Apologies for the long wait, but here comes a cracker of an adventure!
Our first big trip in our boat was the Buccaneer Archipelago (see earlier blog). We ventured back there about 10 months later to explore the Archipelago all the way to the Horizontal Falls and the Montgomery Reef. The later we missed out on, you’ll understand throughout the blog why.
We decided to launch from Deep Water Point on the Peninsula north of Broome instead of in Derby like we did last time. We were allowed to leave our Ute and trailer at the Paspaley Pearl Farm.
The ride across Kings Sound was way quicker and smoother than from Derby. We headed straight to Strickland Bay, via Cone Bay, giving Usborne Bay a miss this time.
In Strickland Bay we finally found the “Graveyards”, the local name for the Edeline Islands. The pearlers who worked and died in this area in the 19th century are buried here. Diving for pearls was incredibly dangerous work back then; it still is but equipment and safety measures have improved a lot.
anchored up 
getting the boots on for an explore 
A century has passed and the graves are still here 
visited by many exploring this area, thinking of the poor souls 
Who lived, worked and died in this beautiful but harsh area 
To harvest the famous pearls. 
they are buried in one of the most beautiful places on Earth 
on a tiny but stunning island 
in the middle of the Buccaneer Archipelago 
the beach (only dry on low tide) features some incredible rock shapes 
We stayed in Strickland Bay for the night and headed off north early the next morning. Again, we had to get through Whirlpool Pass, this time we got the tide right and it was a smooth ride.
We stopped in a nice bay for the night and enjoyed Spaghetti Bolognese.
In the late evening the weather changed, and a storm came in fast and heavy. We had a tarp with us we rigged up while getting soaked. It created a nice area sheltered from the wind and most of the rain where we could rug up in our sleeping bags on the chairs and sit it out. It was a cooold night. We didn’t get much sleep amongst the torrential rain and heavy winds.
We were wet and cold in the morning. A hot coffee and porridge helped warming up and we headed off towards Dog Leg where the fuel barge is located.
On the way we found a hidden creek we missed on our last trip and found big, delicious Oysters which we had straight off the rocks.
We filled up at Dog Leg and then ventured further north than we had on our last trip up here. Through the channel between the Archipelago and Koolan Island (mining) we reached the heart of the Buccaneer, where the Horizontal Falls are located.
Yes you have to call up, before docking.
I forgot to tell you about our sleeping arrangement on the boat… If the weather allows, we blow up the mattresses and sleep on the floor of the boat. More often than not the situation (weather, tricky anchorage, etc) doesn’t allow us this comfort and we sleep in our camping chairs.
We got some cheap blow-up mattresses and sleeping bags, the mattresses lack a mouthpiece so we need a pump. We call our pump the ‘donkey’ because of the noise it makes. It brought us to tears from laughing every night we used it!
In the morning we explored Dugong Bay. We came past a dry waterfall and wished we could see the waterfall running after the wet season, it must look marvelous.
Time to move on to the next bay – Talbot Bay, the home of the Horizontal Falls.
Halfway into Talbot Bay where another sidearm splits off we stopped to have some of the Rock Cod for lunch – deliciously sizzled on the hotplate. I was in for a shock, and nearly dropped our plates when I turned to the back of the boat to do the dishes. There, just a couple metres from the boat floated a crocodile!
I truly am sorry to stop right before we make it to the horizontal falls. Our adventure turns out to be too big for one blog! You’ll have to check in next week again for the second half of our trip.
Explored June 2024, written September 2026
I’m very happy we are doing it again.