# NT: 9/09 Yak Adventure through the Gulf of Carpentaria



## murd

*Introduction:*
After last year's 8th successful trip paddling the rivers of the NT's Gulf of Carpentaria, I believed I was finally done fishing the place and wouldn't be heading back too soon. However following my detailed post on the AKFF summarizing that journey, a member on the forum contacted me expressing interest in tagging along if I was planning a return. So, without too much thought the '09 trip was born with the novelty of 'Junglefisher' (Craig) from Cairns being the first person in history to accompany me on my northern excursions.

The idea for 2009 was to spend a full month on the rivers, basically copying my '08 route with Craig collecting a leave pass for the entire period. I suppose I was taking on the 'fishing guide' role a little but saw it more as simply showing him where to fish and letting him loose. With the weeks spent over the decade exploring this part of Australia, I have a pretty good knowledge of where things are and can get to the best camp or fishing hole without wasting valuable hours and energy. This would save him literally weeks of exploring the area himself.

Junglefisher was warned about the dangers of paddling the Gulf of Carpentaria and I wouldn't have taken him along unless he were suitably armed and understood the risks involved. I gained experience the hard way up there and planned to teach him what I'd learnt over the years to allow him to enjoy the NT in relative safety. Despite this, something serious did happen in one of the rivers that could have easily turned fatal. I'll cover this in the appropriate chapter.

*1*








_Armed and dangerous - Would you mess with these guys? We carried enough ammo to start WW3 (and possibly end it). A lot of our targets were actually inanimate objects but the .44magnum became a useful tool to collect mullet or detonate gas cylinders&#8230; _

*Our initial rendezvous is Normanton, Qld.*
We arranged to meet in the Normanton Caravan Park at 1730hrs on the 4th September. Normanton is a 2650km drive from my place in Sydney via the inland route and a lot of distance where a 23yo Suzuki Swift could break down. But, the G13b motor is a reliable unit and with 355,000 clicks on the odometer she didn't miss a beat on the entire 2.5 day journey. Unfortunately the body wasn't so lucky with a small (but obviously very tough) bird smashing the headlight (the one with the protector on) and the rear tyre suffering a nasty puncture from a stone near Julia Creek. I managed to repair the tyre with a plug but the damage caused a little concern considering I hadn't even hit the rough stuff yet.

Once I'd made the rendezvous point at noon on the 4th (in an unseasonal downpour) and made camp where the car was easily visible, a curious 'grey nomad' nearby asked what I was up to. I told her I was waiting for a guy I met on the internet - It was our first get-together and I was naturally a little nervous. She looked at me strangely for some reason so I added that we were spending a month together in the bush. Visions of 'Brokeback Mountain' probably crossed her mind but after a few laughs I asked if I should get some flowers or just a bottle of wine for the evening.

*2*








_The scene was set for a fun month away. Craig arrived 10 minutes early and caught me hanging out some washing. Funnily, he actually had no idea if I'd even be there as I hadn't contacted him since the last email saying I was leaving Sydney on the 2nd. Later that evening I ran through some crocodile survival techniques and different scenarios to be expected over the weeks in the Gulf. Experience would be the best teacher however, and I believed the initial river on our agenda would provide more than enough of this.
_
*A day on the Bynoe River:*
The Bynoe was our first river to paddle and explore. I'd been there many years earlier but on the wrong tide and didn't catch a thing. Accessing the Bynoe is easy by road but I wanted more and studied GE for 'tracks' to better launch sites than the general public knew about. I found one.

*3*








_The photo here shows our slightly cluttered camp at the Bynoe River. Despite the obvious chaos, our campsites were usually 'works of art' with the cars always levelled for the beds and positioned to capture the maximum shade from the trees. We both slept in our vehicles for the month in the bush except during the time spent down 'River X' where tents were the only option._

*4*








_This is the view looking downriver (north) from camp. I had planned to be here on this exact day (5/9/09) on a predicted rising tide. Luckily I got it right and we found the water coming in. We did a long paddle downstream to condition ourselves to the weeks ahead and open up our barra tally. I was also hoping for some croc action to get Junglefisher accustomed to being attacked but we didn't encounter anything large. Craig surprised me with his natural ability in spotting the evil reptilian heads, even those that became stumps or logs. I could see early on that 4 eyes were going to be advantageous over two._

*5*








_Here is typical Bynoe River scenery. The river has an unattractive muddy disposition to it and the banks are generally featureless, emphasizing the flat terrain prevalent to that part of Australia. The whole area simply screams for huge crocs but for some reason they weren't about that day. Craig didn't mind this._

*6*








_I picked up this 81cm barra on the troll in the Bynoe. As I only use 6kg mono in the rivers I often lose a few fish to snags. Craig opted for heavier 30lb braid which helped in some of the really bad water later where he was able to put the brakes on the bigger critters that tried to brick him on the bottom. 
_
*River X - Revisited:*
River X was covered in detail during the '08 trip report but a feature of 2009 was to paddle deeper into the system and see things that I missed out on last year. We did just that, and even caught some fish. I also wanted to follow a new track upstream to a large pool which had appeal on the Google Earth satellite imagery. We found the track after a bit of searching but soon realised it was a little challenging for the Swift, and offered a 'surprise' at its terminus:

