The tour we booked was the overnight tour out of Derby ... and we knew even before we left S.A it was a trip we really wanted the chance to do. We certainly weren't disappointed ... the sea plane trip was scenic and I loved how it banked sharply and flew through a gorge as it came into land. The view of the Derby tidal mudflats was so beautiful too.
Everything ran like clockwork.... we were off the plane... served refreshments and shown our rooms for the night then onto a boat for a cruise through the stunning gorges and bays of Talbot bay before heading for our first look at the horizontal falls. The sheer amount of water that pushes through the rock gorges and creates these 'horizontal waterfalls' has to be seen to be believed and the formation of the rocks created by the shifting of tectonic plates was so interesting.
We took quite a few passes through the 'falls' before heading back to the houseboat pontoon for drinks and a swim alongside the sharks and fish in the pontoon enclosure.
Then it was 'relax for the evening' time... and a delicious Barramundi dinner on the deck. The staff said goodnight after dinner and we sat on the deck with the water lapping.. the occasional fish frenzy in the water and enjoyed a few drinks and lots of travel conversation.
Our cabin for the night was cosy but even still we were up early and had had our first cuppa before the sun appeared and a hot cooked breakfast was served. We took one more cruise through the bay and another few passes through the waterfalls before we were back on the seaplane again to Derby. This time home via a different route to take in the Buccaneer Archipelago.
It was a trip that we will always remember... and probably wont ever do again ... so it was lovely to tick it off the bucket list.
From Derby (and our amazing Horizontal Falls trip) we were off to Broome.
Everyone has an opinion of Broome.... some love it... some don't. I actually loved it more than I thought I would.
In Broome we caught the 'Staircase to the Moon' ... walked on Cable Beach.... saw the sunset more than once on Cable beach and took in all the Broome sights which included the Japanese cemetery and a game of golf.
After almost a week in the hustle and bustle of Broome it was off to a Station stay at Barn Hill. Mum and Dad had always loved this spot and while we were planning our trip Mum had suggested we see if it was still as good as she remembered. I can vouch that it is awesome. We loved it here... and at the time of writing might be among my top 2 spots.
We were in the unpowered unallocated so we had lots of space. It was close to the beach ... I joined in with Yoga two mornings we were there....and we bought a few loaves of their homemade bread.. and soaked in the rock pools. It was a top spot. We even loved there open topped toilets and showers. Nothing like showering under the stars.
It was sad saying goodbye to Barn Hill but we needed to do washing... fill up with water and empty the loo ... so it was on to 80 mile beach for a night.
This was also a beautiful spot... with a 'postcard white' beach covered in shells... we spent a lovely night here... walking the beach and resetting ourselves for some more off grid camping ahead.
The things we missed?
- Malcolm Douglas crocodile park (We planned to visit but when we arrived we had messed up the opening times)
- Cape Leveque and the whole Dampier peninsula (particularly Beagle Bay)
- $2.35 at Derby
Caravan Park Stays - 6
Off grid / Rest Stops - 3
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