Claire and I had only been in the NT for a few weeks, but we wanted to get out and see what there was. It was a dry wet season, but even then, most places were closed. We went down to Litchfield National Park to look at the waterfalls, way before I knew to look up access reports. But it all worked out, we got to swim in Florence Falls, and of course there were some great waterfalls.
2,791 km across five days, four nights
We stopped in Charter’s Towers, Mt Isa, Tenant Creek, Mataranka – with a stop to the Daly Waters pub!
We took both our cars, theorising that if one broke down at least we would have the other. But they both made it no worries.
There had been rain recently and the desert was a lot greener than I imagined.
I definitely look back on it as a bit crazy, hopefully I won’t do another road trip that long without stopping to enjoy what’s around! It should be a four month trip, not four nights 🙂
Mataranka Thermal Springs
As I was heading away to Darwin, Andy and Shae took me on a last fishing trip out to the Whitsundays. We didn’t get anything, just a bunch of small fish. We explored a small beach, it’s just so great being out on the water amongst the islands.
The Peel’s boat on the beach. We didn’t catch anything worth photographing.
Always scary fishing at the end of December in Airlie, and sure enough, we got rained on. But it wasn’t too bad and was one of the best trips we had done.
As soon as we moored up I dropped some bait over the side and pulled up a 45cm sweet lip – my favourite. No one could believe that was where I got it, but hey, I’m just a pro.
If I hadn’t gone so hard on the piss the first night I might have been able to fish a great spot where my mate Judda pulled up Indonesian Snapper after Indonesian Snapper. All thanks to my home burley I will assume.
Good fun.
Got some huge crabs
Never thought I would be uploading this photo on a website, check out the abs
A good friend of mine was having a 30th, so they decided to do a camping trip at Dugong Beach on Whitsunday Island. It is home of the famous Whitehaven Beach, but it is a huge island, and one isn’t really accessible from the other. “Damn” I thought.
Well I turned out to be wrong. It was, and still is, the best place I have camped. The beaches were amazing, great sunset, fishing (I only managed a small bream, despite the all the effort), crabbing, a great bushwalk up to a lookout that could only seen to be believed.
Not trying to sound conceited but the photos taken are not photoshopped in anyway, taken on the “auto” setting of a Canon Powershot D10. It looked way better than they seem.
And the trip was great, great chat, lots of people, everyone just having a ball. How could you not? The place was paradise.
Sunset fishing, I just got a bream
View from the Beach at the camp site
Crabbing unsuccessfully
View from the top of the walk
Me at the top