*7*








_The track I'd mapped to the pool basically followed a 10km fence line which traversed the odd dry creek and gully, soft sand patch and misc rock feature. Without 4WD backup and hand-signal guidance I probably wouldn't have attempted it in the Swift. Termite mounds masked by the centre grass were an additional hazard to consider and several thumped worryingly hard beneath the floor. To initially access the track we needed to get through this 'bush' gate that Craig knew how to dismantle. The 10k distance took us about 40 long minutes to cover._

*8*








_A serious 'miscalculation' on my part saw the track and fence come to an end roughly 30m above this spectacular gorge, with no easy way down except by ropes. Craig found this rather amusing but I was seriously annoyed and felt like driving back out despite it being nearly dark. We made camp instead and hiked the edge the next morning, eventually finding a route to the water but requiring the mother of all portages - and Craig's yak seemed to be lead-lined. We both dreamed of monster barra in the unfished gorge but never got to see them.
_
*We leave the gorge for familiar territory*
Craig and I spent a few days at the old River X base-camp before undertaking our long trek downriver. During our period there we caught a variety of creatures and fish, and even watched a full gas canister explode in the fire. We also went pig shooting but didn't see anything resembling a porker except for a cow that Craig swore was the target species. (In '08 pigs were quite abundant along the Gulf's rivers but 2009 saw them markedly down in number. I often wondered over the weeks if this explained why the large crocs were scarce.) The next five photos give a brief insight of us enjoying ourselves prior to the downstream journey.

*9*








_Craig playing with a 10' Olive python he pulled from the river. This snake tried to eat me several times but he didn't seem too worried about it._

*10*








_A nice little barra for Craig from one of the deeper pools near camp. The boy was so happy here that he actually wet himself. _

*11*








_Here's a late arvo barra for me from the same pool a day later. 
_
*12*








_This terrifying blaze came dangerously close to the cars. Seriously though, we raked the area around camp and burnt it to minimise the risk of a bushfire destroying it during our period away._

*13*








_Oops, my $700 rod and reel combo just sunk - lucky there's no crocs or sharks in this pool! At times I found it useful having Junglefisher around, especially in one downstream pool where a solid jack wrapped me on the bottom and he donned the goggles to retrieve the lure. Personally, I would have been cautious of bull sharks but he just went straight in without a care._

*The Voyage Downstream - River X*
We spent four nights down River X, paddling through pools probably never intruded upon by white man. The main focus of this journey was fishing, but I was also passionate about the countryside and planned to do a bit of exploring along the way plus reach a certain waypoint on the GPS that eluded me 12 months earlier. We carried enough supplies to last a week but found having two people handling the yaks and clearing the path saw our many portages completed quicker than expected saving us a few nights.

*14*








_Camp #1 was fashioned in a shaded clearing on a high bank above the fallen trees in this photo. A bit of climbing and balancing was required to reach it from the yaks but staying there had advantages of being readily accessible to the most productive structures and shoreline in this entire pool. To put this into perspective, the left side of the tree that Craig is standing on was one particular snag that held good barra and jacks. Paddle time from camp to casting range took about 20 seconds._

*15*








_This photo shows the actual campsite above the river. Unfortunately, it was located on a dedicated pig route. Though lesser in quantity than those that I witnessed along here last year, a noisy mob did turn up during the night and found Junglefisher's tent in their path. When I woke and flashed them with the '200 lumens' LED Lenser torch, I could see they were pretty close to his tent and wondered whether they'd trample it. Later after they'd trotted off a lone dingo began howling from across the river. In the quiet night, the sound was actually quite unsettling._

*16*








A golden barra caught along the bank opposite camp. Craig was a bit of a gun fisho on this trip but I managed to nab the one here before he got to it.

*17*








_The fish that Craig is holding was pulled from the fallen tree pictured above. Before coming to the net it was swallowed by a 6' bull shark but luckily came free of it mouth. (Note the missing scales and chewed tail). We never witnessed any saltwater crocs in these larger freshwater pools but if a kayaker managed to tip in I reckon they wouldn't last a few moments before the sharks ripped them apart.
_
*We depart Camp #1*
After breaking camp we pushed on through the river system, picking up fish here and there and checking out misc things of interest. We moved a lot of rocks in the process, and probably increased the water flow several thousand megalitres a day just to protect the bottom of the yaks. One thing slightly in our favour was the river level which was a little higher than what I encountered in 2008 making the portages that tiny bit easier (there were still thousands of them though.)

