ARNHEM MAGIC OUTthere... · 2013. 12. 3. · Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp in Timor-Leste, which aims to educate young locals, giving them skills to be leaders of the future in a

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PILBARA JOURNEY Epic landscapes and inspiring vistas

Issue 114 • December 2013

MAGICARNHEM

Fishing and adventure in the Top End

to Manila

Christmas is a time of year when many of us turn our thoughts to charity, and how we can reach out and help those less fortunate. Airnorth’s non-Government organisation (NGO) program has provided assistance to thousands of volunteers over the years who have travelled to Timor-Leste to undertake much needed charity work. In this issue we meet the people behind the fourth Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp in Timor-Leste, which aims to educate young locals, giving them skills to be leaders of the future in a country that has experienced many years of political unrest.

We also explore the incredible Pilbara region and check out Darwin as a great holiday destination or stopover on your way to Asia. We also show how you can put a big tick on your bucket list by landing that big barra in the Top End.

However you choose to spend your time this Christmas, we hope it is a very happy one, and we look forward to welcoming you onboard in 2014.

Michael BridgeChief Executive Officer

Welcome aboard!

AIRNORTH RESERVATIONS: 1800 627 474 AIRNORTH.COM.AU

Karijini National Park in the Pilbara, WA.

Favourite destination this issue

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welcome

IT’S WELL KNOWN that Darwin has a lot to offer. Not only is it a great adventure holiday destination and fishing mecca, it’s also Australia’s gateway to Asia. It is certainly a city and region worth exploring on your next holiday or even for one or two nights on your next Asian adventure. Its cultural influence is felt in the colours and smells of the markets held every week and there’s a host of cool activities to keep you busy.

A trip to the famous markets is the perfect jumping-off point – Parap Markets are held on Saturday mornings, with a spicy laksa being the perfect way to kick off the weekend for many locals. The famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets are one of the reasons Darwin was named in the world’s top ten cities to visit in 2012 by Lonely Planet, and happen on Thursday and Sunday evenings between May and October. If you’re in town on a Sunday, Nightcliff Markets offer the perfect opportunity to unwind by shopping or grabbing a massage.

Litchfield National Park is only a 90-minute drive from Darwin, so even during the shortest stay, there’s no excuse not to visit. Take a dip in the plunge pool beneath Florence Falls, relax in the cascading waterholes at Buley Rockhole or, a bit further down the bush track, visit the amazing Wangi and Tolmer Falls.

Finish off a day out down at the famous Darwin Waterfront. Try one of its many cool alfresco restaurants, or treat yourself to a sunset over the harbour on a yacht cruise, with a toast to the diverse and beautiful experiences you’ve packed into a short stay in the Top End.

Airnorth operates regular services to Darwin from regional centres in Queensland and Western Australia. For full details, and to book your Top End adventure, visit airnorth.com.au. Clockwise from top: Darwin is famous for its multicultural markets; Wangi Falls in Litchfield NP; Darwin City waterfront.

“Darwin was named in the world’s top ten cities to visit in 2012 by Lonely Planet.”

Darwin: a perfect stopover

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Wild fishing adventuresWIDELY renowned as Australia’s premier fishing destination, the Arnhem Land Barramundi Nature Lodge is situated on an escarpment ridge overlooking the remote, beautiful Tomkinson River floodplain. The river is on the north coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, about 500 kilometres east of Darwin on the outskirts of the Maningrida Indigenous community. An Airnorth flight from Darwin takes roughly one hour.

This vast area is fished exclusively by the lodge, which was founded nine years ago and is still operated by the Northern Territory’s best-known fishing authority, Alex Julius. Lodge guests have access to several tidal rivers, dozens of secluded mangrove creeks, more than 100 kilometres of unspoiled tropical coastline and numerous coral-lined islands and exposed reefs.

While for much of the Top End it’s been a tough year for barramundi fishing due to an extremely poor wet season, lodge

guests have consistently experienced cricket-score catches of our iconic Australian sport fish. Landing 30 to 50 barra per boat each day on the river has been the norm, including several above the magic metre-long mark. Meanwhile, guests who have opted for an ocean outing, have been blown away by the number of pelagic and reef species available, and the sheer frenzy of the fishing action around the reefs and inshore islands.

A multi-award-winning adventure destination, guests get the whole holiday deal at the lodge. The boats are all customised Ocean Master sportfishers, with the latest E-TEC outboards that are replaced every year. Each boat is fitted with Lowrance GPS/sounder combos and the experienced guides are all fully accredited with intimate knowledge of the area and the world-class barramundi and bluewater sportfishing available.

