Some People Can Fish....others well.......!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had better come clean.....Kevin has the title of the best fisherman catching the most but also the smallest, closely followed by Pedro who at least caught some to keep and Max with one. Needless to say they have all learnt a few 'tips' from the locals so given the opportunity again the fishing tales will only grow. Happy birthday Adam

26-29 Jul 2010 - Sydney Interval

I am back.....a Conference in Sydney was important to me so Max took me on a quick trip from Daly River Monday morning to the airport Darwin, a mere 440 k round trip. Whilst I was attending the CCIA Conference Max and the others continued with the challenge of catching a barra. Success finally on Wednesday after toiling all morning on Tuesday for nothing. Everyone enjoyed the stay packing up early Thursday morning for the drive to set up our next camp in Darwin where we are to stay for 8 days. I arrived back in Darwin and we all ventured to the Mindil Markets for a relaxed evening enjoying the sights, sounds and aroma of the various stalls, dining on the grass after another magnificent sunset. Karen had enjoyed a didgeridoo player on a previous visit and was hopimg he was again playing which he was and I must admit I was not as enthusiastic as she was urging me to go and listen. Well I was 'blown away' by his skill and I would really recommend anyone visiting the markets to wait for one of his sessions

25 Jul, 2010 - The Elusive Barra

Second full day here on the Daly River so another early start to launch the boats and head up the river....it is regrettably my last day here as Max is driving me into Darwin tomorrow to fly to Sydney for a conference. The others will be here until Thursday so hopefully they will have some more barra by then. Pete and Kev are now catching a bit of live bait "cherubin" which looks like a small prawn and are hoping to have more luck tomorrow heading in the opposite direction down river. The crossing in the wet is under 13 mts. of water and is closed when covered by 500 cms.

Local Resident/ Daly River Crossing/Barra Dinner

24 Jul 2010 - Fishing for Barra Daly River

Well we are as 'outback' as you can be but having said that there are a lot of boat trailers (29 parked at the crossing) but you hardly see a boat so we wondered where they all were...apparently a lot head right up the river and camp. Kev was the 'king' today as he was the first to pull one in but alas it was not quite big enough so had to be let go. Pete was next with the lucky catch of the day....it was absolutely superb enjoyed by us all served with mango salsa made with mango from the local mango farm up the road....who would have thought there would be a mango farm out here. The mango trees were planted around 1915 and are massive but the owners have planted new trees which they harvest.....interesting story we were told by the lady who showed us around, learning of life living with the 'wet' season and its impact on life. They are completely cut off by road for most of the 'wet' and to see the evidence of the level of the river at that time would be awe inspiring. We are all determined to improve on today's catch so another early start in the morning.

23 July 2010 - Daly River

What day is it....nearly 3 weeks after leaving Sawtell each day blends into the next and it is very easy to forget the date, needing to check each night before doing the blog. Packing up camp is getting quicker as we have moulded into our routine, Max doing the outside and my responsiblility is the inside. There is many a poem and song making fun of the "caravanner" as they arrive and pack up for the next destination. Max was "Car 1" today heading for the Daly River stopping on the way at Edith Falls....it never ceases to amaze me when you drive through what looks like inhospitable country and then you come to a stunning spot like Edith Falls....a beautiful pool surrounded by rock faces with a waterfall plunging into it. There is a camping ground and short/long walks that you can do but each place is the same....there is always a reason to stay longer. The drive to Daly River was very pretty with the vegetation changing to be more tropical in places. The afternoon was spent getting the boats off the roof of Max & Pedro's cars and getting the fishing gear ready for a morning of fishing tomorrow. Local word has it that the barra are not biting but we will have fun trying.

