Day 64 – 26th June 2014 Thursday. My Horizontal Falls Full day tour got underway at 5.30am with me standing on the road waiting to be picked up. 20 minutes later the 4WD Bus finally arrives. I am the last on board. We head off up the Cape Leveque Road on the corregation for 88 km until we get to Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community where we visit the famous Beagle Bay church that was built by the monks during the war. It has an amazing pearl shell alter. After a quick toilet break and a cuppa we are off to Cape Leveque – Kooljaman which is a wilderness style camp on the tip of the Dampier Peninsular. It is 220km north of Broome. It is owned by the local aboriginal communities. We had breakfast which consisted of toast, cereal, pastries, fruit, juice, coffee etc. We wondered around for a look at the famous red cliffs which meet the pristine white sandy beaches and the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. We were then off to One Arm Point Aquaculture Hatchery, home of turtles, tropical reef fish and trochus shell. Very interesting part of trip. Off to the airport (tongue in cheek) at One Arm Point which is on the southern tip of the Buccaneer Archipelago. We all wait in the Qantas lounge, a tin roofed structure with a bench beneath it for the planes to be refuelled and then we get on board our 14 seater seaplane. We fly across the 1000 island Buccaneer Archipelago towards the Horizontal Waterfalls. The landing of the plane on the calm waters at Talbot Bay was exciting. We all got on board the houseboats for refreshments etc. After a brief information session it was time to experience the shark cage and the friendly resident sharks that are around the houseboats. No one volunteered to get in the cage and so the guide had to hop in to feed the sharks. After lunch which consisted of barramundi with crispy skin and salad we got on board the 900hp fast boat “Jet Stream” (the fastest boat in the Kimberlies) to experience the exhilarating thrill ride through the Horizontal Waterfalls starting with the smaller 7m wide fall. We did 4 return runs through this gap and as I was sitting in the front row it was BRILLIANT. I was clicking photos, taking video and loving every moment. We then went for a relaxing cruise up Cyclone Creek where they leave the houseboat during the cyclone season and around various other bays. We then headed back to the Falls and did a number of runs through the 20m wide fall. The 7m fall had now become impassable due to the tidal waters flowing back through and the height difference was now near 2m. Back to the houseboats for a cuppa and to wait for one of the planes to return from the Derby flight. On the way back to Broome I got to sit in the co pilots seat and got some good photos. Overall this was a fantastic trip and even at the cost of $795 it has now been marked off my bucket list.