*18*








_A little morning barra caught in truly amazing conditions. _

*19*








_The fish were so hungry at times I was catching them two at a time. Sooty Grunter became a bit of a nuisance in the river with their keenness to take lures and held us up repeatedly having to de-hook them. We lost count of how many we actually caught._

*20*








_This photo is from camp #2, the morning we moved out. I remember before actually getting to this pool Craig saying that he'd had enough of portaging for the day. I was equally stuffed but persuaded him to do another set of shallows and rocks just for the hell of it. Again, our tents were in the paths of the pig tracks but this time it was mine that they'd run into first. I left the yak across the tracks as a deterrent to them but luckily nothing turned up during the night. For anyone concerned that we're too close to the water, we are. We had big guns and lots of bullets and weren't too worried if anything tried crawling from the pool to take us - I was more anxious of a sudden rise in water level than a croc or yabby getting into the tent._

*Pushing on, and on, and on&#8230;*
Today would be a big one distance-wise. We aimed to reach our turnaround point in the late afternoon (how late - we had no idea) then backtrack as far as possible to have us in grasp of camp #1 and its fishy pool on the 4th nite. Here are a few highlights of that day:

*21*








_At 9.15am, my sooty became breakfast for the bull sharks. In the same pool only minutes later Craig lost a barra that fed another hungry shark. A few hours on he had his 'PB' jack savaged by a third bull shark and only recovered the head (he was most upset by this!) In the photo above he is trying to capture some underwater footage of the bully while I get ready to tempt it with the carcass._

*22*








_During mid-morning we reached a reasonable gorge and climbed up to a hollow finding some uninteresting cave art. The stunning view made up for the paintings and we both took a few snaps and video for memories. We didn't catch anything too exciting paddling through here but returning the following day saw a few nice barra landed by Craig. The limit of our push downriver was quite a few hours from this point and we traversed a diversity of pools and rocks in order to reach it. I knew from GE that the river became a very long chain of shallows from that point on without any substantial water worth busting our balls for - good reason to begin heading back._

*23*








_Nearly dark on the 3rd nite with no idea where to stay, we stumbled upon this great little spot close to the edge on an easy bank. Naturally, most sites require a bit of landscaping to level the tents but in this case we also needed to remove a few thousand Noogoora Burrs (*Xanthium occidentale*) from the sand. For anyone ever having to do this, try dragging a hessian bag across the ground - the burrs stick to it en-masse and can be easily collected._

*24*








_At 9.43am in the gorge pictured above, we saw quite a few big barra skulking around this wicked snag. My 6 kilo line was ineffective in stopping the brutes but Craig's heavier braid seemed ideal. Here he is about to cast into the ominous structure._

* 24A*








_A still from the camera video of what he hooked a moment later. The fish had him wrapped around the branches for a while. _

*25*








_This is his prize, an 88cm PB fish for the trip_

*26*








_In an exclusive part of River X and nowhere else, we found these unusual bamboo-type cluster palms inhabiting a small isolated pocket of steep bank below the hilltops. We couldn't identify them and wanted to believe that they may have been an undiscovered species. Are there any botanists/gardeners in the AKFF who can help out? (Additional photos available on request). Note - they are not Nypa Palms as first suspected._

*27*








_Here is just one of the many hold-ups we endured over our five days blazing the river. Luckily the water underfoot is drinkable so after a heavy session dragging or carrying the kayaks hydration is just a reach down. It would be impossible to carry enough water for this type of journey and we only took a few containers for convenience, mainly filling them at the various springs along the banks where it was purer._

*28*








_It's hard to believe that this is the same river after experiencing the wider sections and deep pools._

*29*








_While on the return journey I often stopped to appreciate the remarkable scenery of River X, at times climbing the bank to capitalise on the view. It's difficult not to love this place, and knowing that it's being kept away from the rest of the Planet makes it particularly unique._

*30*








_Anyone for carbon barra? Our five day trek downstream has finally concluded and we're back at the cars. Craig has caught dinner (again) and I suggested we bake it in the coals blackfella style. He agrees and this is the disappointing result after debating the cooking time. Still, we ate most of it._

*Summary:*
Another successful adventure to the awesome 'River X' can now been marked off and she is able to flow in peace again. The pigs can have their trails back and the sharks will need to work harder for a feed. Overall, the fishing was excellent but we still had to persist for decent results. Most of what we caught was released except the few kept for eating and those the sharks devoured. It was weird pitching the tents in places knowing we were the first people to ever camp there. They could have been raised anywhere downstream and the same feeling would have been present. Craig actually commented on this one night and I couldn't agree with him more.

Lastly, I mentioned this in last year's post but it's worth repeating. River X is an incredible piece of Australia being so unspoiled and unique. Exploitation and over-fishing would see it ruined which is why I'm not revealing its location to the online World, and have omitted certain details in this report.

Part 2 will be following. Expect the usual fish and scenery photos, maybe one of a rough track and a new pool, definitely a quickie of a pile of dead birds, and a whinge about the lack of big crocs in the rivers. Stay tuned.

Rick


----------



## sbd

Words fail me Rick. Bring on part 2. That first pic should scare off the tourists.


----------



## dru

Murd - fantastic report and great journey. I wont be able to work for the rest of the day... head is planning for the big trip (you can have the crocs though).


----------



## shiznic

thanks for sharing that. What an adventure.


----------



## Davey G

simply awesome report and photos Rick/Craig. Pure gold....

Craig also gets my vote for best hairstyle on AKFF


----------



## spooled1

Love it!!! You're freakin' legends


----------



## justcrusin

Brillant stuff guys that loks like the trip of a lifetime.

Hanging out for part 2

Cheers Dave


----------



## Marty75

Speechless and totally enthralled.

