Tag: Fishing (Page 3 of 5)

Anna Branch Catch

March 15, 2008 / trevor

I took Pommy Paul out last night to catch some cherabin, and it turned into a great night’s fishing. We got to Anna Branch at around 5pm with a kayak and pottered around, flicking a few lures and just generally waiting until dusk until the cherabin came on. At around 7pm, I landed about 10 reasonable sized cherabin, destined for the fishtank along with a 25cm catfish I’d caught on a spangled perch live bait at 6:00. Naturally, 9 cherabin went into the bucket and one onto a 4/0 hook and into the water. Within 5 minutes, the line was twitching and within 10 minutes I had landed a very nice 65cm barra!

I was ecstatic as it was my first barra for the year (with really very little effort), and Paul – who comes from the Isle of Man and loves his salmon fishing – was looking very excited and much more interested in catching a barra than catching a cherabin. We fished out another cherabin from the bucket, and I rigged up his rod – which was pretty light-on with 8kg mono line – with some 80kg leader and another 4/0 hook. Out it went… and within 10 minutes Paul was on as well! He played it beautifully, with the drag a little loose because of the line weight. It put on a great show, jumping three times trying to shake the hook before Paul bought it alongside the bank and I scooped it into the net (I’m not silly – we may have been cherabin hunting, but the landing net goes everywhere!). Amazingly, we couldn’t even brag about who caught the biggest fish, because Paul’s measured exactly the same – 65cm! So there we go – two barra caught on live bait from the same spot within 20 minutes of each other. Paul can send photos to his family back home and is now officially part of the Barra Club!

A Good Day Out

November 25, 2007 / trevor

With work pretty busy at the moment, it’s been hard to get out fishing. However, with Tim and I purchasing Troy’s boat (he’s off to Perth at the end of the year), we were keen to take it out for a spin. We took it up to the gorge, and had a great morning of fishing – seven barra on, with four landed (two for me, two for Tim). While the ones we landed weren’t huge, there was one at 57cm (pictured) that will fit nicely into the oven whole. We’ll be heading back to one particular snag, as I lost one that looked huge from the size of the head I saw! We capped off the day quite well by finishing a respectable third out of 13 at the local quiz night (and we only had a table of four rather than six to eight!).

Very happy with the day’s events.

Weekend in Looma

September 24, 2007 / trevor

Emma and I travelled to Looma with a few other teachers (Troy, Sally, Caromy and Marcus) for a weekend of sun, fishing and relaxation. We arrived on Saturday afternoon, the only drama being a(nother) flat tyre on Marcus’s beast (6 this year!) on the way in. Troy joined us from his business in Looma that evening and we enjoyed another great camp meal cooked by Emma.

The next day Troy and I went fishing (getting only slightly bogged in the process) while the rest of the crew set up another camp in a great little spot. Troy landed two small barra and lost one, and I lost one – not bad in an hour’s fishing!

To see all the photos, see the photos.hinchy.org page, and there are also additional ones at Sally’s FaceBook page!

It’s been a while…

September 19, 2007 / trevor

…since my last size barra! It only just fell inside the maximum allowed as well at 79cm. It took 20 minutes to land, with a team effort required from Troy and myself – after it jumped, it took off straight into a huge root system and lodged itself in there. Drifting over, we could see the barra in the water it the root system. Eventually Troy dropped a 100 pound handline with a sinker attached straight onto it and it took off again into open water. An interesting catch!

Early Morning Fish

September 8, 2007 / trevor

With the weather starting to warm up, the barra have begun to come out again. Over the past few weeks, we’ve managed to land no fewer than 7 barra, but alas, none have been size! Tim and I got up early this morning to take the boat up to the gorge, launching at 5am. The trend continued, with Tim landing a small barra at around 7:30am, and I landed a 45cm at around 12:30pm. In between, we had a few strikes with no reward, and I caught a couple of good bream – one was a perfect pan size, so we cooked it in the boat on the portable stove for a top breakfast. The other came in at a very respectable 32cm.

There were a few interesting catches along the way – trolling past the Geikie Gorge rockwall, with the echo sounder showing 30 foot of water, and trolling with a lure that dived to only 3 foot, I hooked a 30cm catfish. It seemed quite a strange place to catch a catty. The other quite ridiculous catch came just after I landed my barra. We were flicking lures in the area in the hope of catching another, when I felt a light touch on the line. Slightly confused when it continued to slightly tug at the barra lure, I reeled in to find a bream had tried a suicidal feat by trying to hit a lure that was actually bigger than it!

