Hi to all you loyal readers
Well now its time to tell you all about our overnight trip to the Horizontal Falls 45 minutes flying time North of the town of Derby, so make a coffee and sit back and we hope enjoy. Oh as a bonus we have included a panoramic picture of Talbot bay that we stitched together from 5 photographs taken from the rear of our floating hotel Discovery1.
We began at Derby airport on Wednesday at 3.30pm where we boarded a 10 person Cessna single engine turbo prop seaplane. Before going on board we met a couple in the departure lounge who we had met once before on our first nights bush camp in February at Iron Knob and who we had not seen since but they were on this trip too!!!
A volunteer was need for the co pilot�s seat and �shy Christine� took it. The pilot was Kevin owner of Derby Seaplanes a real character and Ex Stunt Pilot? Kevin started by telling us that he had never landed a floatplane before so he just might have to �dip� the floats in the river on the way out! Well 5 minutes into the air we found ourselves heading downwards towards a small mangrove lined river just a touch wider than the wings of the plane. As we got lower than the mangrove Cathy the lady alongside me with the window seat said �I think he� really going to land!� Yep that�s our Kevin we are roaring along the river (glad I wasn�t in a dingy fishing that spot) and then we are roaring back into the sky headed for King Sound and hopefully the falls. Kevin looks back at his amazed passengers and says � How�s that shall we go for the real thing now?� a roar of �go for it Kevin� was heard above the engine sound.
Well the flight across King Sound and Buccaneer Archipelago as well as Dugong Bay and Stokes Bay and endless tidal mud flats (13 metre tides) was delightful just gazing on such spectacular scenery from 4,000 feet.
Before we knew it we were over the Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Waterfalls. At this point Kevin struts his stuff and we are circling the falls in multiple directions and mostly with one or other wing pointing downwards. The falls look just as they did on all the picture postcards. Let me explain for those who don�t know, they are called the horizontal falls as it is tidal water flowing between two cliff faces that make a restriction and with the rapid tidal flow the difference in water height from one side to the other is about 5 metres on the second fall and 2 metres on the first with a small bay between the 2 falls.
Well we saw the falls and now to land, most people would assume that the vast expanse of Talbot Bay makes a perfect landing site but remember we are with Kevin! Suddenly he flips the plane into what can be best described as a downward, rapid sideways spiral between two cliff faces with metres to spare on either side and lands us on a small back stream creek. Well done Kevin we all survived although a couple of the people with weaker constitutions are slightly paler than when we began. Christine was busy photographing the cliff face and I am just hanging on and enjoying the ride (much to my amazement). I should say at this point Kevin is a brilliant pilot with over 25,000 hours flying and we would fly with him anytime anywhere.
We taxi to a pontoon where we are met with Michael and �The Catatonic� a twin hulled speed boat boasting twin outboards totaling 450 Horse Power. We get on board Catatonic while 10 people on a short trip get on board with Kevin for the flight back to Derby. Michael informs us that Kevin is renowned for his ability to drop in and land anywhere and sometimes unannounced. As we watch Kevin begin his run up towards the cliff face Michael says lets give him a race for the photographs. Now we have a seaplane and �Catatonic� roaring side by side up a creek. Eventually Kevin wins and takes off just clearing the ground cover on the cliff face and disappearing sideways up a Gorge.
Michael now roars us out into Talbot bay for our first up close look at the falls. As the falls will be better (wilder) in the morning its decided not to go through till the morning so we head for Discovery1 where we are greeted by Melissa one of our hosts and Dean the ships engineer who welcome us aboard. Melissa escorts each couple to their cabins (we had Dampier Room) and then its upstairs for complimentary champagne and a meeting with Matt our other host. Matt gives us some safety information and stay details and then takes names for the bar charge and evening meal requirements. Poor Matt who is about 24 but only looks 16, when he says we get our drinks and give our name and pay before departing tomorrow. First mans name Ian, second mans name Ian believe it or not out of 5 men 4 are called Ian (poor Gerald) so it has to be couples names. We had Ian and Christine, Ian and Kerry, Ian and Cathy, Ian and Carol and Gerald and Kate (we thought we should make Gerald an honorary Ian for a night).
Matt cooked us up the meanest steaks any of us had ever tasted anywhere while we had drinks and nibbles watching the sunset and chatting. Soon we dine and Danielle takes care of the tables while Matt serves the steaks.
After dinner its up onto the top deck for a laze in the 8-person spa and a few more drinks. After the spa it�s back onto the main deck where the rear lighting of the boat has attracted 4 sharks (one about 4 metres long) and a saltwater crocodile also about 4 metres that lurks 20 metres way waiting for anyone fancying a nighttime swim. There are also countless small fish bouncing out of the water all over the place. For fun time Matt and Dean head down onto the landing platform where Matt dangles a paddle. Very quickly old salty is upto the boat and leaps out of the water to try and grab the paddle. Twice this happens and then its decided that he is too dangerous and we leave him be.
