Horizontal Falls

The word ‘waterfall’ almost always conjures up an image of water tumbling over a rocky ledge, which makes a horizontal, ocean falls difficult to imagine. What happens at Horizontal Falls is this: huge tides pushing water through two, extremely narrow gorges rush so quickly and with such force that water banks up on one side, creating a surging white rapid. Passing ‘over’ the falls in a boat, you can experience the drop in sea level and the bigger the tide, the more exhilarating the ride! When the tide changes, the waterfall reverses. It’s an impressive scene from the sky, but to feel the power of the falls, you need to jump onboard with an experienced Kimberley skipper and ride the rapids. There are actually two sets of waterfalls in the McLarty Ranges in Talbot Bay – 12 and 20 metres wide – but only the larger gap is safe to pass through.