Karumba - Queensland Gulf Fishing Mecca

Karumba is a mecca for fishing enthusiasts.  It provides great esturary fishing for Barrumundi and saltwater for many varieties including Blue Salmon and Mackeral.  I think we were the only ones in the caravan park who didnt have a boat.  But thats ok, there are a few charters to pick from and on a recommendation from a fellow traveller we booked ourselves on Kerry D's Fishing Charter. Oh and the sunsets are amazing too!
The trip from Lawn Hill to Karumba was around 550km so basically an all day drive.  Around 100km into the trip we bid farewell to the dirt roads for good, all 11,000kms of them!
No more corrigations, bulldust, river crossings, sand, and rough rocky tracks.....funily enough we'll probably miss them (apart from the road trains) as driving these dirt roads is so much more interesting and has added to our great experiences on this trip.

While stopped for fuel at the very small town of Gregory Downs, the kids were asked by a local girl to do some colouring in with her.  Its great to see Hannah and Ben learning from these experiences. When we got back in the car Ben asked why she was sitting on the pathway outside the toilets.  I explained that being a Saturday she had conveniently set herself up there as it was the best chance she had to  have a play with other kids, who like us pull up for petrol and a toilet stop. Our kids take it for granted that they can walk out our door and be guaranteed to find a group of friends to play with in our street whenever they want.  Hannah added that the little girl told them there were only seven kids in total at her school.  A bit different than the 1200 students at our school!

On approach to the Burke and Wills Roadhouse, we decided to make it a quick lunch stop due to the long drive ahead. The food was great and we had a long chat to another couple that had been travelling a lot longer than us.

An hour later we were back on the road headed for Normanton, arriving at the Purple Pub around 3pm for a beer.

 

We checked in at the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park, http://www.sunsetcp.com.au/index.html which is right across the road from the beach and boat ramp.  After setting up we walked to the Sunset Tavern that overlooks the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The next morning we were up nice and early excited about our half day fishing trip. We hopped on Kerry D's Charter with five others (all men) at 7am, and ten minutes later we had our lines in the water. 

The kids stole the show, with Hannah hooking up the first three or four fish, then Ben started and between the two of them there was plenty of action.

 

It was great to see the kids having so much fun.  They couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces!                                                                                                           oh until Hannah suddenly felt sea sick!

All up our family caught around 40 fish, 15 were kept on board and the others (although to size) were catch and release.  We had a selection of Blue Salmon, Steelback Salmon, Grunters, Catfish, and lots of little sharks.  Another guy caught a Hammerhead shark.

Later that afternoon Hannah found out she was talk of the town. She overheard someone in the corner store mention he heard Kerry D's charter had a great morning.  When Hannah spoke up and said she was on that boat, they asked her if she was the young girl who was hauling in all the big fish!

We would definitely recommend  http://www.kerrydfishing.com.au/  Kerry D's Charter. The half day charter was definitely a memorable experience and we ended up with a fridge full of fish.

Apart from the fishing the rest of our time in Karumba was spent hanging out with our friends the Keigs again, who turned up a couple of days after us.

So apart from fishing what else is there to do in Karumba.  With the temp's in the early 30's we spent plenty of time in the pool at the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park pool, as swimming at the beach is not an option. unless you want to share it with a saltwater crocodile!

We walked along the mangrove boardwalk which gives you a small sample of the rich marine wetlands that wind their way 30 kilometres inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria coastline.  As we were there in late September they were dry.  It would be amazing to be there just after the wet to see the multitude of birds that inhabit the area. 

 

 

There are lots of great cafes at Karumba Point, and we found the best little bakery in town.  Fresh bread is a luxury while travelling around outback Australia.  You get used to expensive frozen bread or no bread at all.  Its a good idea to stock up on wraps as an alternative as they keep for a long time.

Prawns, prawns and more prawns.  We couldn't get enough of those delicious prawns fresh from the Gulf, and they were cheap too. Scott and I ate a kilo between us a day.

Scott and the Kids enjoyed the Barramundi Discovery Centre.  This is a working Barramundi hatchery which restocks the Gulf waterways.  They did a tour learning lots of interesting facts and of course joined in when it came to feeding the big Barra'.
One of the best rewards of travelling is the people you meet. We got to know a couple of guys camped next to us who had driven all the way up from Newcastle in NSW on a 10 year dream to catch Barra'.  Winston the older guy was a classic. He was so dedicated and passionate about his fishing.  It was great to talk to them each evening when they arrived back to camp.  They were having their ultimate fun, and lucky for us reached their total bag limit (5 each over 60cm) so  they kindly gave their extra one to us. Mmmmmm more yummy Barra!

Wow we've seen some sunsets on this trip, but I must say that Karumba out does them all! On our last night with the Keigs we went to the tavern for dinner and watched yet another fabulous display of the sun lighting up the mudflats with pinks and oranges on low tide. Unfortunately the meal at the tavern wasn't as impressive. Would you believe the pan fried barramundi was a shocker!

 

 
The next morning we said goodbye to our friends for the last time.  We met these guys on our last family big trip seven years ago and have stayed in touch ever since.  It was great meeting up with them a few times along the way (a couple by accident) and sharing our experience.  Julie and I cried, probably due to the realization that our amazing adventure was drawing to an end.