It's a hard life in the Tropics


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Published: August 1st 2009
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Let's head North.

Day 12.Left Adelaide after visiting BCF and picking up my new rod and reel courtesy of the Staff of the Rehab Ward at Newcastle Private Hospital. It was nice to leave the rainy, windy cold weather behind and head north through Port Awful (Port Augusta). Bush camp south of Coober Pedy after a day of head-winds. Bush-camp again this time near a bore off the Stuart Highway close to the Woomera Prohibited Area. The new OziExplorer software and Hema maps are helping to find these great isolated camp spots. Passed through Stuarts Well to take a photo. Then called into Rainbow Valley for a look see, worth the 24km of corrugated and dusty road (see photo).

Into Alice Springs to have the mighty Toyota serviced, 60,000km = $363. Leonie ran into an old Environmental Education friend, Anne, from the Alice Springs Botanic Gardens. Spent the morning talking shop. Topped up the diesel with enough to get us to Katherine. Finally left Alice at 11:30 on Day 15. Called into Connors Well for a cuppa.
OziExplorer located an old camp site of ours near Barrow Creek where we were able to hide from the cold winds, 3610km from home. Spend a fantastic night there counting meteorites.
North through the Devils Marbles and Tennant Creek. Found another great bush camp in amongst the trees and the cows near Newcastle Waters. Boy didn't the cows look confused at having such odd looking neighbours. Chicken Kiev and veggies cooked in the camp oven for dinner.
Topped up food and fuel in Katherine on Katherine Show Day. What a busy little town. Daytime temperature now getting up to 28 degrees. This is starting to feel like the Territory. Decided to call into Douglass Hot Springs for some respite from driving. Thermal Springs are at about 60 degrees and mixing with cold water from the Douglass River. $9 per night to camp. Fished downstream without too much luck.
Day 20. Off to check-out Oolloo Crossing on the Daly River. Fast-flowing, clean water dotted with crocs. Oops, what's happened to the trailer coupling? Its bent out of shape. Find a camp spot and begin two days of cutting-off welds and drilling new bolt-holes. With the coupling fixed, its off to visit the Douglass-Daly Conservation Area with its hot springs and tumbling waters. A quick dip and into Palmerston to top-up the diesel, petrol and food ready for our assault on Kakadu National Park. First stop is on the banks of 2 Mile Hole on the Wildman River. Found a good camp spot under the trees. Launched the boat and fished and explored until sunset. Fishing is a bit quiet. That's code for 'we only brought one back to camp'. Not a bad sized Barramundi, measured 64cm long (see photo).
Day 26. Time to move camp further downstream to 4 Mile Hole to catch-up with the Kings, their daughter Sally, Mark and others. On arrival the area looks pretty full of campers. But its a big Billabong, about 6 Km long, should be plenty of room for all of us. Caught a few nice-sized Barra, filleted and chilled them for later (see photo). PK is catching more than anyone. Bill caught a keeper-a-day even without a boat. Day 31. We have decide to move about 100 km to Bucket Billabong on the South Alligator River. Bill and Joy are going in a different direction and decide not to join us. Allen and Di don't want to bring their van through the 350mm deep-muddy creek so decide to go back to Aurora and then Darwin. The weather has been fabulous since leaving Alice Springs. 30 degrees plus during the day and dropping down to 12ish at night with cloudless skies. So lets see what Bucket Billabong can produce in the way of Barra???





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1st August 2009

Well so glad you're catching a fish or two. Sounds like 'fun'.
3rd August 2009

Nice
As i can see leonie has the bigger fish yet again peter ? still struggling mate with a new rod and reel
15th October 2009

hi Jason, can you get Jo Kellys email address for me. I will need to talk to her in the near future. She gave me her address, but I lost it. Just by the way, Lucky Pete now has the record for the biggest Barra (90cm). Thanks, Pete.

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