Shhh, don’t tell anyone that Great Keppel is open and operating!!

Location: Yeppoon, Queensland

Weather: Light winds, scattered white clouds, warm ocean. As we finished the fishing trip the storm clouds gathered and the heavens opened! Rain at last! 32ºc

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND HOLIDAY VILLAGE

“I’ve no idea what you’re going to do on Keppel Island – it closed down about three years ago” somebody told me on Moreton Island a few days before I arrived in Yepoon, the stepping off point for the Keppel Group of islands. So what on earth were Tourism Queensland doing sending me somewhere like this on my final Island Caretaker adventure?!

As I left the marina at Rosslyn Bay onboard the Freedom Fast Cats the distant outline of the island on the horizon beckoned and as we neared the coast the buildings high on the hill became more obvious – this must be the deserted resort I’d been told about. We pulled up onto the white sandy beach, stepped into the crystal clear water and approached the figure walking down the beach – Geoff Mercer from Great Keppel Island Holiday Village, a classic old-time surf dude, was here to meet us.

The wicked little battered Daihatsu powered up the beach across the soft sand and up the only road on the island – all 50 metres of it, to the back door of the camp. Laid out on a field full of sand were a number of safari-style tents, chalets and in the centre a communal toilet/shower block and kitchen. This was more like an African-esque backpackers than anything I’d witnessed here in Australia yet – and I loved it straight away!

I checked into my tent and sat out in the sunshine enjoying the comfort of one of the hammocks hanging in the garden (sand garden of course), this pretty much seems to be the pace of life around here – it’s pretty much the place to be doing very little apart from relaxing, socialising and catching up on oneself – and that’s it.

Since the main Keppel island resort closed down the other businesses on the island have suffered, negative press reports claiming ‘Keppel Island is dead’ have meant that the outside world has virtually forgotten about this once ‘Great’ destination but all the while the other smaller operators are still here seeking out a living on this little piece of paradise.

There’s plenty to do here still, Geoff the owner and Fergie, a friend of his, decided to buy the watersports centre on the main beach and try to make a go of it so there’s loads to do including waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, kayaking and snorkelling. The bay provides a safe sheltered environment and the beach hut makes the perfect place to watch the sunset.

Bre and I decide we’ll head off on a little mission as one of the islanders, Roger, has very kindly offered us the use of his ATV bike – there are 17 beaches on the island, 15 of which are easily accessible and we’re going to try and make it to as many as we can!

The broken sealed road heads out of the eastern end of the old resort and winds up the hill as it does the surface just disappears and becomes dust and dirt. Perfect for an off-road bike such as this. The next five hours of adventure take us over the island hitting all sides of it, going to the top of Mt Wyndham out to the lighthouse and to eight of the beaches. There’s noone else about for the entire duration of our mission, we’ve probably travelled 30kms along the sandy beaches, through the bush and up the hills.

The solitude of Wreck Beach at the far end of the island is amazing. There were huge shoals of baitfish in the shore break and as we walked out to them twelve little reef sharks darted amongst them scattering the black cloud in all directions as they hunted out their next meal. As we approached the high-tide line we spotted turtle tracks heading up the beach and went closer to investigate, unlike the one we had to relocate at Mon Repos, this turtle had climbed right up the sand dunes to lay it eggs and the only evidence was the scattered sand she had left behind. In a few weeks time the newly hatched baby turtles will make their break for freedom down the beach and into the water.

Our mission was to reach the lighthouse at the far end of the island, an automated unit perched high on the rocks offering great views back over the island. The track along the ridge was narrow and overgrown but we were on a real adventure here and nothing was going to stop us getting to our goal now. What a sight once we got there, a helipad marked the end of the trail and the views were superb looking back west over the island and onto the mainland in the distance.

As the sun dropped over the horizon signalling the end of another day Bre and I turned into the sandy entrance to the resort. We’d gone as far as was possible to discover the hidden Great Keppel that only a few people are lucky enough to get to see. As we returned the ATV to its rightful owner I told Roger what an incredible island he lives on and his return comment was “I know, now you write a blog but…shhhh don’t tell everyone about it!”