“Landing 30 to 50 barra per boat each day has been the norm, including several above the magic metre-long mark.”

This image: Catch a big barra or queen fish in the Top End

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Accommodation is of the luxury camping variety, with ensuite cabins boasting king-size beds and large windows to take in the awesome river views. There are also comfortable and permanent safari-style tents, which offer comfortable beds and shared bathroom facilities. The lodge also caters for large groups of mates doing a trip together, with the option of four large king single beds in a cabin – perfect for weekend trips or special birthday celebrations.

With chef Craig Knowler cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and lodge manager Dave Thomas making sure everything runs smoothly – including ensuring there are plenty of fresh mud crabs to go with the barramundi and tropical reef fish dishes – it’s hard not to relax with a cool drink after a hard day’s fishing in paradise.

There’s more than just fishing at the lodge, however. It also offers nature and bird watching tours and, in a joint venture with traditional landowners, a wide range of Indigenous experiences: visiting local ancient rock paintings, learning how to source and collect bush tucker and hunting trips. Or guests can take a trip to the nearby islands to experience island life sightseeing, fishing, eating oysters off the rocks, bird watching, and cooking their catch of the day over coals on the beach. Guests are able to experience traditional Indigenous knowledge in action as guides take them through a range of environments, educating them on how people survived in the region as hunter gathers until the mid-20th century.

Rated Australia’s Best Fishing Experience by the industry-standard Travelling In Australia magazine, a few days at the lodge is a wilderness fishing adventure second to none, and a must-do for anyone with bagging a big barra on their bucket list.

For more information, visit barralodge.com.au.

Top to bottom: You never know when that special metre-long barra will turn up; a big barra gets airborne; the lodge boasts a fleet of the latest Oceanmaster sportfishers, with professional guides.

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THE FIRST TIME I flew into Western Australia’s Pilbara area I was young, adventurous and contemplating a move to this remote location from the polished desks of Canberra. I considered myself well-travelled and up for a challenge, but no countryside here nor overseas had prepared me for the landscape 1,600 kilometres north of Perth.

As the wide open expanses changed from crisp golden browns to deep rich reds beneath our plane, oceans of rock purged

upward from the earth, rising in what resembled man-made mounds of rubble – rough, remote and somewhat surreal.

I felt like I’d landed on the moon. A world away from suburbia, the

Pilbara has since become a popular place to travel, not for white-sand beaches and palm trees, but for an intriguing insight into a unique landscape. This mining area is the powerhouse of our economy.

Today, driving over hours of long, lonely roads to Port Hedland, the arid

scenery is still dramatically punctuated with fields of striking wildflowers and flocks of green budgies that spiral from tree to tree. Wedge-tailed eagles hover above roadkill and emus amble over barren soil.

Even after all this time, my first impression of the modern port is that it’s small and underwhelming… until I emerge from an old-fashioned milk bar in the main street to see a 300 metres long tanker sail past the end of the road.

Rich in resources, and richer in scenery, Cathy Finch finds the Pilbara does ‘big’ like nowhere else.

GO WILD IN

THE PILBARA

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You don’t get that in Canberra.Initially built as a township to service

the needs of the local pastoral industry, the discovery of iron ore in the 1960s changed Port Hedland’s focus to mining. It has grown to be the world’s largest bulk export terminal, and one of the largest iron ore loading ports in the world.

With industry normally tucked away with little public access, here I wander down to the end of Wedge Street where the narrow entrance to the harbour filters past my picnic table. Feasting on fish and chips, seagulls flutter and squawk above as I sit and watch one of the world’s largest and busiest working harbours go about its day.

Massive ships glide through the channel, accompanied by a fleet of tug boats helping to push, pull and manoeuvre their bulk on and off berths. They negotiate a huge tidal range that sometimes exceeds six metres. A wander along the Esplanade’s ‘interpretive walk’ provides added information about the port’s history.

There’s no disputing everything up here is on the far end of a scale that starts

at ‘big’ and stretches to ‘colossal’. To really get close to the action, it is worth booking a guided tour of the BHP Billiton Iron Ore facility. Even the trains up here are an attraction, stacked high with iron ore and reaching over two and a half kilometres in length. Visiting train-spotters are regularly seen hanging over the rails of the Redbank Bridge as the ore makes its way from the mines near Newman to the port, bound for foreign lands.