An enjoyable morning of fishing!

Darwin to Alice

September 2, 2007 / terry

Thursday 16 August to Saturday 18 August – Corroboree Billabong

We packed up (a big job after a full fortnight in the one place) and drove out along the Arnhem Highway to Corroboree Billabong. This beautiful place is part of the Mary River Wetlands system, upstream of Shady Camp. It consists of a number of interconnected billabongs, usually around 3 metres deep but up to 10 metres deep in places. Camping is possible on either side of the system and accessed by a 20km stretch of good gravel from the highway.

We arrived to find an excellent concrete boat ramp, a fleet of houseboats for hire and a steady stream of boats launching and retrieving. The word in the local papers was that Corroboree was fishing well for barra in the 60-75cm range with the water starting to warm up. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was less exciting with possible rain forecast for Saturday. We found an excellent shady camp site far enough back from the water to be safe from crocodiles and set up. We assembled the boat on the trailer but delayed fishing until the next day. As night fell, the insects moved in. Being part of a huge wetland system, the mossies were rife. We quickly found that the repellent and mossie coils would not cope. They went up the nose, in the ears and got stuck in the corners of the eyes. Under very trying conditions, we erected the screen enclosure and locked ourselves in. The noise of the insects hammering against the screen trying to get to us was bad enough. It seems as though the drill will be to prepare tea before dark and then stay behind screening for the night.

Friday morning greeted us with dull overcast skies and the distant rumble of thunder. The temperature had dropped to a level that puts barra to sleep. Despite this, we launched the boat and spent a very pleasant morning trying hard to wake them up. There were lots of others out and about as well and no one was doing any better than us. The only fish caught was a 45cm sleepy cod, a northern species of freshwater gudgeon. As the name suggests, it fought like a paper bag. The fish guide gave it the thumbs up for edibility so we kept it for lunch. By the time we got back to camp, the chance of rain looked much higher. We cooked up the sleepy cod, It proved to have very white flesh in big flakes and was quite tasty, certainly worth eating.

By the afternoon, the rain had set in, light at first and causing little nuisance because of the lack of wind. We drove back to the highway to get some generator fuel at the roadhouse and found stretches that varied from becoming slushy to bone dry. The rain increased to the point where we were mopping up around the place and getting thoroughly fed up. This was our second lot of top-end unseasonal rain. In fact, we were getting off lightly, with some areas receiving 25mm. The system that caused it then drifted South East and caused extensive flooding and damage down in Southern Queensland.

We decided to stay on for Saturday and give everything a chance to dry out. Back on the billabong, the sun had brought out all the wildlife. The birds were in great numbers and we marvelled at the magpie geese and jabiru storks. The warm weather was encouraging the crocs too, and we realised just what a large population the billabong supports. At one point, I wanted to navigate down a narrow channel to get to another billabong. The channel narrowed to about 4 metres across but right on the point was a crocodile of equal size. In a boat that measures only 3.1 metres, we took the safety option and turned around. Another time we saw a bloated wallaby travelling at speed cross the top of the water. The explanation for this strange sight proved to be a crocodile carrying his prize away to be consumed.

The fishing proved no better than the previous day. Despite the lack of barra, the experience of fishing Corroboree is not to be missed. The scenery and wildlife is incredible. I’m not sure I’d hire a houseboat here though, with the insect issue at night and the hesitation at sitting our on a low balcony at night with the crocs. All in all, a place we would both like to come back to.

Sunday 19 August to Thursday 23 August – Katherine

Leaving Corroboree, it was a quick run back down south to Katherine. We booked in for the third time to the Riverview Tourist Park. We always stay here because it is shady, comfortable and is only a stroll out the back gate to the hot springs. In reality, it is a short ride to the hot springs because we always ride our bikes. This is an effortless cruise downhill to the springs (I actually hit 45 kph one time) but a low-gear grind back to the top of the hill on the return.