Malcolm Douglas / Albey Mangel et al eat your heart out!

Marty


----------



## Alster99

I loved the last series of reports and this series already has me sucked in (and it's only the first report!).

Great photos, great story... bring on Round 2 please!


----------



## bungy

Take a bow MURD you are a champion.


----------



## karnage

awesome pics and first report. congrats on survival to.


----------



## mojofunk

This is what dreams are made of.


----------



## garyp

Murd, you certainly now how to tell a great story and the photos are simply fantastic. Thank you for sharing your experience with us and I look forward to the next installment & finding out what the "dangerous situation" was.

Cheers,

Gary


----------



## madfishman

Now thats a trip we all dream of.

Great report and superb pics.

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Guest

Awesome stuff gents, the true Aussie adventurer's spirit is alive and kickin' in both of you!

Looking forward to the the next section!


----------



## Grantos

Great to see you boys survived to share this great adventure with the rest of us. Mind you, photo #13 suggests that perhaps Craig is almost as crazy as Rick is. I wonder if he knew about the bull sharks before or after he went swimming? :shock:

Very much looking foward to the next instalment.


----------



## bazzoo

Rick , fantastic mate, as i said to you at the Oaks when we were last there it would \be great if you could do a DVd of your trip , it vwould be a best seller mate , i am going to read this and re look at the photos after dinner , i am in awe . Ahhhhh so thats where youve been jungle, now i know who i'm talking to on the chat sometimes , and i promise i wont be rude to you anymore jungle cause those guns are big an noisy


----------



## sunshiner

Rivetting, Murd. Terrific prose and great pics. I've fished in the tropical freshwater with Craig and can only ask him whether he'll look at the Mulgrave River (in his home territory) with different eyes from now on.

Looking forward to episode 2.


----------



## mustrumr

Words fail me!

I wait (salivating gently) for part two 

Cheers,


----------



## Darwin

Awesome! It is Crocodile Dundee style, true OZ kayak adventure report. True blue, true nature! I wonder whether I have chance to do one myself before I die! My best effort was solo DIY 4WD at Fraser Island. It seems our country have many hidden treasures for us to explore. Great report to read!


----------



## mrwalker

Fantastic report of a well planned and executed adventure ,thanks for putting together such a worthwhile read! cheers, Dave.


----------



## MrX

Awesome stuff Murd & Junglefisher! Those gorges are gorgeous! Breathtaking scenery, and sensational fish! (and fish head?)

After looking at pic #1, it's no surprise you blokes had no trouble with the wildlife in Part 1. If I was a croc, wild pig, snake, or bull shark, I would give you two a wide birth as well! I can see a fin breaking the water in the background of pic #13, but it's going the other way, fast, with what likes a trail of shark poo in its wake!



> "Despite this, something serious did happen in one of the rivers that could have easily turned fatal. I'll cover this in the appropriate chapter."


Can't wait! (An accident at the wrong moment in the bush toilet, and a bum full of _xanthium occidentale_?)


----------



## Southerly

Awsome stuff Rick, no wonder you were absent from Longy.

David


----------



## azzaroo

absolutely stunning scenery and tales to boot, thanks for taking us along for the ride


----------



## wongus

Wow.. what an awesome post.. totally mesmerised by your ripper yarn.. Can't wait to read the next installment!


----------



## Barrabundy

Kayak fishing porn at its very best! Looking forward to the next episode.

So what's it feel like back in suburbia again??


----------



## solatree

Brilliant !


----------



## chi4505

Wow. I could only dream of pulling off a trip like this. Maybe one day.


----------



## Revo

Great narrative! Stunning photos! Amazing adventure! Many thanks Murd for sharing your passion and deep respect for river X. Junglefisher appears to have been "at home" there too. Between the two of you, you've had a barra bonanza! Looking forward to Part 2!


----------



## grumpy

Awesome report, what a place the fish would be a bonus up there. What an adventure !!!
Cheers Grumpy


----------



## pescado

Sensational mate, one of the most inspiring fishing reports ive ever read.


----------



## Junglefisher

*Introduction:*

Well, it certainly was a mother of an adventure. Now that Rick has had his say, it's time for me to add my bit of this (part 1) section of our trip.

As Rick mentioned, I was not entirely certain he would be waiting for me at Normanton - I was worried more about mechanical failure preventing him than anything else, but I'd never met the man before so some doubt was natural. He confided to having the same trepidations about me, but at least Rick knew he could complete the trip by himself if required.
I had initially planned on joining Rick for a week or maybe two, but he soon talked me into asking the Mother In Law and the Missus both for some serious favours to be there from Go to Whoa. Some gear was bought, food was dried and packed, the back of the ute was modded to allow me to sleep in it and it was soon time to taste some adventure.
*
The Bynoes:*

Day one on the Bynoes saw me very nervous but ready and willing to go fishing. I think we spotted about 4 or 5 real crocs this day, plus several of the Clayton's variety. The fishing was OK, we landed a lot of catfish and a barra each, but Rick caught far and away the better of the fish. Rick also spotted a large feral pig on the raised bank of the River at one point. 
The sunrise the next morning was amazing, my first attempt at sleeping in the back of the ute had been successful (no mozzies got through the netting) and it was just amazing to open my eyes to see this.









