The Kimberley: from Dawn till Dusk
24 hours, five unique thrills. Immerse yourself in an unmatched Australian landscape.
WORDS Susan Skelly
The Kimberley (Ngarinyin) is a vast area of graphic geography, maverick waterfalls, rugged islands and beach fringing. For a traveller seeking Australia at its most authentic, ancient and awesome, this is the place. And the best, most well-rounded way to take in such a place is through a variety of experiences.
The Ultimate Horizontal Falls Luxury Stay is a speed date with spectacular views from both a seaplane and open-door helicopter, sensational powerboat rides through the famous Horizontal Falls (Garaanngaddim), guided fishing, a meet and greet with tawny nurse sharks, fine food, and a sleepover aboard the 26m Jetwave Pearl. Twenty-four hours of pure Kimberley adventure looks like this.
SCENIC SEAPLANES
At the Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures hangar in Broome (Rubibi), an amphibious 14-seater Cessna 208 Caravan is gleaming in the sunlight. The flight one hour and 15 minutes, heads north-east across woodlands, shrubs and spinifex threaded with skinny red earth roads. Scalloped shorelines and ranges dolloped on like dough are part of the picture. The destination is Talbot Bay (Ganbadba), 255km away in the Buccaneer Archipelago (Yawijibaya), located in a mud-happy gulf that has some of the world’s biggest tides. Veteran pilot Yindi Newman flies in over the Horizontal Falls to introduce the tidal phenomenon.
THE CURTAIN-RAISER
The 10-metre 22-seater powerboat Full Throttle is docked at the Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures pontoon. It zips us to the east side of Talbot Bay towards Cyclone Creek where Jetwave Pearl is anchored and waiting for us.
CHECK-IN
The refurbished, refitted Jetwave Pearl has 10 cabins, most named after pearls. Bringing the outside in are wood-framed picture windows and a carpet with a topographical-style print in earthy browns, blue and frothy white. There’s a guest kitchen, bar fridges, a spacious lounge and a star-gazing deck. Nibble on lemon cake and croissants while waiting a turn in the chopper.
About Dambeemangarddee Country
The Traditional Owners of Dambeemangarddee Country, have lived on this sacred land for 56,000 years. In the Traditional Owners’ language, “dambeema” means home. Dambeemangarddee means all the people that are from that home.
Much of Dambeemangarddee Country was created by the writhing actions of a female Woongudd Snake. Woongudd’s power is most obvious in the movement of tides and whirlpools in the region, such as at Garaanngaddim (Horizontal Falls). The power of the whirlpools is the constant, visible and real manifestation and reminder of the presence and potency of Lalai (Law.)
HELICOPTER HIGHS
Jetwave Pearl has a helipad, and pilot Cameron Hunt is taking two guests at a time on a 15-minute recce in his open-door R44 Clipper II. It’s an unforgettable joyride. The waterways are a deep, happy blue, the fat, heavy headlands like the feet of prehistoric dinosaurs. While much of the Kimberley coastline is made up of horizontal layers of sediment and rock, at Talbot Bay the cliffs twist, buckle and fold so dramatically that in places they seem almost vertical.
SHARKS ON SHOW
There’s a marine viewing platform at the main pontoon. From it, or through a perspex wall in an adjacent swimming pool, watch tawny flat-headed nurse sharks arrive from their bay for a light lunch. Rations, we are advised, don’t exceed 2.5 kilos a day, to ensure the sharks don’t become reliant. Also in Talbot Bay is Turtle Reef, which defies conventional wisdom that corals need clear oceanic water to thrive.
HORIZONTAL FALLS
The Horizontal Falls are the Kimberley’s diva, and for good reason. Fast-moving tidal currents squeeze through two narrow gorges in the McLarty Ranges. As incoming and outgoing tides go into battle, they look like waterfalls turned on their side. There are two: Middle Gap, which we transit, is more than 20m wide; the Narrow Gap some 6m wide (although not currently traversed for cultural and safety reasons). From the powerboat, you can see and feel the power of the water beneath the surface. The experience is a reminder of nature’s sheer power and intensity.
“The waterways are a deep, happy blue, the fat, heavy headlands like the feet of prehistoric dinosaurs.”
CATCH OF THE DAY
The dining room on Jetwave Pearl is on the lower deck, its kitchen manned by Thibault Villanueva, a 29-year-old French chef from Nîmes. Today’s action (expect the itinerary to be influenced by both tides and the stamina of guests) is rewarded with a lunch of local barramundi with beurre blanc, cauliflower purée, barley and celeriac.
GUIDED FISHING
A fishing charter vessel is at our disposal. We head to the mangroves of Cyclone Creek (aka Talbot Creek). Our crew, Tyler Cox and Tommy Sherer, attach bait, demonstrate casting, and untangle creative knots. The Horizontal Falls Marine Park, which was gazetted in 2019, covers approximately 350,000 hectares, from Talbot Bay in the west to Walcott Inlet and Glenelg River in the east. Fish you might catch include barramundi, threadfin, mangrove jack, black jewfish and mud crabs. Refreshing iced tea with lemon is waiting for us back on Jetwave Pearl.
CYCLONE CREEK
It’s time to get to know Cyclone Creek in a more leisurely way. The 3.5km estuary, named for its safety in stormy weather, is at the south-eastern end of Talbot Bay. Its escarpment is a choreography of rich sandstones, volcanic basalt, dolerite and siltstone. Eucalypts, woodlands and native pines are its botany and, towards the end of the dry season, a red-flowering Kurrajong. We’re coming in on a tide dropping to expose mud flats. At high tide, the mangroves will be underwater. Not so the 2.5m crocodile – let’s call him Hermès – zooming across the creek to escort us off the premises. Full Throttle lives up to its name.
SUNSET DRINKS
Soak up an intense pink sunset on the deck with a drink and a tray of plenty – fruit, spicy charcuterie, nuts, fruit and cheese. Thibault has impressed with dinner: eye fillet with red wine jus, smoky baba ghanoush, pumpkin with parmesan wafers, asparagus spears, and a beetroot glaze. The chocolate he was earlier painting onto baking paper has become shards to top dessert.
TURNING IN
The bucket list ticked off, we turn in. Cabins on the main and upper decks have a double bed and ensuite; two premium cabins have a queen-size bed, ensuite and balcony. It’s a dreamy night with a blanket of stars. What more could you need?
SUNRISE FARWELL
After breakfast (a sourdough surfboard balancing poached egg and pesto hollandaise, smoked salmon and heirloom tomatoes), we squeeze in one more dance with the Horizontal Falls, this time on an outgoing tide, before boarding our seaplane for another spectacular flight over the Kimberley. And with that, our adventure is done.
Explore The Kimberley
Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures fly from Broome, Derby and Cygnet Bay. The Ultimate Horizontal Falls Luxury Stay is priced from $1,700pp ex Derby or ex Broome. Half-day Tours start from $895pp from Derby or $975pp from Broome. Jetwave Pearl takes guests May-August 24 2023; two other houseboats, operate May-September.