Heading down the Gulf of Carpentaria to Weipa
20-24 August 2019
Continuing on our Lap of Australia on Paradise – The Gulf of Carpentaria is the breeding ground for cyclones in the first 3 months of the year, luckily we will be well clear of the Gulf by then.
If you love fishing, then this is the place to be. Kim dropped a line in the water and immediately hooked a Spanish Mackerel measuring 1.15m. It’s the biggest fish that she’s filleted, which kept her busy for the morning. Pete whipped some beer batter and crispy hot chips for dinner, who needs a restaurant!
We had no luck fishing for Barra in the creek, I guess we need more practice?
Sundowners was a picnic lunch at the beach. Getting across the muddy water was very icky and squishy and not a nice feeling, especially since the water was murky, and we didn’t know how deep the mud was.
The eastern coastline of the Gulf is very flat and the beaches are long, which is a huge contrast to the other side of the York Peninsula. It makes for a long day sailing when the coastline is all the same. A celebration was in order when we arrived in Weipa. Weipa is a mining town dedicate to strip mining of bauxite. Everything is coated in red dust here, including Paradise.
Some of my fellow travelers did the Rio Tinto mine site and Weipa township tour and learned some interesting facts. There are no fly-in-fly-out workers, all workers must live in the area. All expectant mothers are required to leave the area 4 weeks before the expected date of confinement and have their baby delivered in a major town such as Cairns or Brisbane.
This is mandatory as there aren’t any pediatric services in the as
I had a good chat with The Irwin’s photographer #rustypostcards, and he just finished a photoshoot at Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. This is a 335,000 acre conservation property one hour north of Weipa. If you are interested in joining them at some stage, here is the link to the expedition:
https://australiazooexpeditions.com.au/expeditions/wildlife-expedition-1
I’m taking a break and heading back home for a few days while we wait for a sail to be delivered and for some work done on the furling boom. John’s not happy to carry on without it working correctly. It means I get to go home and see my puppies and beautiful family and friends.