_Sunrise on the Bynoes, what a way to wake up._

My 2 crab pots (baited with catfood much to Rick's disgust) had returned 2 large cherrabin (and more catfish) that I cooked and we consumed as part of breakfast. 
The river itself wasn't the nicest I've ever been on but it was something different for me. I was surprised how shallow most of it was, especially on the return trip where I kept running aground.

*River X:*
After a huuuuuuuuuuuge, hot, dusty and tiring drive (we left around 9AM and got there at around 7PM) through some amazing, but often boring scenery we arrived at a new area of River X that Rick had not paddled before. We did have to rebuild a gully to allow the Zook to get through but that's park of the fun right? One minor issue - the 50m high cliffs. I nearly drove straight ahead and down the cliffs but had the good sense (????) to get out and walk when I realised the track was disappearing and I was picking my way through trees and rocks in the semi-dark. The gorge was absolutely stunning and also looked very deep and wide for several kilometres.









_Bluetongue lizard on the way to River X_









_Currently unexplored gorge. There is very limited access to this gorge, we walked for about an hour to find a way down and once down the bottom you cannot walk along much of the banks - a yak is about the only way to explore it._

Giving up, we headed off - only having to rescue the Zook once and rebuild the same gully again - to Rick's super secret camping site further up River X. Here we cut and / or pulled out the grass and weeds around our campsite, piling them up to be burnt the following day. Still, we got a good afternoons fishing in before retiring back to camp before sunset. One thing that we always had to keep in mind on our day trips was when to turn around in order to make it back before dark, but not too early (camp gets pretty boring at times). I made some serious miscalculations over the 4 weeks, erring on the side of caution always. On the trip downriver I spotted a large olive python resting in the river and had to get out for a play. Using my Strikeblack lure retriever as a snake hook I almost got her to bite Ricks face.









_Raking the campsite._









_Burning off after pulling weeds, cutting grass and raking the area._









_Our source of drinking water and refrigeration right next to the campsite on River X._


















_Olive python on River X. This snake was sitting in the water with only her head out on the rocks._

Over that day and the next few we caught a couple of Barra each in the 65-75cm range and untold numbers of Sooties and stinky archerfish. I also managed to drop my rod in the water whilst chasing a snake to get a photo. Luckily the water was only around 4 or 5m deep at that point and I was able to dive down with a mask on (once Rick had gone back to camp to get one for me) and retrieve it. It had actually gone under an overhang so I would have had a very hard time trying to jag it back. 
On our 3rd day there we felt like a break from paddling so went pig-hunting, errrm I mean bushwalking. There's some amazing scenery up there including a beautiful clear stream that you *do not* drink out of due to lime / mineral content.









_The snake that made me drop my rod in._

Day 6 of the trip saw the start of the big adventure, our week long downriver trip living out of our yaks. My yak was seriously heavy. It weighs a good few kg more than Rick's little Sprite empty but once you added in the gun (and lots of very heavy ammo that stayed in there the whole trip), my heavier tent, sleeping matt, campstool etc. the difference was seriously noticeable. It's also considerably wider making it much harder for the person on the back of the boat to see where they are putting their feet. Oh well, nothing to be done about it so off we went. 
We really got very little in the way of fish on the first day until we hit the big pool (referred to by us as "big pool" not be confused with "little big pool" or the "big gorge"). Here the fun started with a nice Barra taking but spitting my lure, only to have Rick hook her (or one of her snagmates) up a few minutes later. We both lost some lures to that snag right in front of our campsite in Rick's photos, then I landed an 86cm Barra that a shark took a liking to. Suddenly the Jacks went nuts with 6 landed within ¾ of an hour plus another Barra and two tarpon.









_A nice Jack from River X._









_A River X barra in nice condition. All the fish we caught were nice and fat._

After losing another lure, I joined Rick at the campsite for Jack cooked in the coals. Unfortunately, he listened to me and we took it out of the fire way too early. Still, the bits that were cooked tasted good.
That night we had a herd of pigs wander through camp, they woke me up, or maybe that was Rick shining his torch at my tent, but I was pretty sure by the noises they were making that they were more scared of us than we of them and they eventually found a way around our camp.
The nest day was tough. Seriously tough. I got a Barra and a few Jacks early in the morning then nothing all day and it was a long day. Completing one portage at around 4:30PM I told Rick that was it, I was not going any further. He talked me into one more and we camped right at the waters edge on a smallish pool. Rick managed to land a dinner sized Jack, right when it was needed most and this time we cooked it through.
Fishing the next day sucked even more, I lost a barra to a bad knot / shark attack and a huuuge Jack to a shark. That was it fish wise but we reached our turn around point at around 3PM, giving us enough time to make some distance back upstream before camping. We did see some amazing scenery that day though.
Day 4 of the downriver trip was long, but easier than the downstream stretch for some reason. I managed to land 2 barra off a snag, including an 88cm beast, my current PB and equal longest of the trip. A smaller but still decent barra managed to wrap me around part of the snag and it took 10 minutes of effort and some fancy work with his folding saw on Rick's behalf to get my lure back, but no fish. My next cast to the same snag saw me hook up again, apparently we had not spooked them. Then we set off hard to get to day one's campsite before 5PM. We made it easily, getting there by 3:30PM.
Day 5 was the last day, back to the cars and some luxuries. It was also golden for me in terms of fish with 7 barra, 62, 72, 67, 64, 62, 55 and 68cm. I also missed / dropped at least another 6 barra and at one point was 1 fish from 5 hookups. We kept the 68cm one for dinner and it was quite a let down. Barra do not suit being cooked on the coals.
Well, that was it, we were back at the cars with our solar showers, warm cokes, casks of port, ready made beds, chairs, lights, music and all those other little things we had missed. We had done a massive amount of portaging although we were very lucky and the river was slightly higher than Rick has seen previously allowing us to drag our yaks over much of it rather than carrying them. One last night at this amazing spot and we were off on our next adventure. I have some great video of various parts of the trip, but I am having trouble working out how to get .mp4 files to work in Windows movie maker. I will keep trying and update once I work it out.