Mum and dad had been exploring too and as we told them all about our adventure the smell of the barbeque told us it was time to pack our stomachs full once more – Geoff had prepared a feast and we eagerly tucked in. Sleep was well overdue and after a quick burst on the blog I retired…exhausted. Now it’s not good protocol to feed the wild birds and animals but when there’s a one legged Curlew hopping around the rules can be bent a little…here’s the amusing sign from the communal eating area:

Staying in a tent doesn’t allow you to rest in bed when the sun starts to shine and it was a pretty good thing really as the next part of the Keppel adventure was about to commence – deep sea fishing!

KEPPEL BAY ESCAPES FISHING TRIP

Geoff grabbed the last of our baggage and us, bundled it all into his truck and drove us down to the beach where our new means of transport awaited – Keppel Bay Escapes had brought along two 11m Voyager Catamarans called Konomie Spirit and Konomie Dreaming. Identical in their appearance, one would be for Bre, Mum, Dad and I and the other for the Beyond TV crew who were travelling with us filming the final installment for the National Geographic program ‘Best Job in the World’ to be screened worldwide next year.

Now in the past few months I’ve had little tasters of what fishing in Australia is really like, but they have only been a few minutes here and there and so far I haven’t landed anything that’s been of legal size. This was my chance to catch something ready for the Christmas dinner table surely!

Graham the owner of the company had brought with him the ‘experts’, Lyle, Ralph and Fraser knew how to fish and with their help hopefully we’d have tight lines by the the end of the day and a cooler box with at least some fishy friends resting in it. Graham’s a bit of a legend when it comes to fishing and if there’s anything to know about the sport, the area and how to catch them – he’s the man.

We’re out for a couple of days and start the journey north towards his favoured hunting grounds, the weather is perfect with a light northerly wind giving a little respite from the humid Queensland day and we’re full of expectation. The area to the north of our starting point very quickly becomes military training grounds limiting the access from the mainland and, together with the distance we’re covering on the water, restricts the fishing to only the larger boats too = end result of waters which haven’t been plundered!

Two hours later we’ve arrived at our first spot, big fat X’s mark Graham’s secret fishing places on his GPS and as we arrive the fish finder indicates a good sized group of our potential friends sitting around the bottom. Lyle and Fraser have already rigged up our tackle, it’s just a case of putting a squid and pilchard on the hooks and away we go.

The reels whirr as we drop the lines over the sides of the boat, 35 metres of twine feed into the great nothingness below until eventually they hit bottom and slacken the tension on the rod tip. We’re in the spot, all we have to do is just wait…for nearly 20 seconds as suddenly the rod tip is twitching again, but this time the fish are biting!

Bre’s the first to strike home, battling with the unseen monster under the water, Graham cries out “it’s a Red Dew!”. How on earth somebody knows that from just seeing the rod tip move I don’t know it must be the years of experience he’s had out here on the ocean doing exactly this.

With the rod end dug into her waist, Bre cranks the rod up and down constantly taking line in so as not to let it go slack and loose her prize. Shoulders working hard, wrists working harder until finally we catch a glimpse of the red monster she’s been hauling in for the last few minutes. It’s a good size too, roughly 20kgs and definitely the biggest fish she’s ever caught. The joy in her face says it all – suddenly we have a new recruit to the very popular ‘Australian Sea Fishing Club’.

An hour later and we’ve all added to the esky, filling it with substantial Red Dew and Estuary Cod (the biggest of which Bre catches and weighs in at 25kgs) but only a few of each type. There are other operators out here who really plunder the shoals when they find them taking 200 fish at a time which leaves nothing on these hyper-sensitive areas of the reef. The fish we pull up are around 15 years old and are crucial at this age as they start to spawn producing future generations – to remove more than a few has a serious impact on the area and effects fish stocks along the coastline. It’s good to learn from the locals you know…

We continue our cruise up the coast until eventually we’re near the Warginburra Peninsula and in the sheltered waters around Dome Island. The landscape and the environment are stunning, the islands look somewhere between tropical and north American; the hoop pines mingle with palm trees, the rolling ocean surf crashes into the rocks adding white foam to the picture and we’re in the middle of it all. The photos hopefully do it some justice.