We had Monday to ourselves and occupied ourselves by taking an extended bike ride around the river, through the Low Level Park and across the far embankment to re-cross the river at the old railway bridge. Katherine is very well provided for in terms of cycle ways and we have made excellent use of them. On Wednesday, we made arrangements to have the car serviced at a dealer some 7kms from the camp. Again we made use of the cycle ways and cycled to and from the car place to drop off and pick up.

Tuesday and Thursday were work days at Clyde Fenton Primary School. We had a Year 6/7 class. The staff welcomed us back from our previous work there and we knew our way around the school so we quickly settled in. The class was a terrific group of kids and once again we thoroughly enjoyed our time teaching. The kids certainly seem to appreciate that they are getting two teachers and we find it both easy and enjoyable to work together. We seem to instinctively know when the other should take charge and balance the load very well. We have plans to return to Katherine next year and look forward to working at both Clyde Fenton and MacFarlane again.

Friday 24 August to Saturday 25 August – Katherine to Alice Springs

We spent three days driving south on the Stuart Highway, stopping briefly at Larimah to look at an interesting museum reflecting the tiny town’s past as a communications and rail link. Another diversion was the Tennant Creek Overland Telegraph Station, a spectacular collection of buildings preserved in near original condition and displaying the lonely life of the telegraph operators. We had hoped to find some photographic record of the telegraph operators during WWII since my Father had been stationed there during the war. Alas, this aspect of Tennant Creek’s history seems to be overlooked and we found nothing save a few photos of troops in transit.

Another amazing place was the Daly Waters Pub. This incredible building was at one time an international flight terminal for QANTAS. It is hard to imagine the most well-heeled of travellers soaking up the ambience of the place as it was then. Now however, it is a priceless treasure. It contains an extensive collection of memorabilia from the thousands of travellers who have passed this way, including bras, undies, thongs, credit cards, passports, money, medicare cards….you name it and it’s there. I went off to the loo for a pee and was surprised by the sight of a young bloke painting the walls. He ignored me while I did the business before dryly saying “They say that a man who paints the toilet is a shithouse painter.” This comment seemed to sum up the whole place. We did a very unusual thing for us and had a beer before driving off for the next leg of our journey.

We spent two nights on the road, one at the magnificent Devil’s Marbles. I had heard from other travellers that these were a disappointment but we followed the advice of the guide books and ensured that we stayed overnight in order to catch both the sunset and the dawn over the rocks. It proved to be one of the highlights of the trip. The formations are amazing, not as big as many of the tourist promotions suggest but possessing a very changeable beauty as the light changes. Once again we got the bikes out and spent the afternoon riding amongst the numerous granite formations. The night time temperature is starting to drop once again so a camp fire kept us happy into the evening.

Sunday 26 August to Tuesday 28 August – Alice Springs

We reached Alice around noon on Sunday. With camp set up. We headed into town to explore. The place was rather quiet, being Sunday afternoon but there was sufficient open to keep us interested. Alice is much bigger than I had expected and seems to have all facilities one would require. The central CBD is certainly dominated by Aboriginal Art Galleries, mostly staffed by distinctly white staff. We found a number of aboriginal families sitting on the central grassed areas offering paintings that they claimed as their own and after some inspections and negotiations bought a small painting as a memento.

On Monday, we explored Alice further and took a trip out into the East MacDonald Ranges to Emmas Gap and Jessie Gap. Both were interesting features but after nearly four months of gorges we are a bit “gorged out”.

Tuesday morning we had planned as a trip highlight – hot air ballooning at dawn. This meant getting up at 4:30 to be ready for a 5am pick-up. The recent minimum temperatures of 1 or 2 degrees had us worried but luckily the weather had warmed and we could expect a very comfortable 6 or 7. With several layers of clothing and a beanie each, we waited out the front for the bus.The trip had two options; the half hour flight or the one hour flight. We figured half and hour of floating away with little to no control was enough. Each balloon was capable of carrying 16 passengers and a pilot in a segmented wicker basket. The bus arrived towing a trailer with the basket aboard and the balloon stuffed into a large canvas bag. Once out into the desert, the pilot launched a couple of helium filled balloons fitted with LEDs to track the wind before selecting a launch site. Then it was a matter of setting up the gear and inflating the balloon. I got the job of holding the balloon up in the air until the hot air would support itself. The heat from the burners was welcome at first but before long I started to feel like a crumpet. Once the balloon reared overhead, the pilot called for “all aboard” and we clambered over into the wicker basket. Thankfully, it was still dark because I don’t think the sight of lots of ballooning newbies spilling over into the basket was all that inspiring. Christine and I were still wondering what was next when I suddenly realised that we were off the ground and moving away.

