Sea plane. Flying over a vast landscape of scrub punctuated by dead straight roads carved out to the iron ore rich, bright red, Kimberley coast earth.
Then the scenery changes. It’s a massive departure from the arid look that is common across the whole of the outback. We’re flying over the Buccaneer Archipelago. It’s a vast collection of islands and sounds, really a drowned mountain range, with arching ridges interspersed by clear water reflecting the blue skies above. The peripheries of the reddish rocky islands are dotted with mangroves the surrounding waters range across the palette of dreamy tropical blues.
Spectacular view after spectacular view appears and fades into the distance and soon we come upon our destination Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls. The falls are a very fast moving tidal flow between two narrow gorges. Each of these gorges is 12 metres wide and water stores up on one side faster that it can empty, giving rise to a couple of metres-high height difference in the sea level between both sides of the gorges. The direction of the flow reverses with each turning tide and can completely empty entirely on some tides.
We bank low and see the gaps in the range islands. There’s white water showing in each of the gaps. We circle so passengers each side of the small plane can see the spectacular view and as we pass I take photo after photo. Next we start to descend and after skimming over one of the islands we descend into another of the bays. The plane banks across a curving wall of rock and then straightens and starts to lose height. I brace myself for tough down but on a sea plane the landing I super smooth, the plane mimicking a pelican landing elegantly in still, flat water.
The plane docks at a house boat in the bay and we disembark. Soon we’re on an SAS assault jet boat racing across the bays on our way to the falls. The falls are too fast to go through them the first time but after a barbecue lunch of barramundi on the houseboat we go back. At one point we are stationery in one of the gaps but we actually have to do 22km per hour to keep in that spot – the water is rushing through at such a pace.
Another highlight of the day is patting a Tawny Nurse shark. Our young Crocodile Dundee-like jet boat pilot has learnt how to pat the sharks, keeping them happy with barramundi fillets. At one point he pulls a fully-grown two-metre male shark half out of the water by its tail and he encourages us all to have a pat.
Another highlight of our trip was a hovercraft ride around Roebuck Bay, the waterway on which Broome is built. We set off late in the afternoon and went across the bay and looked at a set of fossilised dinosaur footprints. On our way back across the bay, the tide had gone out. We stopped about five kilometres out on the sand flats and watched the sunset, the oranges and reds reflecting in the pools scattered throughout vast expanse.
At other sunsets we sipped a tropical cocktail and on another a martini at each of the Cable Beach beachside venues.
We also dined at some lovely restaurants, including a great Japanese place and David cooked a couple of times at our accommodation – The Frangipanni at Cable Beach.
A lunch and a beer tasting (for me, David had wine) at Matso’s was fun. The beers ranged from traditional British ales through to mango and chilli flavoured brews.
We also checked out the local museum which was very informative about the history of the pearl industry in the area. We also went into every pearl jewellery place in the town and I was allowed to splurge on a river pearl strung on a black neoprene necklace.
Of course, it was all over too soon. I’m writing this 10 days later and I’m yet to transfer all the photos I took (3,000 roughly over the six days we were away) so I’m reliving the glory as I am reminded of the fun of a trip away to somewhere very exotic indeed.
The sea plane coming down to land in the Talbot Bay area.
A tiny part of the Buccaneer Archipelago from the sea plane.
The gaps are the Horizontal Falls.
Our jet boat pilot patting the Tawny Nurse sharks.
The water lily pool at the Frangipanni resort. Situated on Frangipanni Drive, it is lined with yellow centred, white Frangipannis.
A pearl lugger at sunset at Cable Beach.
David with the hovercraft on the vast stretch of sand flats exposed at low tide.
Sunset over Roebuck Bay near Broome.
David's silhouette. Cable Beach at sunset.
The outdoor shower at the resort. During summer the shower is often home to green tree frogs.
