Day 143 - Burke & Wills to Karumba

---

Our main reason for driving north was to see Karumba (Australia's prawn capital), a fishing mecca and the only place on the Gulf of Carpentaria that you can access by bitumen road and to ride the historic train, The Gulflander.

The Gulflander only runs once a week so we had time to skip up to Karumba first.

We arrived in Karumba after lunch and booked a sunset trip on a local boat. There are plenty of boat rides available but this one finished at sunset and had snacks for the patrons included (plus a feed of local prawns). We fed the Whistling Kites and then Fred the Jabiru (all the while with the Ferrymans wife going non-stop with her spiel about Karumba, the local history and their history). She ran out of things to say about half way through the cruise (thank goodness) and afterwards it was mostly quiet. Some people just don't know when enough is waaay too much!

We were booked in at the Point which is a suburb of Karumba and we got back there just as the General Store was closing. We ordered two Fishermans Baskets but we got the equivalent of about four (Hobart measures). Neither of us could finish our dinner. It looked like most of the people staying in town had been here a while and were keen on fishing.

It was good to see it (Karumba) and the Gulf but I don't think I would bother to go back. I've never been a fisherman.

---

Photos

Fred, the Jabiru
He gets extra feeding by the Ferryman

More termite mounds
Near Normanton

Feeding the kites
The kites like it!