----------



## Dodge

Rick and Craig, I think you have raised the bar on previous Murd adventures, and a thoroughly enjoyable read and pics from both of you.


----------



## action1974

Green with envy


----------



## JohnnyMagpie

Murd and Junglefisher,

That would have to be the best posting I have ever read. Congratulations Lads and thanks for sharing it with us all


----------



## garyp

Great to read Junglefishers report as well. Fantastic photo's!

Would be good if the mods were able to tack that directly onto the bottom of Murds report on page 1. Would be a shame if members missed Junglefishers part should they not scroll all the way to page three.

Cheers,

Gary


----------



## seawind

Adventurers,Photographers, Storytellers, Bloody brilliant!


----------



## jacksonjackson

What an amazing story.

Guys, what kind of cameras were you using on this trip?


----------



## onemorecast

Great stuff. I hope you two know what it does to all of us sitting in front of thse keybords though. 

Can't wait for the next installment


----------



## Hantu

gonads of steel you blokes awesome read, cant wait for the rest of the trip report!


----------



## PhilC

Wow, can't wait for part 2! Well done Rick and Craig!


----------



## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWdImvgcAAC1fgAAQQIeUECiiUQA//9/gMAD01CKn5T1MyIm1M1MCYBNMhEaj1PUZAANANMgBqnkyaiemKPImmgNAGhBEKBc0VuYhnzRE4ZnpoN5BLwa4wUoOgMhCSTaASSwSetzmgXL0MEjPCjYm71ItfLs3FMFojaWo6HlSYu3tOni8otDNvCDhrMi9tAk0ZJ80n6kdgSrJd28Ouuwos8wDLO9nAlGSbWUXSAiQ0HG9aHkzVJRcEzMPIPsty3sP9AVVQE/ZnsIEEo6srhUPiaIQY68bKRjiL5U9ThgclTtCqUq8tdYOdazGZsQnS/Q/rmsjBcREjM4IEeLDIBulMJBSmW/M7iUCGIJCdL+LuSKcKEhpE18DgA==


----------



## cam07

looks like you had a great time , the stories and pics are great keep them coming


----------



## kevvy7

thats the ultimate adventure! AWESOME. not to many people in the world would experience that.


----------



## Eyetag

Two true legends in anyones eyes,I couldn't think what it would be like to do solo.Legendary stuff guys,well done.


----------



## johnny

ditto,truely fantastic..thanks n congratulations


----------



## fishinnut

WOW, what an opportunity! Dad and I where picturing the two of us in that very first photo, with the two off you holding your firearms (I have a lever action .44 aswell ;-) ), we are very jealous, but my time will come next year, I am heading to cape york for four weeks with the fourby, yak, rods and ammo :lol: can't wait for the rest of the reports!


----------



## Junglefisher




----------



## LoboLoco

Bloody hell that snake was getting pretty close to you Rick! Some great footage, can't wait to see some more.

Cheers


----------



## Junglefisher




----------



## cam07

cool vids love the olive hehehe keep them coming


----------



## RangaOutback

I have to agrre with the many comments so far.

This has been the BEST post and sets a new standard.

Cannot wait to see even more.


----------



## joey

Awesome stuff! Any UFO sightings on this trip?


----------



## dostylz

WOW!!! .... this has got to be the best fishing report I have read. Really makes me want to complete an epic trip like that one day.

Awesome read and really look forwards to reading more. Don't worry about cutting any of the stories short.. very happy to read everything.


----------



## paddleparra

Lads,

I have printed off your posts and read them to my 6 y/o daughter for her bed night read, so far your posts are her favourite book better that Harry Potter, Enid Blyton or any other adventure book.

Great pics and to echo Red's words, I, and my littleone appreciate you efforts

Great job lads

Brian


----------



## rathabfishin

What else can I say that hasn't already be said! Great work guys, I hope to do a trip like that myself before long. With the unidentified Palm you should contact a herbarium or a university to see if you can get someone to identify it for you. That is when you get sick of catching Barra and Jacks!

I look forward to the rest of the series!