Well time to turn in but not being used to the ships generator, despite the nice big bed, we only get about 5 hours sleep in two bites.
5 am and everyone is up on deck with cameras ready for the sunrise. After sunrise it�s a coffee and toast before a 7 am departure in �Catatonic� for the falls with Michael at the wheel. There is no really accurate way to describe the ride through the falls other than to say it is like uphill white water rafting with a 450 hp speedboat. Apart from one lady we all enjoyed it so much that we did it 4 times. We had a close look at the second fall but due to a mishap with another boat a number of weeks earlier operators have been told that if they go through and anything goes wrong the department of transport would make an example of them. That to one side we still got close enough to have a real good look and feel the force of 4 million Litres per second flowing WOW!
Falls accomplished its back to Discovery1 for a cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs YUM.
After breakfast we are taken on a 1-hour cruise of Talbot Bay where we saw a Dugong, had a look at Slug Island and a look at Head Rock. On the way back we cruised past the Paspaley Pearl farm (no free sampling). Then we head for the falls again where there is a 10 minute change over in the 13 metre tide and its almost flat calm and level from one side to another so of course we talk Michael into taking us through them again. Well its time to head upto the creek where we �think� �Mad Max� Kevin will land. Well we cruise the creek all the while Michael is looking over his shoulder for a plane. Then the radio crackles and we here a plane call in but its not Kevin but Adam (who originated from Carey Gully, Adelaide). Today is Kevin�s day off so we have Adam to drop the new people off and pick us up. So we have to rush back to Discovery1 for an additional helper as Adam lands on Talbot Bay and that means a boat to plane transfer without the pontoon which is up the creek. A number of people showed relief that careful Adam was picking us up and not �Mad Max�. Ian (that�s me) got the co pilots seat back and we had a great flight. I got on well with Adam who new some people that I know. Christine and I had been looking forward to another encounter with Kevin but never the less we enjoyed the flight with Adam who too is a good pilot.
Well if you have got to here then thanks for taking the time and we hope you enjoyed it.A final comment is that we considered it outstanding and better than the Grand Canyon last year. Sir David Attenborough describes the falls as �one of the greatest natural wonders of the world�
Posted by Picasa
Well now its time to tell you all about our overnight trip to the Horizontal Falls 45 minutes flying time North of the town of Derby, so make a coffee and sit back and we hope enjoy. Oh as a bonus we have included a panoramic picture of Talbot bay that we stitched together from 5 photographs taken from the rear of our floating hotel Discovery1.
We began at Derby airport on Wednesday at 3.30pm where we boarded a 10 person Cessna single engine turbo prop seaplane. Before going on board we met a couple in the departure lounge who we had met once before on our first nights bush camp in February at Iron Knob and who we had not seen since but they were on this trip too!!!
A volunteer was need for the co pilot�s seat and �shy Christine� took it. The pilot was Kevin owner of Derby Seaplanes a real character and Ex Stunt Pilot? Kevin started by telling us that he had never landed a floatplane before so he just might have to �dip� the floats in the river on the way out! Well 5 minutes into the air we found ourselves heading downwards towards a small mangrove lined river just a touch wider than the wings of the plane. As we got lower than the mangrove Cathy the lady alongside me with the window seat said �I think he� really going to land!� Yep that�s our Kevin we are roaring along the river (glad I wasn�t in a dingy fishing that spot) and then we are roaring back into the sky headed for King Sound and hopefully the falls. Kevin looks back at his amazed passengers and says � How�s that shall we go for the real thing now?� a roar of �go for it Kevin� was heard above the engine sound.
Well the flight across King Sound and Buccaneer Archipelago as well as Dugong Bay and Stokes Bay and endless tidal mud flats (13 metre tides) was delightful just gazing on such spectacular scenery from 4,000 feet.
Before we knew it we were over the Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Waterfalls. At this point Kevin struts his stuff and we are circling the falls in multiple directions and mostly with one or other wing pointing downwards. The falls look just as they did on all the picture postcards. Let me explain for those who don�t know, they are called the horizontal falls as it is tidal water flowing between two cliff faces that make a restriction and with the rapid tidal flow the difference in water height from one side to the other is about 5 metres on the second fall and 2 metres on the first with a small bay between the 2 falls.
Well we saw the falls and now to land, most people would assume that the vast expanse of Talbot Bay makes a perfect landing site but remember we are with Kevin! Suddenly he flips the plane into what can be best described as a downward, rapid sideways spiral between two cliff faces with metres to spare on either side and lands us on a small back stream creek. Well done Kevin we all survived although a couple of the people with weaker constitutions are slightly paler than when we began. Christine was busy photographing the cliff face and I am just hanging on and enjoying the ride (much to my amazement). I should say at this point Kevin is a brilliant pilot with over 25,000 hours flying and we would fly with him anytime anywhere.