Graham sets us a challenge – to catch some smaller tastier fish ready for tonight’s barbeque. Again the game is on! Using the reef on the echo sounder brings up a whole new variety of fish, not so many of the big type instead more colourful and tasty specimens like Hussar, Sweetlip and even a Coral Trout. Perfect for our evening meal.

We anchor in the sheltered waters of Pearl Bay and watch another perfect sunset as the crew prepare the feast for the evening. Nothing too complicated here just well bread-crumbed pieces of gorgeous white fish lightly fried served with a dipping sauce and salad. What a feeling to have the fish we’d caught only a few hours previous served up for dinner!

The gentle rocking of the ocean sent me to sleep…

Day break is easy to achieve when you’re onboard, the boat sends me to sleep particularly well but also means I sleep lightly and as the first light of the day enters the bedroom I’m up and about – the smell of bacon cooking helps of course!

As we make our way back down the coast towards Yeppoon where we’re to be dropped off, we hit some more spots to try and catch a few more tasty morsels that we can take home to Hamilton Island ready for Christmas Day. You see, the traditional Queensland lunch on December 25^th is always seafood and fresh fruit – can you imagine slaving over a hot stove when the temperature is over 30 degrees outside. Exactly.

We try a couple of different locations but struggle to replicate the immediate success of the day before until suddenly my rod tip starts quivering, it’s a good size fish and puts up a huge fight and as I bring it towards the net realise it’s a different sort to that we’d been landing yesterday – this one’s a Trevally or a salt n pepper due to the distinctive black and white speckles along its side.

It’s also perfect for some fresh sashimi! Brilliant, so Graham gets out his sharpest knife and delicately slices a fillet from it, skins it and prepares some bite-sized pieces for us to try with some soy sauce and wasabi mustard. No more than half an hour after catching it – we’re eating it!

On the horizon the weather is starting to change with black clouds looming large over the interior of the mainland, so as a precaution we decide to head for the marina. We have a cooler box full of fish, our shoulders are aching after hauling in monsters from the deep and our bait supplies are low – I think we can call the entire trip a roaring success. Bre has pulled in more than everyone else and now can’t wait to go out again sometime soon.

It’s been a brilliant adventure and one we’ve been looking forward to for a long time but as with all these incredible experiences it has to come to an end. As we arrive back at the entrance to the marina the wind is picking up and the heavens are about to open…the timing couldn’t have been better!

We head back north to Airlie Beach early the next morning.

End of day location: Yeppoon, Queensland

Distance travelled: 545kms by road, 197kms by sea

GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND PICTURES

FISHING TRIP WITH KEPPEL BAY ESCAPES

The biggest sand island in the world…

Location: Hervey Bay, Queensland

Weather: Summer perfection, the suns out, there’s no clouds about and the temp is around 34ºc

“You’ve got too much luggage to take in the R44 heli” our pilot told us as Bre, the Beyond TV crew and I arrived at the Hervey Bay airport. Yep that’d be about right – we’re hauling around 200kgs of kit between us so M.I. Helicopters would have to take the larger Bell Ranger across to Fraser Island instead.

It’s a quick trip across the channel but throughout the flight looming large in the distance is Fraser Island stretching from horizon to horizon. 124kms long with around 40 freshwater lakes contained within its body it is the largest sand island in the world. There’s dense vegetation over the vast majority of it, rainforest in some sections and all along the eastern seaboard one of the largest beaches I’ve ever been on…sand as far as the eye can see!

We touch down on the helipad of Kingfisher Bay resort and meet the welcoming committee of Abbie from Aussie Trax and Damian from Fraser Coast Tourism who’ll be our guides over the next day. They arrive armed with two 4×4’s – the only way of getting about on the island as there’s no real roads, only sand tracks.

I have to say that this is massively exciting for me – after spending all of last year driving around Africa in a Land Rover battling the mud and sand roads there, the idea of taking on another 4WD challenge is just what I needed. But before we jump in the cars we cruise into the luxurious eco-surroundings of the Kingfisher Bay resort to a quick pit stop and drink, there’s nothing worse than getting caught out whilst on the road!