22 Jul 2010 - Day in Katherine

Sleep in this morning before venturing to Nitmiluk...Max and I were on our own today as Pete, Lyn, Kev and Karen have been before. We visited here 18 years ago when Adam was in Year 6 (Australian Rugby League Championships) for a quick visit and managed to fit in a cruise into the gorge so this time we thought we would do the helicopter flight over the gorges....absolutely wonderful as you get the BIG picture!!! Our pilot was a young girl who was very competent landing on the escarpment for a photo opportunity. Back to Katherine for a tour around, shopping for supplies as we are leaving for the Daly River (barramundi fishing) tomorrow and on the way back to the park managed the swim I promised myself in the thermal waters of the Katherine River...once again not wanting to get out as it is so nice.

Max Making Friends with the Locals

These beautiful creatures were among the wildlife that visited us at Mataranka. We tried to get more photos off Pedro's camera but I managed to click on the wrong ones in the end so they will have to wait for another opportunity.

21 Jul 2010 - Arrive Katherine

Max & I were that busy swimming, walking and enjoying the ambiance of Mataranka that we left the camera behind so tomorrow I will use a couple of photos that Pedro and Kev took as they were much more organised than us. We woke to a beautiful morning, the birds are plentiful and the peacocks visited again....it would have been easy to stay a while longer. We left via the replica of the Elsey Homestead which was used in the film We of the Never Never and with Kev taking the lead today we headed for Katherine stopping at the Cutta Cutta Caves before arriving in Katherine to set up camp by lunchtime. There is another thermal stream here so we tested the water planning to have a swim tomorrow if we have time as we are visiting Nitmiluk Gorge in the morning.

20 Jul 2010 - Mataranka

A really big day on the road today....150 ks before we pulled into Mataranka, calling on the way to see the historic airport (photo), then after a light lunch we headed for the thermal pools at the homestead surrounded by a tropical oasis. It is truly a magical experience to swim in this beautiful water that apparently has its source in New Guinea going underground for most of the way.
Pulling up early allows the designated cook time to prepare the dish of the evening....today Pedro pulled out the camp oven and cooked his Pedro Special Stew. Once again the plates were scraped clean....testament to the tasty dish. We then enjoyed my Impossible Lemon Pudding.
We were lucky enough to have a beautiful male peacock and hens visit us for dinner followed by several little wallabies. Hoping we will have time for another swim before heading off to Katherine staying at the Low Level Caravan Park where hopefully Kev will continue to arrange the campsite as he so successfully did here!!!!!his only contribution being a one handed pull of the table throught the dirt. Karen was most impressed.

19th Jul 2010 - Next Stop Daly Waters

We have been two days without signal for most of the time so hence the dates of posting. Fully refreshed we continued on our way stopping for morning tea at Renner Springs after turning due north at the Three Ways. The little stops are truly reflective of the outback.... providing refreshment, fuel, overnight camping and hot showers/toilets for the people passing through. Having another early start enabled us to reach the ever popular Daly Waters Hotel/Campsite...what a unique spot and quite a history, being an airport in the early days before World War 2 used the airstrip when Daly Waters would have been quite busy. Today it is a 'must do' stop on the way to Darwin and it was like Burke Street early in the afternoon with a steady stream of caravans waiting to be shown to their site. Max, Pete and I had a very refreshing swim in the pool before heading to the hotel for happy hour followed by the Beef & Barra dinner held nightly at the pub with entertainment from the "chook" man. We met Neil and his crew from the Blue Moutains (very nice people) and had a great night, with compliments to the cooks as the barra was lovely. The "chook" man was having a "go" at the caravan salesman (all in good fun) when I had to say "be carefull" when he called me onto the stage. Needless to say I will be quiet in future. We had a unique entertaining night and one not to be missed. I now have a souvenir of Daly Waters as the chookman gave me a guitar key holder.

