For The Love of Travel

More than 1000 tiny islands make up the Buccaneer Archipelago, a cruising and fishing paradise north west of the Kimberley town of Derby.

Talbot Bay is one of the most popular and iconic tourist attractions in the Kimberley as it’s where you find the famed ‘Horizontal Falls’, spectacular rock formations and coral reefs. A scenic flight gives you the best view.

The falls are a natural phenomenon created by large tides – whereby huge volumes of water are forced through two narrow gaps, creating the illusion of a waterfall that is flowing horizontally.

I got to see it from seaplane and boat – both were exhilarating perspectives. Got to hand it to Callum, who drove the boat through one of the gaps, through the water maelstrom….it was a thrilling ride!

Also, got to see really different twisted ancient rock formations in Cyclone Bay, a result of tectonic plates pushing and pulling about 1-4 billion years ago (theories differ). Callum gave us a quick geology overview :). This bay offers protection from cyclonic events for travellers or local tourism operators. It was super steamy and humid as an area as we floated through on the boat.

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures has a floating base in Talbot Bay and offers the experience of seeing the very placid Tawny Nurse sharks close up, with its powerful jaw and sharp teeth. These dudes have 240 backward facing teeth and a strong suck, which can easily strip the tendons from an arm.

And a couple of lovely pics of the area ……

Journey is at an end… an amazing 10,000 kms travelled, with incredible hues, textures and colours in landscapes and water. Thank you WA, such a fab experience!

Streeters Jetty is looking refreshed this morning as the tide is coming in. Some locals were getting excited about mullet they saw swimming under the jetty and rushed to their cars to get nets.:)

An imposing statue of Sam Male, Broome’s inaugural Shire President 1961-66, and also a driving force in the revival of the pearling industry in the 20thC.

Simpson beach is tucked away in the port area…but after I found it, have gone back to see the difference in landscape in changing tidal conditions – today offers marvellous orange and turquoise hues in the water.

Staircase to the Moon is a natural phenomenon which occurs when a full moon rises over the exposed tidal flats of Roebuck Bay. It happens 2 – 3 days a month between March and October. And it’s happening tonight @ precisely 18.26. Woo hoo! I was sitting on the pub deck of the Mangrove Hotel from 4pm, waiting with tripod and camera; locals were commenting about the level of cloud and potentially the moon’s position might be blocked out. No siree! The full appearance took about 10 minutes and was delightful, with lots of oohs and aahs from the sizeable crowd, and a didgeridoo played in the background – very atmospheric and special.

In 1946, Dean Brown was navigating the pristine Kimberley coastline in a wooden lugger, and he discovered the secluded, unspoilt beauty of Cygnet Bay along with the precious gift of the Pinctada maxima pearl shell.

When Dean’s son, Lyndon had mastered the art of growing pearls, he shared his secrets with his dedicated and talented work mates in 1960. The first were local Bardi and Jawi men, Aubrey Tigan, Tom Wiggan and Gordon Dixon. Up until this moment, only the Japanese had the expertise to successfully culture pearls. A pivotal point in time of global significance, as the ‘magical’ process of growing these valuable gems was only known to select Japanese technicians, one white Australian and three Australian Indigenous men. And so the face of pearling culture changed forever.

And the strong connection developed between the Brown family and the Bardi Jawi! They remain proud custodians of their grandfather’s 75 year legacy, running one of only a few commercial pearl farms still operating in Western Australia. And Indigenous history, culture and practices remain an inherent part of the core tourist ‘offerings’ on the Farm’s events menu. Until 2009, the pearling industry had been a secretive business, until this family opened its doors to the public. And James Brown (not to be confused with the R&B one)…has won many awards re sustainability of the pearling enterprise.

The coastline is varied and interesting, changing with the tidal movements. Mangroves turn into tidal creeks and rocky points offer fresh oysters and great spots for fishing. Imagine what it’s like when 26x Sydney Harbour’s volume of water enters and drains 2 times a day in the Buccaneer Archipelago. A veritable maelstrom!!

I stayed at Divers Creek, only accessible by 4WD and about 1km from the main pearling village.

No worries about putting the drone up here at the beach area around Mangrove Bay and White Rocks, and here are some images taken at low tide (sunrise) and high tide (bright turquoise @ noon)…..the purply/green image was also taken at sunrise and I have played with colour enhancement in the processing phase, but the 2 earlier ones are pretty much as they were photographed.

I went on the ‘Giant Tides’ tour, where I felt the power of the world’s largest tropical tides as we cruised amongst the giant whirlpools and standing tidal waves. Woo hoo, it was an exhilarating boat ride on the incoming tide.

I also went on the Waterfall Reef Sea Safari which allows you to witness a tidal phenomenon that has to be seen to be believed. You first see an incredible abundance of islands that are heavily weathered, sculpted smooth-rounded or with jutting peaks, contributing to making up the Buccaneer Archipelago…

…..and then there is the emergence of a reef with a cascading waterfall, on the outgoing tide to the Indian Ocean. This one was 2m high, would have loved to see the 6m!!

On my last morning, went to brush teeth in trough in the camp facilities area….and was greeted by a fellow camper “just be careful of the snake”……whattttt??? Definitely a teenie tiny brown snake….OMG.