Salt is also big business, and the harvesting and extracting of seawater using the evaporative power of the sun and wind has been going on here for more than 40 years. The Dampier Salt farm makes an iconic picture at sunset as the white stockpiles reflect in a series of ponds, a contrast against the fiery Pilbara earth.

Back at the harbour I watch the ship loaders move through their operations as darkness falls on a harbour that still doesn’t sleep. Instead, it crackles with electricity and the movement of conveyors, equipment, ships and their rich cargo.

There is much wealth to be found in the Pilbara’s massive resource industry,

“There’s no disputing everything up here is on the far end of a scale that starts at ‘big’ and stretches to ‘colossal’.”

Clockwise from top left: The bright Sturts desert pea flower; there is prolific rock art in the Pilbara; vast spaces and rocky outcrops are iconic of the Pilbara; spinifex pigeons in the area.

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but the area is also rich in Indigenous and European history, pristine nature reserves and surprisingly abundant wildlife.

A few hours’ drive south, the Murujuga, or Burrup Peninsula, which means ‘Hip Bone Sticking Out’ in the Ngarluma/Yaburara language, contains some of the earth’s oldest rock formations. Housing tens of thousands of ancient etchings, it is also said to comprise more rock art than anywhere else on the planet.

Engulfed by a 2.5 billion year-old landscape, wandering over rocky knolls and mounds, I marvel at endless engraved motifs in the form of animals and their tracks, figures of varying shapes and forms and different types of fauna. There is a bit of climbing involved, but most are accessible with a moderate level of fitness.

Perched nearby on the shores of King Bay, the tiny township of Dampier acts not only as a port for the mining and salt industries, but a base for travellers keen to explore the Dampier Archipelago. Its 42 islands host a hugely diverse marine ecosystem, and are a popular spot for fishing, crabbing and turtle nesting. It’s also perfect for boaties seeking a lonely island to drop a line and sleep under the stars. I’m lucky enough to join friends on a fishing trip that brings home plenty of fresh, sweet coral trout for dinner, but there are a number of deep-sea fishing charters on offer for travellers not pulling a boat.

Adjoining the port of Dampier, Karratha is a major town offering modern services and the largest shopping centre in the Pilbara. Here I restock before making my way south over some (at times, rough) dirt roads to access one of our country’s most stunning national parks.

Made up of a series of plunging gorges etched through the scorched red rock over billions of years, Karijini National Park is packed with crystal clear pools, waterfalls and adventure walks. Each and every gorge offers a unique experience, accessible sometimes just 50m from a car park. For the more adventurous, enlist a guide, who will supply ropes

FAST FACTThe movie Red Dog was based on an actual kelpie/

cattle dog cross that was well known for his travels through the Pilbara. Red is buried in an unmarked grave somewhere

between Dampier and Karratha.

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and climbing equipment. Massive escarpments rise out of the flat valleys while in other areas, the landscape appears normal until you gaze down into the earth’s crevices, seemingly cracked like egg shells.

This area deserves several days to properly explore and I manage to add in a little bit of ‘glamping’ to my stay. I move from my open swag below a wide expanse of stars to a deluxe eco tent at Karijini Eco Retreat, the only upmarket accommodation in the park. Scattered amid the Pilbara’s ancient crust, a selection of permanent tents perch beside the stark white trunks of snappy gum trees and create an oasis in the midst of a wild landscape. I was visited by spinifex pigeons, geckos, goannas and dragons, although I didn’t welcome everyone at my doorstep; in the morning, I emerged to the long body of a python slipping away from the dining area. After all, you’ve got to draw the line somewhere in the soil.

From mining to fishing, rock art to iron ore, gorges and waterfalls to salt stockpiles and pools, the Pilbara presents a backdrop like you have never experienced before.

This image and below: A waterfall cascades into a pool in Karijini National Park; Karijini Eco Retreat.

GET THEREThe Pilbara is located approximately 1,600km north of Perth. The region covers roughly 500,000 square kilometres. Airnorth operates regular services from Darwin and Broome, book at airnorth.com.au.

STAYThe Esplanade Hotel, Port Hedland www.theesplanadeporthedland.com.au Karijini Eco Retreat karijiniecoretreat.com.au

EATThe Port Hedland Yacht Club, Sutherland St, Port Hedland phyc.com.au

MORE INFOvisitporthedland.com pilbaracoast.com

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