We depart and as soon as we’re out of the resort’s confines the road just disappears…well I say road I should have said slat-covered-track…the deep sand starts here so we engage 4WD and follow the deeply rutted tracks into the depths of the island.

These are actually the main roads here; the island is a national park and also listed as a World Heritage site which helps to maintain its beauty and unique features and attractions. The main road across the centre of the island has fairly large numbers of vehicles passing along it, mainly 4×4 rental cars with drivers experiencing sand driving for the first time.

It’s important to note to those visitors experiencing 4WD’ing for the first time should undertake the relevant training required before taking one of these cars out on Fraser Island’s sand roads.

Inevitably this does throw up a few issues within the first few kms of driving on the sand…stranded vehicles! It actually makes for quite a fun start to the journey as we have to leave the air-con comfort of Damian’s Pajero and head out to the front of the convoy that is stranded behind the unlucky bogged vehicle. This is where the fun really starts with the usual routine for extracting it from the sand – let some pressure out of the tyres, clear the four patched of sand from in front of them, back up a bit and…..HIT IT!!

Once we’ve coached the driver with some very basic skills they’re off blasting their way across the bumpy, sandy roads and it’s not long before the entire convoy is moving again – it’s amazing what a little bit of education will do.

The islands got some incredible rainforest and its amazing how it survives as sand isn’t the greatest retainer of water, but somehow it holds enough to maintain the life of a whole multitude of trees, bushes, plants and animals. A couple of hours later we’ve smashed and bashed our way across the centre of the island, rescued a few more tourists and slowly counted down the kilometre signs to Lake McKenzie – our stopping off point for a bite of lunch.

There are over forty freshwater lakes on Fraser and the one that everybody knows and wants to visit is Lake McKenzie. As I walk down the path that leads to its shores I can see why; the purest turquoise water surrounded by the whitest sand reminds me instantly of Whitehaven Beach back in the Whitsundays.

I take off down the beach like a madman, I love the water and this is heaven – not since I’d completed my dive qualification in Lake Malawi last year had I seen such perfect water. There’s a fair few other people here too, the backpacker community appear to have got here before us so there’s games of Frisbee, football and sunbaking going on all around.

Having a day to explore Fraser Island doesn’t leave anytime for exploring so we’re straight back in the vehicles and off again hitting the sand road due east all of the way to the coast…the massively long coast which stretches for nearly 120kms form north to south.

We drop onto the solid sand of the beach and join the highway; at least that’s what it felt like as there are so many 4×4’s doing exactly the same thing. Tyre tracks are everywhere and the rules of the highway really do apply here with speed limits and road signs very much the norm – this is the only way to head north from here.

Travelling on the hard sand, dodging the waves and avoiding the rocks requires lots of concentration and constant micro-adjustments to the steering wheel, so the sight of a huge wreck in the distance is a welcome relief from the road. The S.S. Maheno was originally built in 1905 in Scotland as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and on June 25, 1935 the ship was being towed from Melbourne when it was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 9, 1935 she drifted ashore and was beached on Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice for the RAAF. The ship has since become severely rusted, with almost three and a half storeys buried under the sand.

The sun is getting lower in the sky and time, as ever, is pushing on – there’s one more location to visit before heading to our camp for the night and that’s Indian Head at the very northern tip of this section of beach. We climb the rocky headland and get a superb view down the length of the beach as it disappears off in the distance. In the foreground there was a little more to focus on…just below where we stood the outline of tiger sharks were obvious patrolling the fish-filled waters for their next meal. I can now see why swimming isn’t recommended around the coast of Fraser island!

In the failing light we return south along the beach and stop briefly for a quick lesson in sand-worm hunting – an essential skill if you consider yourself a local fisherman around these parts. Talk about a knack to it – something neither Bre or I clearly possess as we struggle to catch anything…at least our lives don’t depend on it anyway!