We taxi to a pontoon where we are met with Michael and �The Catatonic� a twin hulled speed boat boasting twin outboards totaling 450 Horse Power. We get on board Catatonic while 10 people on a short trip get on board with Kevin for the flight back to Derby. Michael informs us that Kevin is renowned for his ability to drop in and land anywhere and sometimes unannounced. As we watch Kevin begin his run up towards the cliff face Michael says lets give him a race for the photographs. Now we have a seaplane and �Catatonic� roaring side by side up a creek. Eventually Kevin wins and takes off just clearing the ground cover on the cliff face and disappearing sideways up a Gorge.
Michael now roars us out into Talbot bay for our first up close look at the falls. As the falls will be better (wilder) in the morning its decided not to go through till the morning so we head for Discovery1 where we are greeted by Melissa one of our hosts and Dean the ships engineer who welcome us aboard. Melissa escorts each couple to their cabins (we had Dampier Room) and then its upstairs for complimentary champagne and a meeting with Matt our other host. Matt gives us some safety information and stay details and then takes names for the bar charge and evening meal requirements. Poor Matt who is about 24 but only looks 16, when he says we get our drinks and give our name and pay before departing tomorrow. First mans name Ian, second mans name Ian believe it or not out of 5 men 4 are called Ian (poor Gerald) so it has to be couples names. We had Ian and Christine, Ian and Kerry, Ian and Cathy, Ian and Carol and Gerald and Kate (we thought we should make Gerald an honorary Ian for a night).
Matt cooked us up the meanest steaks any of us had ever tasted anywhere while we had drinks and nibbles watching the sunset and chatting. Soon we dine and Danielle takes care of the tables while Matt serves the steaks.
After dinner its up onto the top deck for a laze in the 8-person spa and a few more drinks. After the spa it�s back onto the main deck where the rear lighting of the boat has attracted 4 sharks (one about 4 metres long) and a saltwater crocodile also about 4 metres that lurks 20 metres way waiting for anyone fancying a nighttime swim. There are also countless small fish bouncing out of the water all over the place. For fun time Matt and Dean head down onto the landing platform where Matt dangles a paddle. Very quickly old salty is upto the boat and leaps out of the water to try and grab the paddle. Twice this happens and then its decided that he is too dangerous and we leave him be.
Well time to turn in but not being used to the ships generator, despite the nice big bed, we only get about 5 hours sleep in two bites.
5 am and everyone is up on deck with cameras ready for the sunrise. After sunrise it�s a coffee and toast before a 7 am departure in �Catatonic� for the falls with Michael at the wheel. There is no really accurate way to describe the ride through the falls other than to say it is like uphill white water rafting with a 450 hp speedboat. Apart from one lady we all enjoyed it so much that we did it 4 times. We had a close look at the second fall but due to a mishap with another boat a number of weeks earlier operators have been told that if they go through and anything goes wrong the department of transport would make an example of them. That to one side we still got close enough to have a real good look and feel the force of 4 million Litres per second flowing WOW!
Falls accomplished its back to Discovery1 for a cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs YUM.
After breakfast we are taken on a 1-hour cruise of Talbot Bay where we saw a Dugong, had a look at Slug Island and a look at Head Rock. On the way back we cruised past the Paspaley Pearl farm (no free sampling). Then we head for the falls again where there is a 10 minute change over in the 13 metre tide and its almost flat calm and level from one side to another so of course we talk Michael into taking us through them again. Well its time to head upto the creek where we �think� �Mad Max� Kevin will land. Well we cruise the creek all the while Michael is looking over his shoulder for a plane. Then the radio crackles and we here a plane call in but its not Kevin but Adam (who originated from Carey Gully, Adelaide). Today is Kevin�s day off so we have Adam to drop the new people off and pick us up. So we have to rush back to Discovery1 for an additional helper as Adam lands on Talbot Bay and that means a boat to plane transfer without the pontoon which is up the creek. A number of people showed relief that careful Adam was picking us up and not �Mad Max�. Ian (that�s me) got the co pilots seat back and we had a great flight. I got on well with Adam who new some people that I know. Christine and I had been looking forward to another encounter with Kevin but never the less we enjoyed the flight with Adam who too is a good pilot.
Well if you have got to here then thanks for taking the time and we hope you enjoyed it.A final comment is that we considered it outstanding and better than the Grand Canyon last year. Sir David Attenborough describes the falls as �one of the greatest natural wonders of the world�
Posted by Picasa
posted by Bodyguard & Misty @ 12:11 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home