Travel to Kimberley incl.Kalumburu 2006
Submitted: Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:10
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Mama June
We are planning a trip to the
Kimberley this season (travelling alone as we always do) departing beginning of June. After visiting the
Mitchell Plateau we will be going to
Kalumburu and plan on having maybe a week, camping at McGowan's Island or
Honeymoon Bay or both, so I have been doing some research, mostly on Exploroz.
I notice Post ID 20650 (about early Feb.2005) had a reply from Wayne with some info. about his experiences at
Kalumburu. He said he went to the beaches "AKA tip" (north of Pago?) and was asked to pay $5 to look at
the beach and $25 to fish. He had arrived
Kalumburu 11:00am and was departing at 2:30pm, so just had a day visit?
I can't help thinking that if he was paying a fee to
camp for a few days it may have been a different story.
Did anyone go to
Kalumburu 2005 to
camp there and still had to pay to fish or look at
the beach? I would just like to know if we should expect to pay these additional charges, in addition to paying camping fees. As I mentioned, we intend to
camp at McGowan's Island or
Honeymoon Beach.
Appreciate hearing from anyone who may have been there more recently and has some info. on this.
Many thanks
Reply By: Member - Norm C (QLD) - Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:24
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:24
Hi Mama, you have my attention. Like you we are heading that way this season. Traveling from
Gold Coast and arriving
Broome around 5th June. Departing
Broome around 20th June for GRR,
Mitchell Plateau,
Kalumburu etc etc.
Hope to
camp and fish (alas no tinnie on this trip) around
Honeymoon Bay ourselves. So we are interested in any info on this as
well.
We are doing the 'slow tour' on the way back and don't expect to see
home before September.
Like you we are traveling alone. We look like our rig
pic. Pretty blue Hilux with an Odyssey CT in tow. Give us a hoy if we cross paths.
AnswerID:
166787
Follow Up By: Mama June - Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:41
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:41
Hello Norm C
Glad to hear from you, we'll be on the
lookout. We also have no boat on this trip, we have no boat on any trip! My other half usually resorts to hiring someone to take him fishing in a boat and apparently this is available at both McGowan's Island and
Honeymoon Bay. He intends to do this whilst at
Kalumburu.
We are also doing a slow tour, taking 4 months and have to be
home by end Sept. (Work dictates this).
Maybe see you on the road.
June
FollowupID:
421734
Follow Up By: bombsquad - Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 08:51
Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 08:51
Gday Mama June
I will be in Kalumbaru from about the 14th June - leaving KNX on Monday the 12th and staying at Drysdale first night. Will probably stay at Kalumbaru until the next weekend. Keep your eye out for a dark purpleish blue Nissan with a 17ft centre console & come say gday, I may even have room on the boat for your hubby for a bit of fishing.....
Cheers Andrew
FollowupID:
421797
Reply By: David from David and Justine Olsen's 4WD Tag-Along - Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:37
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:37
A mate of
mine suggested that there seem to be random fees charged if you ask for anything. He asked "where are the
ruins of the mission" and was told where. He was then told that the advice cost him $10.
AnswerID:
166792
Reply By: South - Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:39
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:39
We stayed at Honeymoon in 2005, paid our camping fees and all was good there, relativerly nice bunch of people there.
However we drove down into another camping spot a few days later to
check out the scenery, looked at the possibility of fishing, quick hello to some campers there and then decided to leave.
While driving out, on the dirt/dusty track (that was
well used) and an obvious exit, the 'caretakers' came running out screaming and throwing there hands about in the air... "Thats not a bloody track, we dont need you hooligans tearing up our
campsite and disturbing the dust for all the other campers (of which there was only 1 couple, way over yonder)... Didnt you bloody see the sign? (the one that is hidden behind bushes) saying stop here before entering..."
Was quite a laugh actually, we showed them though...
Anyway, there is some good spots, and there is some bad spots, just depends on who is cashing in on it... Oh and there is plenty of
places to fish without going near the camping areas.
AnswerID:
166794
Reply By: Mama June - Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:49
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 at 21:49
One thing I did forget to mention in my post is that we don't have a boat so will be relying on fishing either off rocks somewhere or a beach, whether
the beach where we're camping or another.