It’s a pretty quick drive back to the dip in the dunes we’d passed earlier marking the entrance up the beach to our resting point for the night, Cathedral Beach. Its a peaceful, remote location which Shane runs and has all of the facilities to make this a great self-catering location for those with their own 4×4. Having camped on top of my Land Rover every day last year it was wicked to be doing the same again tonight – although the luxuriously fitted safari-style tents here offer much more comfort than my canvas house did.

There’s a meal fit for a king waiting but the welcome sight of the shower block comes first adding to the feel-good factor of the day especially after we’ve inhaled enough dust and sand to fill a small bucket. Shane runs the Fraser Island Company and has a few different options for people looking to spend a few days exploring this amazing environment here at Fraser, the camp we’re staying in tonight is setup for all manner of adventurous types who come to the island for their holidays. From the simplistic campsites to the type of tents we’re staying in through to the luxury chalets.

Staying out in the bush is a great way to immerse yourself in your surroundings; there’s huge toads hopping about, the sound of the night is all around and a dingo evens walks right past us as were bedding down for the night. Superb.

The feeling of sunshine warming the outer wall of the tent signals sunrise and the end of my sleep unfortunately – I was really enjoying that, but there’s work to do recording a script for Tourism Queensland and I can’t think of a better place to do it than on the beach.

Work done, breakfast consumed and before we know it our time on Fraser island is almost up – we’re leaving on a tiny little plane from Scenic Flights who operate from the main beach and make our way down to the waters edge where Dale is waiting by his machine. He’s great fun and once we’re on board throws the plane about so we can see the sharks in the water below, the huge sand dunes in the distance and eventually the runway out on front of us only 30 minutes later as we come into land at Hervey Bay airport back on the mainland.

Fraser Island has so much to it and deserves a couple of weeks to explore it properly in a vehicle, the fishing is supposed to be incredible and some of the wild bush camps in the middle of nowhere must be brilliant.

When I finally get my Land Rover over from the UK and have some time off I’ll be making the drive up here again to play in the sand and float in Lake McKenzie until my fingers are wrinkled…

End of day location: Hervey Bay

Distance travelled: 120kms by road on sand, and 25kms by air

Having a LARC and a Scooter Roo!!!

Location: Agnes Water/Seventeen Seventy, Queensland
Weather: Apparently – Very Queensland. Started with sun then the wind increased then we had rain and now we’re back to sun again! 29°c

Having lived in a coastal village in South Africa for a number of years I love the sound of the waves crashing onto the coastline and can think of no better way of falling asleep but having the Great Barrier Reef to protect Hamilton Island from the incoming swell has taken this away!

So when I arrived in Agnes Water, the most northerly surf break along this coastline, hearing the near-constantly breaking waves outside my balcony felt good again and like home once more. My girlfriend Bre had taken the overnight coach down to meet me in Bundaberg and once we’d met up Trevor from Tourism Queensland drove us north and up the coast to the famous outcrop of land where Captain Cook made his first landfall in Queensland – 1770.

We’re here for three days so instead of the usual hotel to stay in we’ve a fantastic Mantra Pavilions Mirage on 1770 apartment right on the beach in Agnes Water. There’s a couple of bedrooms, open-plan lounge and kitchen, jacuzzi bath and vast balcony overlooking the sandy beach together with a real ocean noise!

The LARC

Our first activity when we arrive is the LARC – a bright pink amphibious vehicle! These things are huge, powerful and a real eye-catcher with the tourists offering tours on and around the surrounding waterways. Neil one of the co-owners and driver invites us on board and there’s no hesitation at all.

The LARC

Originally designed for the U.S. Military in 1960 as resupply vehicles, the pink-fleet have been redesigned to house the sort of passengers who all up for an educational tour and a good laugh at the same time. As the beast of a engine roars into life we take off down the slipway and enter the water…

At 63 feet long the LARC has some serious presence both on the road and in the water, as we leave the far bank of the river, climbing up the steep sad dune, a flock of pelicans and boobies take to the air wondering what-on-earth this bizarre pink machine is all about.

