Crocodiles!? Why’d it have to be crocodiles??? I KNOW this is what Indiana Jones would have said… as numerous salties swam around our boat as we fished for Barramundi in the Northern Territory of Australia, on the Mary River…
The Northern Territory of Australia, sometimes lost in the cachet of other Australia destinations, is flush with unique historical, cultural, and adventure opportunities to rival ANY AREA OF ANY COUNTRY of the world!
My goals for a recent visit to Darwin and the Northern Territory were simple:
- Catch lots of fish in the area's rivers and ocean waters.
- Learn more about the Aboriginal people who inhabit the area in abundant numbers.
- Steer clear of the deadly snakes, spiders, and sea creatures for which Australia is known.
- Avoid making too many blood donations to the mozzies (mosquitoes).
I must say, mates, the tally was positive on all counts… but the fishing provided a highly exciting twist:
Crocodiles. MANY saltwater crocodiles. Swimming around our boat and waiting on the nearby shore THE WHOLE TIME we fished on the Mary River southeast of Darwin. (More about that in a minute).
Arriving in Darwin
On a May night, Fall in Australia, following a pleasant four-hour Qantas flight from Sydney, I landed in Darwin.
As I stepped off the air-conditioned plane, my glasses immediately fogged over in the 100 per cent humidity!
Darwin, a modern city with wide ethnic diversity and a population approaching 160,000, boasts pleasant office buildings, nice homes, lovely shops, open air markets, and varied eateries and kiosks. Also fine accommodations, restaurants and night life. And, of course, abundant nature right out the door…
Almost the proverbial “stone’s throw” from New Guinea and Indonesia across the Timor Sea, Darwin has served as gateway (and protector) to this part of the world for a long time.
With the finest and deepest harbor in Australia, Darwin’s harbor-bottom, unfortunately, is strewn with the hulks of sunken ships and memories of Japanese bombing raids… legacies of the heroic role that Northern Australia played in World War II. A positive outcome of all of this, if there is one, is that Darwin today still boasts outstanding airports and support facilities.
Arnhem Land in the northeastern corner of the Northern Territory (around 500 km / 310 mi from Darwin) is one of the “cradles” of Aboriginal civilization, holding in her bosom many secrets of the Aboriginals’ 50,000 year existence.
Fishing for Barra on The Mary River
As part of this “dream” trip, Northern Territory Tourism set me up to fish for barramundi on the Mary River about three hours from Darwin, near Kakadu National Park… I had no idea at the time that crocodiles were going to play a prominent part in this scenario…
Our base camp for this fishing experience was the Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge.
Memories of the Lodge and surroundings include:
- Numerous wallabies hopping around the area;
- The hosts instructing us to stay on the paved walks and not to walk in the grass (because of snakes);
- A mention that there had been a brown snake (second most venomous snake in the world) in the kitchen the other day;
- The welcome mosquito netting around my bed in our cabin. (I'll get back to the dreaded “mozzies” later in the story);
- Performance by the “Gulpu Wilderness Dancers” (more about that later, too)…
The next morning, as we were driving to the nearby boat-launching site at Shady Camp, an eagle flying overhead dropped a Brown Snake onto the road in front of our Jeep.
We got out to get a closer look — from a safe distance — as the snake skittered across the dirt in front of us and quickly disappeared into the roadside brush.
Our fishing target that day were barramundi – the legendary fish that has sustained the Aboriginal people since time immemorial. Barramundi are still one of Australia’s "fishing Nirvanas". (Remember, at that point I still had no idea that “salties” i.e. saltwater crocodiles, would be our constant companions for the day’s fishing experience).
Barramundi means “big scales” in the Aboriginal language, and this fish, which can grow to almost two meters and over sixty pounds makes delicious eating.
To make a long story short, Paul launched the boat and pulled away from the boat landing to head for the fishing grounds on the river.
On the way, Paul saw a man leaning over the motor at the stern of his boat, trying to fix a tangled line. Paul stopped to remind the man that salties, the ever-present ambush predator, might grab him if he wasn’t careful.
The fishing style that day was casting – and the fishing was good.
As we reeled our fish to the boat, the movement of the “salties” — ancient reptiles, ambush predators — in their mottled black, brown, and yellowish-tinged hides — was daunting.
The salties swam around the boat incessantly, in hopes of grabbing the fish — the net with a fish in it — or, I suppose, the arm (or more) of an unwary angler..
The largest “saltie” we saw that day was about 15 feet long — 4 to 5 meters or so! And there were lots of them! (The photos were taken from the boat, and the salties were all around, so you can get an idea of how close they were).
The crocodiles were everywhere.
Meanwhile, back at “Fishing With The Crocs,” I was lucky to catch a “barra” weighing over 23 pounds, and a meter-plus in length.
Paul said that was “pretty good.”
To give you a better idea of the fish’s sparkly exterior, see photo, below, of Paul holding the barramundi.