The flight and the sight of the approaching dawn was amazing and justified the whole experience. We looked out over Alice Springs and the East MacDonald Ranges as the balloon drifted away at a lazy 10kph. The burners continued to lift us up to around 2000ft before the descent commenced. The pilot was in constant radio contact with the bus and as we drifted North-West and descended, he directed the bus along tracks, through gates and across the desert to the predicted landing site. They had obviously done this before because everything went smoothly, although the 10 metres drag across the ground on landing was interesting. Once down, everyone was pressed into service to deflate the balloon and pack things away. Once done, we headed off to a bush camp site nearby where a sumptuous champagne and chicken breakfast awaited. This was a never-to-be forgotten experience and one that I would recommend to all. What a blast!

With breakfast over, we broke camp and hit the road again, heading West to the West MacDonald Ranges.

Darwin and Surrounds

August 27, 2007 / terry

Monday 6 August to Monday 13 August

Ron and Dorothy flew in to Darwin on Monday afternoon. We picked them up and drove back out to Tumbling Waters at Berry Springs. Their chalet proved to be terrific, with two bedrooms, a good bathroom, a basic kitchen and barbecue. We stopped at Coolalinga along the way to stock up the larder. Christine and Dorothy had negotiated a division of labour when it comes to cooking and feed lots. Ron and I just bought what ever we felt like eating.

For the next week and a bit, we made day trips out of Tumbling Waters to the nearby attractions and as far a field as Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park.

Territory Wildlife Park

What an amazing place. Ron and Dorothy had been before but Christine and I had dismissed it as “just another zoo”. How wrong we were! The park covers a huge area and the displays are well spread out. Access around the park is via a circuit train that you can hop on an off at will. A highlight for all of us was the aquarium which displays fish and reptile life of the freshwater environments of the Northern Territory. The aquarium features a walkthrough tunnel that allows the viewing of 2 metre sawfish as they glide over head and huge barramundi lazing amongst the fallen timber. Another stand-out display was a 4 metre saltwater crocodile in a glass fronted display. When we were there, he was lying on the bottom of the water but would rise slowly to the surface every 10 minutes or so to get a breath, before sinking silently down again.

,p>We all marvelled at the enormous walk-in aviary, set in a section of monsoon rain-forest. The display is organised so that a raised walk way gradually climbs higher and higher until it is up at the level of the forest canopy and allows a close up inspection of birds at all levels of the forest. The birds seem quite at home with all the human visitors. Several times a day, a show is put on with a number of trained raptors. These free flying birds wheel around the amphitheatre in return for a few tiny morsels of meat. The wedgetail eagle was the definite crowd favourite.

Oil Tunnels

We toured the Oil Tunnel display at Stokes Hill. After the bombing of Darwin in 1942 and the loss of a large amount of oil it was decided to dig 7 huge tunnels under Stokes Hill to use as oil reservoirs. Unfortunately, these were not complete until after the war and so were never used for their intended purpose. One has now been set up with a photographic display of war-time Darwin. The tunnel itself is of staggering proportions, at some 170 metres long and 10 metres in diameter. It would have held a huge quantity of oil. The display is rather moving and one gets the sense that the series of bombings that Darwin suffered have been all too easily forgotten. The loss of over 200 lives was not widely known in Australia at the time. It seems to me that Aussies making pilgrimages here each anniversary may have more relevance today that remembering the Gallipoli fiasco.

Fishing

We hired a 4.3 metre boat and towed it East to fish the Finnis River in the fresh water. We had put out some traps the previous night in the hope of getting a few cherrabin for live bait but without success. Things weren’t looking up either when the temperature gauge on the sounder read 25 degrees in the river, somewhat colder than desirable to get barra active. After a bit of a cruise along the river (and sighting a couple of salties) we decided to pull out and launch in nearby Bynoe Harbour and try bait fishing. This proved little better with only a few small cod a javelin fish and one bream. Despite the meagre catch, we had a great day exploring the different water ways and observing the abundant birdlife.

