TIDES AND TOURISM AT THE UNIQUE HORIZONTAL FALLS OF THE KIMBERLEY COAST - NW WESTERN AUSTRALIA

In 2008 naturalist David Attenborough encountered the Horizontal Falls while gathering information for a BBC series on Australia. He listed the Falls as “one of the greatest wonders of the natural world”. That recommendation boosted the tourism potential of the Horizontal Falls and placed them on the list of “must see” places to visit. Take your students to the Horizontal Falls so they can recognise the unique nature of tidal changes and physical geography causing the rush of water through the narrow gaps. The increased interest in the area has resulted in accommodation and and access facilities near the entrance to the Falls. However, tourism is seasonal in an area where the wet season of the incoming monsoon is also a season of cyclones. Find out how tourist operators adapt to the wet/dry nature of the climate. Take your students on a ride through the Horizontal Falls - bumps and all. The attachment page is provided for student copy. This is one title in the series on the Kimberley coastline. If you find the impact of huge variations in tidal levels interesting you can also screen the title on the nearby Montgomery Reef.