05 Jul 2025

A Zodiac Adventure Through Talbot Bay and the Horizontal Falls

Our Kimberley Explorer voyage saw us enjoy a day of two halves surrounded by the phenomenal geology of the Kimberley Coast. Starting our day at Talbot Bay with Heritage Adventurer located just off Slug Island, we headed off for a Zodiac exploration of the famed Horizontal Falls and Cyclone Creek. First, we saw the falls with hardly any flow and then returned for the spectacle created during the peak ebb tide. With a 4-metre tidal range, there was a significant difference in the water flow and experiencing the difference in rapids was a thrill for all.

Cyclone Creek was a delight with the iconic Kimberley Rose in bloom, Short-eared Rock-wallabies poking out of their holes to see what all the fuss what's about, and of course enjoying the myriads of rock formations as the sandstone layers had been pushed and pulled forming ribbons throughout the cliff side.

Our afternoon exploration through Dugong Bay saw lovely observations of enormous, mature apple mangroves, and various birds of prey, including the White-bellied Sea Eagle with its fluffy leg attire, and striking rock formations once again. We were probably about 200 years late to the search for Dugongs in Dugong Bay, but we were happy to explore this beautiful part of the Kimberley Coast. Ending the Zodiac cruise through a mangrove channel, we headed back to our floating home basking in the pink-orange hues of the sunset.

Images © E. Bell, Heritage Expeditions