Getting back to solid ground after fishing:
By the time we headed back to the boat ramp at mid-afternoon, the tide had gone out and the water had become too shallow for our boat to get all the way to the landing.
So Paul asked us to take off our shoes and socks and wade ashore through the sucking, gray muck. (I prayed I wouldn’t step on a cone snail or similar disaster…)
The next challenge was that the boat launch’s dirt ramp was still scorching hot from the day’s sun’s heat, so I had to hop from one bare foot to the other — like a gecko — until I could get to cooler ground!
Thus ended the fishing on the Mary River, but there were lots more activities and fishing in store for a visit to the Northern Territory of Australia..
Other Adventures in Australia’s Northern Territory
Rockhole Wetlands Cruise
The next day I was further enthralled by a cruise of the unspoiled wetlands of the Mary River at a reserve called Rockhole.
Departing Rockhole daily, the two-hour cruise floats along the waterways winding through the permanent wetlands to view the plantlife and birdlife, plus potential sightings of the water buffaloes and saltwater crocodiles that dwell in that area.
Among the myriad bush plants we saw was the magnificent Lotus Lily, that still serves to provide food, medicines, and utensils to the Aboriginal people.
and utensils to the Aboriginal people.
Thousands of birds found in the area include herons, brolgas, egrets, jabaroos, and ducks, as well as “flying foxes” (fruit bats) that hang from the trees when at rest. Often, the fruit bats drop off of the tree from which they hang, into the maw of a croc waiting in the water below.
At the end of the day, Point Stuart Wilderness Lodge grilled and fried the barramundi for everyone to sample:
Aboriginal Program & Dancers
Then followed the delight of sitting around a crackling fire with newfound Aboriginal friends, the “Gulpu Wilderness Dancers,” who happily shared stories and information (Dreamtime?) about the mystical spirits that inhabit the earth.
The Aboriginal group taught us the “mozzie” dance, and gave those who wished an opportunity to blow on the didgeridoo.
One of the “performers,” Kevin Guruwiwi, became my friend in very short order:
When my camera flash didn’t go off, Kevin was the one who leaned over, and said, wryly: “I guess the spirits didn’t want you to take that picture.”
When I asked Kevin what to do about the mosquitoes (“mozzies”), he told me:
“First, go and find a termite mound… and then… burn it… in order to keep the mozzies away…”
More important, I learned that Kevin was a native artist. I met him the next day and he told me about Aboriginal life and art, including the role of the rainbow serpent, the goanna, the king monitor, and other Aboriginal tales and customs… and we agreed that he would make some drawings for me…
I LOVE the intricacies and implications of this Aboriginal “skeleton” painting of a barramundi and lotus lilies that Kevin made for me. (Note the role that the lotus lily plays in Aboriginal life; as well as the fish bones themselves — an important source of “calchum” (calcium), according to Kevin.
Kevin also told me how he gathers the raw materials (like ochre) to make the “paint”.
The most important messages that Kevin (and Aboriginals around the world) convey in one way or another is:
“To use and appreciate nature to the fullest…” and,
“We don’t own the land… The land owns us.”
Visits to other wilderness lodges and fishing opportunities in The Northern Territory of Australia:
Other adventures we had in the Northern Territory included two different fly-ins to outposts reachable only by air or water from Darwin:
The Cape Don Experience and Lighthouse on the Cobourg Peninsula; and Seven Spirit Lodge in Seven Spirit Bay — areas literally in the wilderness, but with modern and luxurious accommodations and activities.
Photos of Cape Don, 7 Spirit Bay and Fishing Experiences
Summary:
Everywhere we went, we saw constant evidence of the incredible diversity, balance and pristine quality of nature when left to its own designs…
The colors, the fragrances, the sights and sounds, the moods, the emotional and physical challenges and rewards, the people that this untouched area of Australia offers… outpace any adjectives.
Other adventures you can enjoy when you’re in The Northern Territory include camping, hiking, jeeping, cruising, visiting petroglyphs, Aboriginal community presentations and visits, seeking and eating a bit of bush tucker, and much, much more…
*When we were in Darwin, we stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
PS Except for the evening at Shady Camp, the mosquitoes weren’t a problem. This is partially due to the fact that I wore my excellent ExOfficio BuzzOff® clothing and accessories most of the time –- because of BuzzOff’s high sun protective factor, coolness, anti-insect properties, and because they’re lightweight, quick-drying, and stylish, to boot.*
As with all my travel adventures, I eagerly await the opportunity to get back to the “Top of Down Under” — Northern Territory of Australia — and gain further insight and joy from the experiences and people and things (and fish) unique to this area.
*This story originally appeared in Chicago Daily Suburban Newspapers, among others.
*This trip was made at the invitation of Australia Tourism, the Northern Territory of Australia and Qantas airlines and had no influence whatsoever on the tone or observations of the story.
*As a fishing and outdoor adventure specialist, ExOfficio BuzzOff products are my “go to” products of choice. I have no agreement with this company that I would mention them, which had no influence whatsoever on the tone or observations of the story.