Darwin Wharf

No visit to Darwin is complete without at least one visit to the wharf for fish and chips or a Laksa. We made two trips and where never disappointed with the quality and price. On one trip, our curiosity was aroused by the sight of a naval &quotrubber-duck&quot coming alongside a dilapidated fishing boat and putting a 6 man boarding party aboard. The fishing boat crew appeared to be middle aged Aussie types more at home in Nimbin than the water. After 20 minutes or so and several parades past the wharf, the navy left the vessel alone. There was much speculation amongst the diners as to the story behind the event.

Kakadu

We spent a couple of days in Kakadu, staying overnight in a chalet in a caravan park in Jabiru. Jabiru is quite a substantial town these days with most facilities. Ron and Dorothy struggled with some of the walking required for the many sights in Kakadu but battled on bravely through several lengthy walks. We marvelled at the incredible rock art galleries at Ubirr and Nourlangie. So much of the scenery in Kakadu one feels familiar with because of the amount of media exposure the place receives. The views from Ubirr and Nourlangie are great examples of this with the escarpment views and wetland plains being very familiar. However, the real thing certainly beats the pictures.

We gazed upon the seemingly endless wetlands filled with an abundance of bird life. We spent ages learning more about the ecology and history of Arnhem Land in the Interpretive Centre. This display is the finest of its kind I have seen anywhere and quickly captivates visitors with the variety and creativity of the displays. By the time we had returned to Tumbling Waters, we were exhausted, with 600kms and many hours walking behind us. Kakadu remains over rated to my mind but we did agree that there was more to see and do than our previous fleeting visit had uncovered. Perhaps too, we bring a wealth of top-end experience with us so many of the things that Kakadu offers we take for granted. What is brought out by the Kakadu experience is the importance of the three great river systems the Park serves to preserve. These are rated as among the most pristine ecologies on Earth and I would not doubt it.

Wangi Falls

We had toured Litchfield National Park before so we decided to skip the main tour and just take a day trip down to Wangi Falls. We took the unsealed back road from Berri Springs, saving a lot of kilometres and time but costing a tyre. Wangi Falls were crowded with tourists, many of whom were swimming. Both falls were flowing well. Ron and Dorothy relaxed and read while Christine and I swam over to get a dunking under the main fall. Great scenery, great picnic, great day.

Mandorah

Mandorah is a small settlement of largely holiday shacks and rural retreats across the harbour from Darwin and serviced by a ferry from Cullen Bay or accessed via 120km road around the bottom of the harbour. The Darwin media is suggesting that Mandorah is about to become the Manly of the NT and that a real estate boom is fast approaching. Others suggest a bridge to rival Sydney’s is on the cards. We were drawn to Mandorah by the promise of fish and chips at the pub. We found a Mandorah that has a very long way to go to rival Manly and a pub that has clearly seen better days. Despite this, we enjoyed a pleasant meal overlooking Darwin Harbour with the Darwin skyline in the distance.

Tuesday 14 August to Wednesday 15 August

We put Ron and Dorothy aboard a plane on Tuesday, Ron well in the grips of a cold and Dorothy looking like succumbing. We had a busy but thoroughly enjoyable week and had managed to escape any family feuds (mainly because they did what they were told). Wednesday was spent organising our gear and preparing for life on the road once again. Work in Katherine was beckoning and time starting to run out. We figured we just had time to get over to Corroboree Billabong for a few days fishing before the move South.

The Bungles and Keep River

July 25, 2007 / terry

Saturday 7 July to Sunday 8 July

We had a terrific flight back to Kununurra from Kalumburu and got a lift with Sue the pilot out to Wendy’s place at Crossing Falls. Jackie, the Deputy from Kalumburu was also on the flight and had time to kill until her flight to Darwin at 2pm so she tagged along. Both Fred and Wendy were in Perth so we set up our camp out the back and organised our life in readiness for a return to life on the road.

The first task was to head into town to Kimberley Fine Diamonds. Unfortunately, Christine had discovered that the diamond from her engagement ring had disappeared somewhere along the way. The fact that this occurred in the heart of diamond country struck me as something of a coincidence but I played along with the ruse. We looked at trays contained an endless array of diamonds in all sizes and colours. The most expensive I saw was $107,000 but luckily the setting wouldn’t take it. As it was, we ended up buying a bigger diamond and arranging to have the setting changed. The work would be done while we were away in the Bungle Bungles so we could pick it up on our way back through Kununurra. Ah well, what’s another day’s work (or even three day’s work).

