat in the middle of the current , carefully controlling the throttle and direction to keep us off the rock walls .
Back and through the first falls and back to the pontoon for some Bbq barramundi & salad for lunch , and I have to tell you , we probably haven't had barramundi that's tasted this good before !!!!!!
A couple went for a helicopter ride for 10mins while we had lunch , then came down and sat with us for a while before we went back to the boat again for a cruise up Cyclone Creek for an hour .
The cruise took us up the creek , so named , because it is an excellent shelter for boats in cyclones . the creek snakes around and has high steep cliffs & hills which stop the wind from building up too much .
The water was still flowing in here as well , but no where near as fast as before . There are 27 different types of mangrove trees that live here , today they were getting a good dunking at high tide .
Back to the pontoon , we had a break for 10 minutes before going for another boat ride . This time we hit the second falls , but as we got to the first falls , we could see it had almost stopped flowing , there was still water flowing through , but it was pretty flat now , not like earlier .
This time the water at the second falls was only 1m lower , and safe to go through , which we did several times , and at speed as well !!
Back to the pontoon for a final time , we watched as the float planes brought another 2 plane loads in for the afternoon trip from Broome .
They do 2 trips per day from Broome , one trip from Derby through the day , then as we land and get off another group are queueing to get in for an overnight stay .
All too soon , it was time to get on board for the return flight , 40 mins this way , as they show you some more features on the way home .
We take off and do a circuit over the falls before banking right and heading for some of the Buccaneer Archipelago - 1,000 islands or more .
The flight took us over a barramundi farm ( where lunch came from ) and other parts of King Sound , before heading back toward the wharf and Derby . The high tide was making the small creeks & tributaries overflow , and we could see how high it was at the wharf as we flew past it .
A couple of minutes later we had landed , and I was happy about that , the flight had been quite turbulent and I was feeling a little green , it was very nice to be out and walking , getting some fresh air !!!
The bus dropped us back at the park and we walked down and I collapsed into the outside chair , before laying it down to get some blood flowing back to the head - it appeared to have drained away !! , but lunch stayed where I had put it , didn't waste the barra !!
After recovering , we loaded the bikes & kayak , had some salsa & a beer , before the sun started to set - a cloud was above the sun and it was raining , looking like it was trying to put the sun out !!!
That's it , day done , put this place on your bucket list , it deserves to be there !!!
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