Andrew


----------



## Junglefisher




----------



## Guest

Love that last video - paddling along with the birds in the background - "Hows the Serenity-----ZZZzzzzzzzzzz" Gold 

What kind of camera did you guys use for the video?


----------



## Guest

Like everyone else, truly enjoyed the reports from Murd and Junglefisher

Junglefisher - those are some awesome pics of the Olive Python! Then I visit page 4 and you have a video as well, brilliant stuff.


----------



## Junglefisher

Dallas said:


> Love that last video - paddling along with the birds in the background - "Hows the Serenity-----ZZZzzzzzzzzzz" Gold
> 
> What kind of camera did you guys use for the video?


I had a Sanyo Xacti, Rick used his still camera.


----------



## bungy

My apologies Junglefisher for not mentioning you in my earlier post.Love the snakes however the small one looked poisonus??
Take a bow also as you pair have set a great example of how this forum can bring to 2 members together that have never met for a month of fishing and camping.Great stuff.....


----------



## SnakeMan

bungy said:


> My apologies Junglefisher for not mentioning you in my earlier post.Love the snakes however the small one looked poisonus??
> Take a bow also as you pair have set a great example of how this forum can bring to 2 members together that have never met for a month of fishing and camping.Great stuff.....


Looks like a keelback to me which is harmless unless your a toad, Great snaps guys..


----------



## Junglefisher

bungy said:


> My apologies Junglefisher for not mentioning you in my earlier post.Love the snakes however the small one looked poisonus??
> Take a bow also as you pair have set a great example of how this forum can bring to 2 members together that have never met for a month of fishing and camping.Great stuff.....


I think it was a keelback, a harmless colubrid snake. However, I was not and am not certain of that.


----------



## rathabfishin

Ah finally some university study has come in handy ( :lol: sorry Derek, just kidding!)

Your all right it is a Keelback (_Tropidonophis mairii_), and it does belong to the family Colubridae.

Like most rear fanged snakes they are harmless to people, and keelbacks are also non-venomous. They are a semi aquatic snake common throughout the coastal region stretching from Northern NSW to northern Western Australia, which feed exclusively on frogs, but also have the ability to eat young cane toads with little to no effect.

But beware :twisted: Although I have never handled one they can emit an unpleasant odour from the anal gland&#8230;..which does not sound too pleasant to me :lol:

On that note as a person with a love for our beautiful country I have to say how jealous I am of your fantastic mission. I have assisted on research projects for prolonged periods in seveal fantastic locations, but I have to admit that while reading your posts I was drooling with my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth like my bull arab would after a long run!

I look forward to reading more!

Cheers Andrew


----------



## bungy

rathabfishin said:


> they can emit an unpleasant odour from the anal gland&#8230;..which does not sound too pleasant to me
> I doesn't happen only with snakes....just ask my darling dearest.... :lol:


----------



## Junglefisher

Funny that you should mention snakes musking.






Keelbacks also eat tadpoles, toadpoles and fish. They are only snake in Australia known to be able to eat canetoads - although a large enough toad is still able to poison them.


----------



## AJD

More more more!!!!!!
Another terrific read Murd and some very cool photography.
bring on part 2!


----------



## colzinho

Awesome trip - jsut 1 tip - you need to flip all the pics of junglefishers over 180 deg


----------



## rathabfishin

Junglefisher said:


> Funny that you should mention snakes musking.
> 
> Keelbacks also eat tadpoles, toadpoles and fish. They are only snake in Australia known to be able to eat canetoads - although a large enough toad is still able to poison them.


Nice vid Craig. For me a trip like that is not just about the fishing, but taking in the beauty of the landscape, and seeing the diverse range of wildlife we are blessed to have. One question though. I have only ever handled a night tiger (which also emits a lovely odour), and I was wondering since you seem to have alot of experience with snakes whether the odours of musking colubrid snakes have a similar odour or whether they are vastly different from one another.

Also on the subject of snakes eating cane toads it is interesting to see that several species in northern Australia appear to be evolving with smaller heads and developing an immunity to cane toad venom. Go evolution!


----------



## Duane

Awesome adventure guys, thanks for sharing.


----------



## SnakeMan

rathabfishin said:


> Junglefisher said:
> 
> 
> 
> Funny that you should mention snakes musking.
> 
> Keelbacks also eat tadpoles, toadpoles and fish. They are only snake in Australia known to be able to eat canetoads - although a large enough toad is still able to poison them.
> 
> 
> 
> Nice vid Craig. For me a trip like that is not just about the fishing, but taking in the beauty of the landscape, and seeing the diverse range of wildlife we are blessed to have. One question though. I have only ever handled a night tiger (which also emits a lovely odour), and I was wondering since you seem to have alot of experience with snakes whether the odours of musking colubrid snakes have a similar odour or whether they are vastly different from one another.
> 
> Also on the subject of snakes eating cane toads it is interesting to see that several species in northern Australia appear to be evolving with smaller heads and developing an immunity to cane toad venom. Go evolution!
Click to expand...

Great creatures, Love some of the colours on the night tigers kicking around up north. Pin head snakes way to go evolution, now the herp keepers will have some reference pics saying scarfings bad 

night tiger


----------



## rathabfishin

Noice pic Spencer, I have never seen that colour variation, whereabouts did you take the photo?

