Visiting one of Australia’s most amazing natural phenomena is set to change

A torrent of angry white water gnashes at the speedboat as the late afternoon light drains the sandstone gorges of colour. Passengers grip their seats, bracing for the natural rollercoaster ride of their lives.“Hold on everyone!” The engine roars to life and the boat surges forward, rearing and bucking over foaming rapids squeezed between a gap in the cliffs, before plunging out the other side. The skipper eases off the throttle and the boat “squats” at the mouth of the gap, where silken eddies of seawater swirl before being sucked between the gorge walls.The Horizontal Falls are created by seawater surging between two narrow openings in the McLarty Range. Garaan-ngaddim, known as the Horizontal Falls, is a sometimes-violent spectacle in an otherwise serene place. A place that changes faces every six hours with the push and pull of giant tides that engineer one of the most intriguing natural phenomena on Earth.For decades, visitors have come to Ganbadba/Talbot Bay in the Kimberley for the thrill of cruising through the falls, created by seawater surging between two narrow openings in the McLarty Range. But the practice was to cease from the end of this year, out of respect for Dambeemangaddee traditional owners. Cruise operators have since been given permission to continue operating until the end of the 2028 season. (The more narrow gap has been off-limits since 2022 when a boat accident injured several tourists.)So, what will the experience hold beyond the 2028 season, when the last tourist-operator licence expires, and will people still come? The plan is for the Horizontal Falls to evolve from a thrill-seeker ride to a cultural experience, where First Nations stories are shared in a way that is respectful of people and place.Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletterGet exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.The Western Australian government is working with the Dambeemangaddee People and tourism operators – including the largest and last-expiring licence holder, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures – to develop culturally appropriate tourism experiences. This includes training Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation (DAC) guides to share their stories of the native title site.Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation guide Esekia Bradshaw shares stories of her Country with visitors.To the Dambeemangaddee People, the falls were created by the writhing body of the spiritual serpent Woongudd.To the Dambeemangaddee People, Garaan-ngaddim – meaning “floating over” – was created by the writhing body of the spiritual serpent Woongudd. Traditionally, the Dambeemangaddee would only travel through the “gap” on a neap (low-range) tide, when Woongudd is resting and the waters are smooth.It’s not difficult to appreciate how hurtling through on a speedboat might be considered disrespectful. “We are not denying visitors [access],” DAC vice-chair Leah Umbagai tells me. “But as Wandjina Woongudd people, it’s our obligation to care and respect Country as it has been done for centuries.”When I visit, I’m awed not only by the falls, but by the majesty of the Buccaneer Archipelago; a remote water world where monster tides – the second largest on the planet – seemingly lift and lower 2 billion-year-old sandstone islands from the sea. After stepping from the seaplane, we cruise through Cyclone Creek – turquoise water lapping at rust-red cliffs. By day’s end, eight metres of the cliff’s underbelly – darkened and dripping – will be exposed.The phenomenon of Horizontal Falls from above.While most Horizontal Falls visitors come on a half-day tour, I’m fortunate to be staying overnight aboard Jetwave Pearl, a luxury 10-berth houseboat. It affords time for quiet contemplation and stillness, and to witness the 24-hour cycle of tidal movement – seeing mudflats and mangrove trunks swallowed and regurgitated – and the landscape bathed orange at first light. There’s also time to cruise around the islands looking for crocodiles, shy rock wallabies and wheeling ospreys, and to return to the falls. A quiet reverence sweeps over the passengers the second time around.When it’s time to go, the seaplane completes two flyovers above the falls – bringing together the puzzle pieces of the gorges’ staggering topography. Will coming here be a lesser experience without the few seconds’ thrill of traversing the falls? I’m not sure. But Garaan-ngaddim is more than an amusement park ride.THE DETAILSVisitThe Horizontal Falls can be visited from Broome, Derby or Cygnet Bay as a half-day, full-day or overnight trip with Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures. Prices from $1295 per person, or $2220 per person for the overnight Jetwave Pearl experience. See horizontalfallsadventures.com.au.FlyQantas and Virgin Australia fly to Broome from Perth. Qantas offers some direct services from Melbourne and Sydney in high season (around April to October). See qantas.com, virginaustralia.com.StayThe newly revamped Pinctada Hotel Broome is a 10-minute walk from Cable Beach and has rooms and suites with balconies – some overlooking the pool. The resort also has a restaurant and poolside bar. Rooms are from about $400 a night (dry season). See pinctadahotelbroome.com.auCatherine Best is an award-winning Melbourne-based travel writer and author of the guidebook Ultimate Caravan Trips Australia. A keen scuba diver, she loves writing about outdoor adventures and nature-based experiences, wellness and family travel.From our partners