With the shopping complete, we gave Wendy’s washing machine a good workout, caught up on some much needed afternoon sleeping and reorganised the packing.

Monday 9 July to Wednesday 11 July – The Bungle Bungles

By Monday morning we were ready to set off South once again to catch up with Trevor and Emma at Turkey Creek in readiness for a trip into the Bungles. We drove back over familiar ground to Turkey Creek. Trevor and Emma were there waiting for us, along with Marcus, another teacher from Fitzroy. They greeted us with the news that there was no room at the inn so we headed down the road 5kms and made a very comfortable bush camp. With the temperature dropping dramtically, a camp fire was a necessity. None of us could believe how cold it was when we left the warmth of the fire to head off to bed. It was one of those nights when rolling over was a major decision to make and the crispness of the pillow was ice rather than starch.

The next morning we undertook the drive into the Bungles in a convoy of three vehicles. The last time we were here the 53km took just under 3 hours but literature was suggesting a 2 hour trip. Things were going really well until the first major creek crossing. Three other cars had just made the crossing, complete with tarps lashed across the radiator. Our convoy wasted no time on such precautions and we launched ourselves across. Marcus decided a bit of speed best suited his Toyota Hilux ute. The big bolders on the creek bed decided otherwise and he entertained us all by literally bouncing the vehicle through the crossing. Trevor’s big Series 80 Cruiser just did it with ease while we took it pretty easy in the Ford Explorer. After an exciting hour and a half of scenic driving, we arrived at the Ranger Station in Purnululu National Park and paid our camping fees. Christine and I decided to make bookings for a helicopter flight over the dome formations. This proved too much for the others, who soon followed suit. We had two choppers booked for the next day at 8:30am. We found a great camp site at Kurrajong Camp and set up for a quick lunch.

After lunch, we drove out to the Eastern end of the range and explored Echidna Chasm. This amazing formation starts off as a typical (although deep) Kimberley sandstone gorge. As we explored further up the gorge, it narrowed until it became an amazing 200 metre high crevice only 2 metres wide. Boulders could be seen wedged across the crevice, suspended dangerously above our heads.

Then it was off to the Western end and a walk amongst the famous &quotbee hive domes&quot, along Piccanniny Creek to Cathedral Gorge. The beautiful feature ends in a huge natural amphitheatre with near perfect acoustics. Standing at one end of the cave, one can hear natural voice conversations from others on the other side some 80 metres or so away. Could be very embarrassing! IT has been 9 years since we were last here and it is refreshing to see that the place remains relatively unspoilt. Some people feel that the Bungle Bungles needs more development and a better access road but to me part of the mystery would be lost. The numbers visiting are already reaching the maximum sustainable number so I’m happy to leave the area as it is

Campfires at night are a necessity in this part of the Kimberleys in July, with night temperatures dropping into single digits. The rangers supply wood to camping areas and so we enjoyed a very plesant evening. Trevor and Emma are experts with camp cooking using camp ovens so Christine is happy to step back from her usual culinary creations and let them go.

The next morning it was up early to drive out to the air strip for the helicopter flight. None of us had been on a chopper before so we did not quite know what to expect. We had two machines, three in one and two in the other. Christine suggested splitting up so one of us could enjoy the superannuation but we eventually got in together. All fears were vanquished as we lifted off. What a great feeling. We were both instantly converted to helicopter travel.

Others have told us before that to really appreciate the Bungles, one has to see them from both the ground and the air. How true! There is no way to truly appreciate the sheer size and extent of the formation from the ground. The view from above reveals an enormous matrix of valleys and gorges, most of which would be inaccesible from the ground. All too quickly, we were back on the ground. Everyone agreed the experience was well worth the time and money.

After a hearty meal of bacon and eggs, we packed camp and set out once more over the rough track back to the highway. This time, the big creek crossing took its toll, smashing the jockey wheels on both camper trailers. We pushed on towards Kununurra, making camp for the night at the Durham River, in time to try a spot of fishing. The effort proved fruitless. Trevor and I could see grunter, large eel-tailed catfish and some tarpon looking fish in good numbers but nothing would bite.