18th Jul 2010 - Depart Mt. Isa for Free Camp Site

Our 'team leader' Pedro gave instructions that an early start was required as we have two days ahead to cover the ks from Mt. Isa through Camoweal crossing the border into the Northern Territory, onto the Barkly Homestead where we stopped for lunch and the all important fuel stop $1.85 per lt. out here. Continuing on we arrived at our campsite just short of the Three Ways by about 2 pm. The road surface from Mt. Isa has been very good which helps when passing the road trains.
There is a never ending stream of caravans going both ways which is amazing. It did not take long to set things up, then sipping on a cool drink it was interesting watching the passing parade of people popping in to perhaps decide to stop or move on. It was not long before a beautiful vintage car did a circle followed by three more....they were on a rally and apparently were "Bentleys"....one of them needed a bit of tinkering with but then moved on. The next gentleman (a Kiwi) looked somewhat "sheepish" as he got out of his car making a beeline for us. He then enquired if we had any unleaded fuel as he was on empty and would not make it to the Barkly....luckily Pete and Kev had 5 lts each for the generators so helped him out. His girlfriend did not look impressed so I don't think he will pass another 'servo' out here!!!! Kev put on the music and we had a great night under our shady tree. We had to prompt him occasionally on his taste of music....more on that later!!!

17 Jul 2010 - The Isa

Dinner under the stars last night....Kev's prawns and Pedro's pearl perch caught at Minnie Water, once again delicious. We woke to a much warmer morning, the day reaching a very comfortable 28deg. by early afternoon. The Lookout was first on our agenda today which gives the visitor a great view over 'The Isa' as the locals refer to it and then to finish our visit from yesterday at the Outback at Isa Centre where we walked through the fossil display. We continued on to the Underground Hospital and The Tent House before meeting for lunch at the recently refurbished Isa Hotel. Both are important parts of the history of this area. We then spent a leisurely afternoon at our camp. I was making banana bread and could not crack an egg so handed it to Max to have a go when he could not hold back the grin....then it clicked that I had been set up again. Needless to say Kev & Peter will not have toasted banana bread drizzled with honey in the morning!!!!!!!

16 Jul 2010 - Arrive Mt. Isa

A caravan pulled in toward evening with a sole occupant.....Carol has been travelling on her own for nearly 10 years now and was on her way to the Camel Races in Boulia from Broome...what a lady and an example of the people you meet on the road. Morning broke to another stunning day although pretty chilly arriving Mt. Isa around 10 o'clock. Once set up in the Big 4 Max & I headed off to the Hard Times underground tour which took care of our afternoon. It was absolutely fascinating...you are kitted up in overalls, hard hat with battery pack to work the light, gumboots and belt and then taken underground to experience mining as close as you can get to the real thing. We would recommend the tour as a 'must do' in Mt. Isa. Tomorrow we plan to further explore the town and points of interest.

15 Jul 2010 - Boulia to Dajarra

Left for Boulia "Min Min country"...we have now learnt about these mysterious lights....apparently a phenomena that is still unexplained. Boulia is gearing up for the annual camel races tomorrow...we were lucky enough to see a practise run at the track. The museum was interesting with fossils of prehistoric animals found in the area, hospital and old machinery. Max thought he would fix his own tooth!!!!!!! We are now camped at Dajarra, not much here now but was a cattle loading site in its heyday.

14 Jul 2010 - Winton, Middleton Hotel

This morning we rose early leaving Longreach heading for Winton (the birthplace of Qantas) I'm confused as we saw the Qantas thing yesterday in Longreach but apparently the first Board Meeting was held in Winton!!!! More contribution to the local economy....tickets for the Waltzing Matilda Centre which tells the story behind the song "Waltzing Matilda". Listening to it always stirs the emotions....then we headed due west on our way to Boulia which is off the 'beaten track' a bit but worth the drive. We stopped at the Middleton Hotel which is the last surviving hotel along the Cobb & Co route this way. A read of the "Frequently Asked Questions" is very funny. "Is this Middleton" I hope so. "How do you live out here?" By breathing in & out. "What do you do for entertainment" Eat out at the Hilton. (picture) are examples. We continued on to our overnight campsite the Hamilton Ruins which is another Cobb & Co stopover but the chimney is the only reminder of the hotel left. There is a bore and fireplace so we had a pleasant stay and to witness the night sky out here is aweinspiring especially on a clear night. We only had the cattle to keep us company....no TV, phones which was surprisingly nice. Kevin cooked marinated prawns for an appetiser 'yum" he will get that job again.