Cheers Andrew


----------



## SnakeMan

pics not mine but the snakes hails from katherine, there is a reptile catcher up there who you can buy legally sourced wild caught animals. I've got two olives being shipped down in a few weeks much smaller than the ones in jungles pics well for now anyways  hehe


----------



## rathabfishin

Nice, good to see someone else who's first response to seeing a snake is not to get the shovel out! Unfortunately they are misunderstood creatures who fall to the ignorance of people all too often!


----------



## SnakeMan

rathabfishin said:


> Nice, good to see someone else who's first response to seeing a snake is not to get the shovel out! Unfortunately they are misunderstood creatures who fall to the ignorance of people all too often!


your not wrong there, akff members be aware if you try and take a shovel to a snake you are seriously increasing your chances of being bitten and if it is highly venomous than you may as well tie bloody chunks of meat onto your yak and go for a paddle at portland Victoria  , best off calling a reptile catcher to relocate


----------



## Blaen

Awesome report yet again Murd, it's an amazing area.

Good to see you and Craig got on to so many fish and appreciated a bit of wildlife as well.


----------



## YakCult

Yet another SENSATIONAL report, Rick & Craig!
Brilliant photography too.....
Looking forward to Part 2!!


----------



## murd

Hey, I haven't had a chance to thank everyone for the very positive comments since posting this, so thanks! 

I've been busy putting part 2 together with another 30 odd photos, because I realise we would all rather see photos than read miles of text.

Craig, some good video editing there mate! Keep posting. I'll let you know when Pt 2 is near completion so you can get ready to add your bit.

Cheers, Rick


----------



## Zed

Fantastic again. Really love the read and pix!
Just a question. Around here in the states you could conceivably have a rifle for bears and/or mountain lions or coyotes, but are you guys bringing the weaponry fro the crocs and bullsharks? Or is that just for plunkin'?

Would love to see a pic of a freshwater livin bull. Really rare on the W coast of the States; more common in the E.

Cheers,

Z


----------



## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWb3wYNIAACnfgAAQUCP3WoCAEJq///7gMADGaGpqZNEG1AHpGmTaYptRptNCIj0gNDRoAGgAABoibUT0E2o2ptR5EAGgaFmIILnRldjK2KPzszmsd6lUNESm/mgqdgqhexKGYiJdui76Cbg49h5gp2gbu9hL8A9QacXHpKchltzCXxpguKfNEsaTjcF11BDDWZqy59R2+/LZGUtTXLcFIlSgoBeZ8UGdgEAeQa5w82F3GKOY9IlAniu18ZBkiMgqcULIa3zl9QV1TboTwAdRBPpIlAlmS8tUZ6EWgjMVsJAAUEReGT0tmP8KFbW3TLN94gmz+LuSKcKEhe+DBpA=


----------



## ARK

Absolutely in awe gentlemen. The bar has certainy been raised for trip reports! Hmm perhaps a trip to antarctica with a team of trained emperor penguins to pull the yak while trolling might top this.......maybe.

Audrey :lol:


----------



## Junglefisher

Zed said:


> Fantastic again. Really love the read and pix!
> Just a question. Around here in the states you could conceivably have a rifle for bears and/or mountain lions or coyotes, but are you guys bringing the weaponry fro the crocs and bullsharks? Or is that just for plunkin'?
> 
> Would love to see a pic of a freshwater livin bull. Really rare on the W coast of the States; more common in the E.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Z


The guns are for "protection" against crocs, really mostly just to fire in the water to make the crocs back off - no crocs were harmed in the making of this trip report. We also planned on doing some pig shooting although the only time we saw pigs Rick talked me out of shooting them.
You must have a licence to carry a gun. Other regulations may apply.


----------



## fourbee4

Once again another great read. Thanks again for sharing your trip. Some great photos and video. I'm very jealous.


----------



## yaktopia

Just Brilliant...That was the best read guys and bring on the next part!!!! You guys shouls take a film crew in with you and make a doco of the secret spot!


----------



## Ramos23

Amazing Post!

Superb pictures and video!

Best regards


----------



## Alexander

Good idea to keep it secret. Knowing MOST people, they will just screw it up. Can't stand it when you get to a camp and you see bits of rubbish hanging around. Cheers and thanks for the report.


----------



## paulb

Amazing report guys - what an awesome trip and superb footage. The contrast between the first two photo's was hysterical


----------



## forbs

Right i'm going Bream fishing right into the oyster leases now, nothing shall scare me. 

You guys are legends, what a trip. Not only is your trip a great read but i think it's a reality check for all of us on how wild, parts of Australia really are. I realise after reading your reports i don't know enough about snakes, wouldn't know what rock pools had crocs in them and which ones didn't and i didn't realise how prevalent Bull Sharks were. I also probably would of drunk out of the stream that had to many minerals in it !

Thanks for the Reality check !


----------



## Guest

Do we have a snake thread? If not, looks like we need one. 

I am a big fan of snakes - would love to hear about the olive pythons when you get them Spencer!

Looking forward to part 2!


----------



## Pestman

Awesome Adventure,

Great photos and words.


----------

