29 June 2026
We left Fitzroy Crossing and headed to Broome. This was one of the most empty landscapes we have travelled through on this trip. Not a town, house, shed or even a roadhouse for over 200 kms, and this is Highway 1. Not even a coffee stand! This was the Fitzroy River flood plain so it was flat, flat, flat, nothing to interrupt the view. We could have tried the Gibb River Road but that would have taken more time, more preparation and probably good to have a friend for backup.
Unlike the last four weeks, we had a deadline. We had made a plan and followed through with a commitment. This commitment was further consolidated with the advance payment for the overnight trip to the Horizontal Falls. We were way out of our comfort zone. Some people book this trip a year in advance. We booked our trip 3 weeks ago and lucked out that there were places available.
Pick up was at 6:20am from our campground and then a 2 hour trip back to the Derby airport for a flight to the falls. A twenty minute flight took us over the tidal mud flats of King Sound for a landing on Talbot Bay.
The next 24 hours comprised boat rides through the Horizontal Falls, a fishing adventure, some excellent food and wine and an opportunity to swim with the sharks. The sharks were actually on the other side of a mesh barrier. We also enjoyed the company of a small group of nine that were also staying overnight. Just nine of us provided a more intimate opportunity for conversation and the enjoyment of some fabulous meals and shared experiences.
This now famous tourist destination was only ‘discovered’ back in the 1980’s and only became a tourist attraction in the last 15 years or so. The ‘falls’ are the effect of some of the largest tidal ranges in the world with the resulting difference of 4-5 metres between the bays creating ‘horizontal falls’.
What I truly appreciated was that the numbers of visitors each day is limited to about 200. If this type of natural spectacle was in the northern hemisphere there would be many hundreds of people visiting along with a multitude of aircraft and water vessels powering through the falls. Ya gotta love that it’s so remote.
This experience in the Kimberley determined our timetable for the first phase of this trip, its now time to plan where to next.
A Traveller's Tale 
Loved the photos. That’s my sort of caravanning adventure.
LikeLike
No cabin service or drinks trolley!
LikeLike
In the USA there a place where the tides reach 16 meters. It’s strange to walk on the sea floor and 12 hours later it’s that deep. It’s said there’s even times you can virtually surf the incoming warer
LikeLike
Forgot to say it’s called the Bay of Fundy and it’s in the north east corner just past Maine.
LikeLike
I assumed you were talking about the Bay of Fundy.
LikeLike
OK, OK. I get it. The ‘horizontal falls ‘ are spectacular.
Now, I suggest we tell the Lamberts upon their return that we are contemplating buying ‘Old Lambo’ as a retirement destination for them. Repeat, ‘contemplating’.
LikeLike