We take to the water again, sending a plume of spray up from the huge sand tyres as we enter the surf. As the water comes over the height of the wheels the propellor kicks up powering us out into open water where a challenge is given to me…catch a fish and the rod and reel are mine! Up for the challenge I take to the rook of the beast, casting into a shoal of baitfish surfacing just off the side…ten minutes later….nothing…we have to leave and I fail in the mission.

After an hour we stop to watch the sun set over the horizon and make for home, Neil lets me jump up front with him and drive the monster for a few minutes – this thing has some serious power but surprisingly only drinks a litre of fuel every km – maybe I’ll get one to drive around Australia instead of a Land Rover?!

Scooter Roos!!!

I’d heard a huge amount of great stories and reports all about these mad little things long before I knew it was even on the itinerary so it came as a great delight when we pulled into the driveway of Rod’s thriving business on the outskirts of town. Being met by a collection of signs, memorabilia and mini-scooters hung on the fence and trees gives you an idea of the sort of entertainment you’re in for!

The fleet of 60 customised scooters look the dogs-danglies! They all have extended handlebars, flame paint-jobs, look like mini Harley-Davidson’s and are a simple to ride as they’re semi-automatic and best of all only require a normal car license to drive them. People literally queue up to do this, it’s a really cheap activity that takes place over three hours and represents one of THE most economical, exhilarating afternoons that I’ve had in a long time.

I lead the group of riders out of the Scooteroo yard, Rod has prepared me a special machine for the afternoons ride with flaming mirrors and bright red paint job….I feel like a mini Hell’s Angel and pull up around 200 metres down the road to have the once-over briefing which makes sure everybody is feeling confident before we head off around the town for real.

The wind in the hair feeling of riding a bike in convoy is something I’ve never done before and I loved it, looking back in the mirrors the trail of headlights disappeared into the distance and the easy-to-ride machines feel great to ride. We wind our way through the countryside around Agnes Water and 1770 stopping off to watch some of the local Kangaroos chomping away on their evening meal in the neighbourhood gardens.

As the sun starts to set once again the convoy makes its way back into the outer confines of the sleepy seaside community, I wonder what the locals think about the daily invasion through the town – all of them seem pretty happy actually, with smiles and waves wherever we go even though half the fleet are almost constantly on their horns! Awaiting us on arrival are the infamous potato wedges which each rider has to replace the energy lost through the adrenalin-filled activities of the afternoon.

Everyone, and I mean everyone looks like they’ve had the time of their lives – from the young to the old, male and female this is a sure fire winner. Having chatted to a few others it materialises that loads of people are actually having their second day on the trot it’s so good.

Now the question is after Best Job do I travel around Australia by Land Rover or motorbike….my mum would kill me here so I’d better say Land Rover!

End of day location: Agnes Water, Queensland

Distance covered: 60kms

Watch those fingers!

Time to brush up on your crab knowledge:

• Crabs are crustaceans. Crustaceans are creatures that do not have an endoskeleton like most animals have, but they have an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton of the crab is like a shield on its body, known as a carapace.
• Male and female crabs can be identified externally. You have to look at their abdomens. The male crabs have narrow abdomens, while the female crabs have broader abdomens.
• Male and female crabs can be identified externally. You have to look at their abdomens. The male crabs have narrow abdomens, while the female crabs have broader abdomens.
• Every year, 1.5 million tons of crabs are eaten over the world by humans.
• Crabs make up for a fifth of all creatures that are caught from the water bodies of the world.
• Most crab meat is very high in vitamin B12 (cobalamin). It is said that just 2-3 ounces of the meat of a crab will provide you with the entire day’s supply of the vitamin.
• Crabs eat a lot of things; they are known to eat both plant as well as animal foods. In that way, crabs are omnivorous. Most vegetarian crabs subsist only on algae. But flesh-eating crabs can eat other crustaceans, worms and mollusks. Crabs can also eat a mix of both plant and animal matter.

Location: Hamilton Island

Weather: Mirror-like ocean to start off the day, increasing wind and sunshine all day! 28°c

My love of seafood and of all things fish-like is being well and truly satisfied here on the Queensland coast with an extravaganza of ocean delights to tantilize the palette on an almost daily basis.

