Horizontal Falls

Natural phenomenon in Western Australia where spring tides create a waterfall

The Horizontal Falls, or Horizontal Waterfalls, nicknamed the "Horries" and known as Garaanngaddim by the local Indigenous people, are an unusual natural phenomenon on the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, where tidal flows cause waterfalls on the ebb and flow of each tide. The Lalang garram / Horizontal Falls Marine Park is a protected area covering the falls and wider area.

The falls form when seawater rushes through two short and narrow gorges which are about apart from each other. They are located in the coastal McLarty Ranges situated within Talbot Bay (Ganbadba) within the Buccaneer Archipelago. The seaward gap is about wide and the landward one is about

The natural phenomenon is caused by the changing local sea level due to tides of up to The water builds up on one side or the other of the gaps faster than it can flow through them, creating a waterfall up to high. With each change of the tide, the direction of the falls reverses from inflow to outflow and back again. The Horizontal Falls have been described by naturalist David Attenborough as "one of the greatest wonders of the natural world". On May 27 2022, the Falls Express was conducting a tour of the natural phenomenon, about 250km north east of Broome, when it ran into trouble with 26 passengers and two crew on board. The vessel appeared to have collided with a rock wall. More than a dozen tourists were left with critical injuries and required surgery. The safe rescue of passengers was made more difficult due to the falls remote location and accessibility only by sea and air. The presence of box jellyfish and estuarine crocodiles at the falls made rescue efforts more urgent. Beginning in 2026, the West Australian government will ban boats from traversing the iconic Horizontal Falls on the Kimberley coast. The Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the traditional owners of the area, pushed for the boat pass tours to be stopped because it was a sacred area.

The Kimberley Marine Park is a Commonwealth government area covered by the national EPBC Act, covering an expanse of ocean outside the limits of the Camden Sound and other state parks, stretching from south of King Sound to nearly the top of the North Kimberley Marine Park. This area consists mostly of Multiple Use Zone (IUCN VI), but also includes sections of national park (IUCN II) and Habitat Protection (IUCN IV) zones, the latter two mostly just outside the Camden Sound and King Sound areas.

The Lalang garram / Horizontal Falls Marine Park is jointly managed by the Government of Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (formerly the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW)) via its agency, the Parks and Wildlife Service and the traditional owners of the land and waters, the Dambimangari (Worrorra) group. The Dambimangari people chose the name "Lalang garram", being a Worrorra word meaning “the saltwater as a spiritual place as well as a place of natural abundance”, relating to the ocean in a general sense. The Horizontal Falls are known as Garaanngaddim by the Dambimangari, and the Lalang garram / Horizontal Falls and North Lalang garram Marine Parks lie within their native title determination area. The two marine parks were declared by the Government of Western Australia. In 2020, a new management plan was released, titled Lalang gaddam Marine Park: Amended joint management plan for the Lalang garram / Camden Sound, Lalang garram / Horizontal Falls and North Lalang garram marine parks and indicative joint management plan for the proposed Maiyalam Marine Park. It was published ahead of the gazettal of the proposed Maiyalam Marine Park under the CALM Act as a Class A reserve. Under the new arrangements, the zoning of the Camden Sound park would not change, but the plan is now to amalgamate the four marine parks (Lalang garram / Horizontal Falls Marine Park, North Lalang garram Marine Park and the new Maiyalam Marine Park) to form the Lalang gaddam Marine Park, all in the sea country of the Dambeemangarddee people. This plan will be amended by another 10 year final joint management plan. Injuries included broken bones and head injuries.