Thursday 12 July to Sunday 15 July – Keep River

The next morning, we said farewell to Marcus, who was headed back to Fitzroy and on to Broome for a Perth bound flight. We drove on to Kununurra with Trevor and Emma, stopped for a few supplies and ,of course, to pick up Christine’s engagement ring. The result was terrific and CHristine left proudly sporting a genuine Argyle Diamond. From Kununurra, we crossed the border into the NT. Only 10km or so later, we turned North into the Keep River National Park. Here we hoped to find both good scenery and good fishing, with sooty grunter being the main target species. The ranger reported that the first camp site was full so we had to drive the 25km to the far camp. Here, the recent heavy rains had caused flooding so access to the walk trails and main river hole was barred. Trevor and I realised that our stay would be more scenic than fishy.

The scenery proved to be well worth the visit. We undertook one terrific walk of around 3km through an amazing &quotlost city&quot formation with sweeping views of some incredible sandstone escarpments. We rested up some, read books and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The Keep River itself is not much this far inland, and seems difficult to access in many places. Our thoughts turned to fishing again and we decided to return to WA and access the Keep River further North, were the tidal influence would provide a better chance or barramundi.

Unfortunately, we ommitted to register our vehicles at the quarantine station on the border so we faced losing all our fruit and veg, even though we had purchaed all in Kununurra. We put everything into one box and showed some recepits from Coles Kununurra dated just a few days before. This satisfied the officer checking our car but Trevor had to have his cast new checked out so we waited while the quarantine officer kindly removed all mud and dead leaves from the net. Ironically, the last time the net was thrown was in WA so any cane toad tadpoles were local ones. The quarantine rules are strict and well policed. So far, they are paying off although one gets the impression that the cane toad issue is only one good wet away from being lost.

We went back through Kununurra and turned North again across the Weaber Plains and getting lost out on the Carlton Hill Road. A local gave us directions and we were soon back into the NT and following the Keep River once again. By now, the Keep was a serious river. We selected a shady camp site on a reach of the river that looked tidal and set about the difficult task of getting the boat into the water. We put the trailer together and loaded up the boat. After an hour or so and one completed aborrted attempt, we realised that it would have beenb better to forget the trailer and cart the boat on the roof. Eventually, we were in the water and off. It was with disappointment that we discovered the water was still fresh and flowing.

After a fruitless couple of hours trolling and casting lures, it was time to pack it in before the light failed. One last troll through a likely looking hole in a rocky bay produced a strike for Trevor on a gold Reidy’s. At 46cm, the barramundi was not a keeper but gave us hope for the next day. The next morning was were up at first light and back to the spot. Almost every pass produce a strike and we had a ball on the little barra, even though Trevor outfished me 4 to 1. The biggest was also Trevor’s at 53cm, a mere 2 cm off having barra for tea. After a while we headed back to camp and I swapped spots with Emma. Trevor figured that this place was her big chance to catch her first barra. They returned triumphant, with Emma landing a small but pretty fish. Hey, a barra is a barra!

Well pleased, we broke camp and drove back into Kununurra, a trip that resulted in our first flat tyre of the trip to date. Trev and Em had gone on ahead and secured a couple of spots at the Hidden Valley Caravan Park, a difficult task during school holidays. By the time we arrived, the park was full. They were planning on a return to Fitzroy the next day while we would hang on for a couple of days, get the tyre repaired and let the pace of life slow a little.

Emma’s First Barra

July 17, 2007 / trevor

Well, it didn’t come in Fitzroy Crossing, nor Western Australia actually, but Emma has finally cracked the Barramundi market!! Whilst we won’t bore people with all the relevant size and weight stats, we can assure you that it has set a new record size for barra caught by Emma, and took her nearly 5 full minutes to get to the boat (disclaimer: may or may not include amount of time fish was actually hooked and fisherwoman was unaware there was a fish on the line). Congrats Emma!

Fitzroy and Beyond

July 17, 2007 / terry

Monday 18 June to Friday 22 June

We had a week of work, providing relief for Trevor while he set up case conferences and teacher meetings as part of his role as Learning Support Coordinator. At least, this was the plan but I managed to wake up on Monday morning with a killer cold, complete with aches in the joints and a fever. I satyed at home in front of the TV while Christine went off to work. I felt very guilty about this state of affairs but the feeling soon passed. Christine came home having had a mixed day with some successes and some struggles.