When I wrote down my Jack-Rabbit dream of getting the job as the Island Caretaker one of the criteria was being able to eat fresh seafood and fruit every day. So far, so good but today was the day I’d actually go out there and hunt some down myself….I was off fishing and crabbing!!

Another early start as I met my guide and mentor for the day, Kevin from Fish D’Vine one of the local restaurants at Airlie beach on the mainland. He’s an avid fisherman who knows everything there is to know about how to harvest the bounty of the ocean on all levels…I needed him to share some of his knowledge with me so I could catch my dinner.

A perfect morning allowed us to cover the 50kms south to the estuary of the Proserpine River pretty quickly, the calm conditions gave the surrounding landscape an almost Scottish loch-like appearance with the hazy conditions adding to it….ok it was about 20c hotter!

In order to catch Barramundi, our ideal catch for the day, we needed to get hold of some livebait. The usual method of catching them is to secure a hook through the bait’s back and throw the live over board allowing the bait to swim free hopefully into the awaiting mouth of a massive Barra!

Kevin’s a dab hand at fishing and demonstrated how to throw a cast-net capturing a few mullet ready for our exploits later on in the day, they all went into the bait well on the boat.

Enroute to our chosen spot we called into see a real hardy legend of these parts, 65 year old Bobby and his wife Rosy who fish and crab everyday and have done so for years. Their house is an old prawn boat driven high up onto the mangrove roots and their lives are dedicated to harvesting the hard waters of the river supplying fish and crabs to the local restaurants…how on earth they do it I really don’t know!

We stopped for a while and helped them haul out a few pots, a this time of the year there are few prizes awaiting them but we were lucky enough to pull out a few mud crab specimens which were big enough to take home and cook.

Leaving them behind we arrived at the river mouth and made our way up to the promised land, loaded up our hooks and threw four lines in the water…optimistic we’d be catching our dinner and securing a prize fish to boast about later.

We waited, reloaded, waited some more, use more livebait, got a couple of takes, lost our bait, reloaded…..and then hooked something. I grabbed the rod as the line ripped out from the spool, adjusted the drag and started the long haul…this was excellent finally a fish! After a five minute battle trying to keep it out of the mangrove and roots the unwelcome sight of a hooked Lagoon ray came into view. This poor thing isn’t what we’re looking at catch and so once we land it back into the boat we remove the hook and send it back into the river where it belongs. Well at least I caught something!

A mini-success signalled our chance to move one, we’d already ticked two of the three boxes having caught a crab and now a fish, leaving only the job of seeing a saltwater crocodile in its natural environment. We headed inland passing more mangroves and exposed riverbanks…the perfect environment for our snappy friends.

Then suddenly there was one there, just sitting in the sunshine warming itself up in the midday heat. It was massive at around 4 metres long and only slipped into the water once we got really close…and I mean really close! I’d hate to be swimming in the water right now…in fact I’d be dead for sure!

A perfect end to the day, we packed our gear up and made for home knowing that our stomachs were empty and in need of refuelling! An hour and half later we were soaked to the bone and arriving back at Airlie Beach after a superb day of great achievement. No we hadn’t caught a barramundi but we’d got the crab we needed for the meal.

Fish D’Vine are situated on the beach front at Airlie Beach and specialise in fresh local fish and shellfish, you can choose the fillet you want and have it cooked there and then for dinner. Now was my time to prove myself as a chef!

The crab had their brain’s spiked to kill them quickly and painlessly, were then boiled until cooked through and left to cool. The famous recipe at the restaurant is Chilli Mud Crab which people visit from far and wide to have the chance to taste. Following Becky the chef’s instructions to the letter after half an hours toil everything was ready…the dish was ready to serve up.

There’s something about secret recipes that intrigues me…not knowing what makes it quite so good is part of the fun but boy I can tell you this is something special! I love my hot food but this meal also maintains a cracking unique flavour which doesn’t burn the hell out of your mouth…and I polished off the entire dish!

The culmination of a very successful day out! Marks out of 10….9! Just wish I got the Barra!

End of day location: Airlie Beach
Distance covered: 120kms