Shady Camp -If you obey all the rules all the time you miss out on a slice of fun

Shady Camp. 23rd June

We stayed at Point Stuart Wilderness lodge campsite. It was luxurious with pool ,proper bar and restaurant .

It was empty save for a couple of camping guests but you could see it could cater for hundreds. It is set up for fishos. Apparently it is block booked in March and April when Barramundi are here in numbers then empties until the School holidays in July for holiday makers. Shady camp is a barrage road crossing on the Mary river which presents you with a similar situation to Cahills crossing with regards to Barramundi wanting to get upstream and the road creating a tidal bar. This barrage is an attempt to stop the freshwater system (paperbark forests and clear streams) being turned into saltwater mangrove swamps .
The setting is less rugged and more remote feeling than Cahils crossing. The flat landscape and wetland feel surrounded me and an old experienced fisherman as we fished the rising tide at dusk. We stood on the road with the fresh water behind us and the encroaching salt water fizzing with fish and crocs in front of us. We both caught lots of fish ( him much more than me until I understood what he was doing ) but neither landed a keeper. i think my total was 9 . The fish here around 50cm though seemed to be fatter and heavier.
As i write this at 2am I can here a pack of Dingos howling around the campsite, a wonderful natural stereo system ! Glad this is not a swag venue .
The humidity increase as we weave northwards slowly closer to Darwin has been noticeable and it has become to get stuffy in the caravan at the witching hour (9pm) so it was great to have a powered site and get the aircon running , even though it still shudders and bangs like the radiators in my old high school English building. The unit is due to be replaced when we get to Darwin……to be continued.

We had a pub dinner and found out that they had foxtel sports and soon hatched a deal where if we stayed another night with meal we could guarantee to watch the Lions first test against the Allblacks – deal done .
In the morning Kate was cajoled out of bed at 0615 to accompany me to the Shady Camp fishing spot as the rising tide would be on first thing. Whilst Grumpy Kate showed up briefly we were soon happily on our way. All told there were about 8 fishos there in the end. One little boy shrieked and yelled everytime he got a bite which made us all laugh. The tide was rising quickly and the crocs paid us a visit and began to feed on the shoals of mullet and Barramundi . I had caught around 7 or 8 little barra rats . One of the crocs gave me the evil eye and disturbed all the fish near me so I gave up fishing from the riverswept road. I received a couple of friendly barbs from the younger fishos regarding my courage with big friendly lizards !
I then stood next to the crocwatching Kate and trawled the murky salt water whilst the others carried on fishing the prime clear water spot of overspill from the lagoon.
Then there was a light drizzle made from Carlton Draught , the clouds parted ,the music of the Proclaimers could be clearly heard,the scent of lilies wafted across the land and Morgan Freemans voice said from the lips of Debbie Harry – You will catch a Barramundi Beardy Boy. BANG -screaming reel and then jumping fish , my heart misfired and i realised i had a decent fish on. The others stopped fishing and came to watch .
The fish was 89 cm or (2 foot 9 inches in old money). The rules are that anything over 90cm must be returned to the water to help sustain breeding stock and whilst i could have kept her and had many meals , it seemed right to let her go .

Tackle nearly let me down -look at the bent hooks !

Here is my first video post !

So the tally for two whole days fishing at Cahills crossing and Shady Camp was 29 barramundi of which 1 was a keeper. Not bad for an antiqueteenager who can’t fish .

This is a picture of an old timer with the horns of a water buffalo 7 foot across !

The old station used to muster Water Buffallo which are all but gone from the landscape due to TB related culling. The fishing rogues gallery is very very impressive !

We watched most of the first Lions test in the bar on our own . We were joined by a family on an a 3 week trip round Darwin ,Kakadu and Litchfield NP. At half time we were agreeing that whilst the lIons were playing well the Allblacks had not lost their invincible feel. He told me that his old Geography master was an ex all black called Steel and had regained gruesome stories to his class.
He also told me that he had attended only two Australia All blacks games but that Australia won both. I expected to turn round and see him holding he reins to unicorn ridden by a leprechaun whose hat was festooned with hens teeth because he was such a rare entitiy.

At the end of the game I carried out the ceremonial apology for swearing and shouting during the match. I have high hopes for the second test but feel that was out only chance to really get them on the back foot.
We left the bar and ran back to the caravan. Ran ? This is due to the unbelievably aggressive and scratch worthy mosquitos that inhabit the lands from Kakadu to here. Whilst they feel like they are the size of hummingbirds with corkscrews they are only 3 mm long but attack in numbers and can bite you through your clothes (bar man fact). The best insect repellent is called Bushmans and i have been glistening in the stuff since Kakadu. Bushmans is so aggressive in your defence it melts nail varnish and melds thong rubber into your skin but its our only hope .
I had also promised Kate that if the Lions lost i would shave off my own Bushmans .

I went to bed with such a mix of emotions Lions loss, white baby cheeks back but a phenomenal days fishing ……..

We saw this on our journey to Darwin.

First picture makes you think -poor buffalo . Second picture makes you hope the car passengers survived

And finally you have to have a bit of fun when shaving a beard off – its the law