Tuesday was a day off for us anyway so I had a couple of days to recover. We spent Tuesday doing a spot of housework and getting our gear organised. Unusually, the day was wet, with light but persistent rain having started the evening before. A check of the weather radar on the web showed that the rain was widespread across the Kimberleys and heavy in places, including across the Mt Barnett area of the Gibb River Road. We started to panic about the prospect of driving in to Kalumburu on the coming weekend. By Wednesday, the situation had worsened, with the steady rain at Fitzroy Crossing taking its toll locally and some areas to the North suffering localised flooding. I rang Jarrad at Wannanami School (Mt Barnett) and he reported that the Gibb River Road was closed and that lots of tourists were bogged or stranded along the way. By Thursday, we had given up all hope of leaving Fitzroy on the weekend and had given ourselves a deadline of the next Monday to set off. With a two day drive into Kalumburu ahead of us, we decided that if we could not leave on Monday, we would drive to Kununurra on the bitumen and fly in.

Meanwhile, the teaching continued. The process we have adopted is for both of us to be employed for one pay. This makes the work a lot easier and more enjoyable. We work well together and the kids seem to like the increased attention they get. We both love reading stories so we fight a bit over that task but otherwise things are going well. We spent one terrific morning out at Bayulu School (on Gogo Station). The staff and kids were fantastic and we had a great time doing a “show and tell” about Kalumburu. We also showed a lot of the classes at Fitzroy all about Kalumburu and we found they were very keen to learn about other communities. We both thoroughly enjoyed our brief time spent working at Fitzroy. The staff is a very professional group and work well together in some of the most trying conditions around. The school buildings are falling apart as the termites take their toll, the facilities are old and delapidated and the timeline to the new school seems to be very elastic. Despite this, the work goes on. Somehow, the media seems to miss all the great work being done under conditions no other employees would accept. Thanks to all for the wonderful hospitality.

Weekend 23/24 June

The rain stopped but there is little propect of leaving for Kalumburu for some time. We tried fishing again in Gieke Gorge, borrowing Troy’s boat so all four of us could go. It proved to be a poor trip from a fishing point of view, with only one medium sooty grunter caught and one fresh water turtle released. The river was flowing quite well with the recent rain and it had obviously put the fish off for a while. While launching, I managed to place a large rock on my finger while putting it behind a wheel. I did it in such a fashion as to immediately produce a nasty case of &quotblack nail&quot and a considerable amount of pain. Despite this, the day was most enjoyable. Trevor and Emma have grown accustomed to the glory of Gieke Gorge but for us tourists the trip was spectacular. A very enjoyable staff barbecue rounded off an excellent weekend.

Week 25 to 29 June

We set off on Monday for Kununurra, driving through a fair bit of water as most creeks between Fitzroy and Halls Creek were flowing over the road. We never tire of the magnificant drive from Turkey Creek to Kununurra and the recent rains had added a beautiful splash of green across the landscape.

We contacted my cousin Wendy along the way and arranged to set up our camper on their block out at Crossing Falls. They are in the process of building a wonderful house. It is now in a livable state, with most facilities in place and others not far off. Fred may disagree with this statement but now that he has finally retired from Argyle, he should find more time to fit out what will be a spectacular house.

With a charter plane to Kalumburu booked for Wednesday morning, we had Tuesday to get things organised. The plan was to spend a couple of days in Kalumburu working, then pack 14 students into two Landcruisers and drive to Broome for a week of sports. Space would be at an absolute premium both on the plane and on the drive to Broome so we had to prepare as backpackers do.

The plane trip proved to be a real squeeze, because we had to pick up a couple of computer technicians in Oombulgurri on the way to Kalumburu. We all squeezed in and ended up with luggage on our laps. Kalumburu has changed a bit since we were last there in April. The signs of the cyclone damage of 2005 are fading as the normally lush vegetation around the houses re-grows. The fencing of the community houses and competitions to reward people who keep gardens and grounds clean has paid off, with many houses looking cleaner and brighter. The town was bulging at the seams with tourists, many of whom had been stranded in with the rain. THe road opened South as far as Drysdale as we landed and a cavalcade of 4WDs could be seen leaving. It was wonderful to be so warmly greeted by friends in the community.