Thanks
June
AnswerID:
166796
Follow Up By: Brian B- Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 00:48
Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 00:48
We were up at Kalumbaru last August fishing charters were available at both locations $20 per head to go out in the Tinnie with George at Mcgowan Beach & supposedly very expensive at
Honeymoon Bay we did not ask as it was blowing a gale at the time, Try ringing ahead to confirm prices perhaps.
Hope this helps.
See Ya
Brian B
FollowupID:
421769
Reply By: Member - Beatit (QLD) - Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 08:20
Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 08:20
G'day Mama June,
We were there last Sept and had a ball. We camped at McGowans and found George a most obliging individual. He made sure we could catch some bait on our arrival and even offered to take us fishing. We had our own boats and hooked up with a
young couple that had been there for a while, they had been given GPS coordinates for a reef some kilometers out. George has these at his office. We followed them out on day 2 and the reef was small and not particularly easy to find but the fishing was superb. Funny how we all have different impressions, we decided to go and have a look at Honeymoon and were not impressed with the people who wanted to charge us $5 just to have a look and they were not impressed that we hadn't stopped at the "office" before we drove to the shoreline. Anyway we were happy at McGowans.
We found the people at the township (
Kalumburu) friendly. They were sitting around near the office when we were getting our permits and asked us where we were going and we joked about getting lost and had a good laugh.
My wife caught this and certainly hasn't let me forget it either,
This is the type of beach scenery that awaits,
Have a great time.
Kind regards
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Mama June - Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 19:03
Thursday, Apr 13, 2006 at 19:03
Thank you all for your most welcome information and advice. I think I may phone ahead to find out a bit more about prices and visitors' "rules".
That's a very impressive fish Beatit, that your wife caught, and the scenery looks delightful. Can't wait to get there!
See you all somewhere along the track.
June
AnswerID:
166924
Reply By: froomey - Friday, Apr 14, 2006 at 01:50
Friday, Apr 14, 2006 at 01:50
hi mama
if you do get to
honeymoon bay, the people are great.
its run and owned by a local family, and yes they do charge for camping, its income for them.
the oldies are les & ruth and grand son who is an actor, been on some tv , great fun & experience, do go fishing with them in thier boat , huge red emporer & plenty of them , maybe ruth will show you how to hunt for
turtle eggs, interesting.
they speak good english but can't say the letter " f " so ever thing is pucken .
go and have a stay you'll love it, we did.
froomey
AnswerID:
166959
Follow Up By: Mama June - Friday, Apr 14, 2006 at 10:21
Friday, Apr 14, 2006 at 10:21
Hi Froomey
It's going to be a hard choice now just where to stay at
Kalumburu -
Honeymoon Bay or McGowan's Island, they both sound so good from all the information provided so far.
I don't mind paying for camping at all, I would be expecting to. As you say it is their income.
Also we are always keen to mix with the locals and learn their way of life as we did on our trip to
Nhulunbuy when we were taken on a mud crabbing trip. We then sat under a
big tree with them on
the beach while the catch was cooked over a fire for us. Just delightful. We will certainly be looking forward to the red emporer.
Thanks again for your most helpful information.
June
FollowupID:
421998
Reply By: croc47 - Sunday, Apr 16, 2006 at 17:13
Sunday, Apr 16, 2006 at 17:13
Mama June, The boss @ I go to
Kalumburu regularly from
Darwin for the fishing & the scenery. We always stay at
Honeymoon Bay -Facilities are usually better (in relative terms) and Mcgowans was very sandy last time we had a look.The highlight of a trip there is the guided tour tour through the museum by the old priest-priceless.Be sure not to pay any money to anyone except the permit office staff in town or the camping ground owners no matter how convincing they sound.
Fill your water jerry cans at the tap at the side ofthe Mission store-much more drinkable than the
bore waterat the beaches.If you don't have a boat take a local"fishing charter" it will be a memorable experiance. To fish off the shore go to Jacobs Beach, the turnoff is a few kms back from Honeymoon on the left-ask someone.
We will be up there from about September 12 with boat so if anyone is up there then come & say hello. White RV Cruiser with blue canopy NT plates 658 010
John & Penny.
AnswerID:
167242
Follow Up By: Mama June - Monday, Apr 17, 2006 at 09:09
Monday, Apr 17, 2006 at 09:09
John & Penny, thanks for that valuable piece of info. I see in Ron & Viv Moon's edition 5 book there is a Jakes Beach marked on the map. I presume this is one and the same as your Jacobs Beach?
Thanks again - June.
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