Completed update of Cycling Broome to Darwin..Gibb river road/Barra/Tarpon/sooty grunter and some other delights! Enjoy!

 Hi Guys, 

 

Its been a little while since I posted but finally have the time having arrived in Darwin a few days ago.  To keep it easy i will just put up some of the better photos from the last month and caption them. I'm updating my blog too at the moment so there will be more details for those of you that are interested:)

As a summary I grabbed a bit of a lift through karrajini national park and then cycled from broome up to the fitzroy river where i made camp for a few days with the aim to catch barra. Then Back on the bike along to derby down the Gibb River road and onwards to Kunnunara, along to Katherine, up through litchfield and then to Darwin. So i've clocked up nearly 4000kays on the bicycle and by some amazing stroke of luck managed to even get some fish on my lures!!

 

www.worldbiker.blogspot.com

 

 

80 mile beach and a pretty nice sunset. I was convinced a fish would nail my lure but after 3 hours i gave up and settled for a good sunset instead!

 

cable beach in broome. Saw some guys catching some pretty decent whiting from the rocky area. Set off towards willare road bridge a little later and battled bad head winds for two days to get there.

 

 

One of the first big boab trees i found. they made great spots to rest out of the midday sun.

 

 

First crocy i saw..10km from the fitzroy river. seemed to be suffering from a bad case of heatstroke!

 

After 3 hours of casting and running up and down steep banks a small barra nailled my lure 3 times in a split second but didn't hook up. i was starting to wonder whether the barra was a myth..then this little beauty nailed the lure! ah and relax!! two more had a go but didn't hook up. 2.5 days of hard fishing for one small barra..worth it as it was my first australian barra!

 

 

This was my campsite on the fitzroy..about 6 km from the main road. a nice freshwater croc chose to sunbathe on the beach just below my tent.

 

crocodile eyeballing me! didn't see any salties..only about 15 freshies who had probably eaten all the barra!

 

fitzroy river in the evening

 

 

Cycling Gibb river road. managed to bust out 100 kays a day and get from derby to kunnunarra in just under 8 days..would like to have spent longer but i only had some much food packed. some kind people gave me a few goodies along the way which helped.

 

early morning on the gibb

 

pushing the bike through a sandy area :(

 

 

hmm still a long way to go. At this point i was pretty excited about the can of coke i planned to buy at mt barnett! had been thinking about it for the last 5 hours!

 

 

completely stuffed after 100km of corrugations. think i was gathering the energy to make a cup of tea!

 

 

 

Dingo that followed me down the road for a few kays and then tried to steal my map. guess the poor bugger was lost?

 

a lovely spot where apparently there was no camping. unfortunately i was so tired i had no choice but to sleep there.

 

 

another beautiful spot on the gibb

 

 

 

 

 

 

durack river crossing..it was 10 am, 60km ridden and i'd just been given a cold can of beer. Not really a good idea and it meant the next hour was pretty interesting.

 

Pentecost river crossing. Everyone warned me about crocs but upon arrival i figured that the stream of 4wds would have scared them all away. it was pretty shallow too. Being a fisherman my other logic was match the hatch..with so may prados and landcruisers to feet on why would a croc want a skinny cyclist? I carried half my bags accross and then was wading back for the rest when a 'kimberly wild' bus pulled up and all the people climbed off and started taking photos of me! just what i wasn't in the mood for. i had already had my photo taken 15000 times  and was getting a little bored of it. the khaki clad tour guide marched over and said " you're not going to ride that thing across are you?" i was a bit put out to her refering to my bike as a 'thing' but managed to keep my cool and reply that no i was going to carry it across. at that point in an almost hysterical voice she said " what about the crocodiles" so i replied that we had an understading as i put the bike on my shoulder and marched off across the river! think she must have been building up the croc thing to all her tourists and i put a spanner in the works! the funniest bit was that as i walked across my arse was hanging out as my shorts were completely torn and in pieces! well at least the tourists were entertained and got some good photos!

 

 

how i began to love corrugations. the last 150km was stony and fully corrugated. often i could ony make between 6-10km/h so put in long days of 10 hours on the bike.

 

 

Not a bad camping spot apart from i didn't realise that the hawk that was nesting in the tree was going to drop blood all over my nice white tent! drat!

 

 

a wedge tail eagle that didn't seem too impressed with me taking his photo!

 

 

I was on the gibb in the school holidays and there seemed to some sort of gibb river road challenge on. most people seemed to be a rush to get somewhere which was a shame as they were missing alot travelling at 100kmh. the fact that they showered me with stones and dust didn't help either. many people snapped photos of me as they sped past. it was a shame they didn't have the time to stop and have a chat:)

 

 

This Goanna demonstrates the dangers of drinking too much beer. 

 

 

 

 

A nice sunset shot

 

an inspiring find at my fishing spot on the ord river

 

 

probably my worst nightmare!!

 

caught this in the ord river...anyone know what species it is?

 

i went for a recce on the Ord and found a nice looking pool. upon closer inspection i saw loads of little orange eyes look up at me..heaps and heaps of small barra were hanging about intercepting morsels brought in by the current. went back in the early morning and got 13 barra and 21 tapon in a couple of hours. great session..nothing big but plenty of acrobatics and non stop action until the sun came up and the feeding tailed off

 

 

one of the tarpon that nailed a silver metal.

 

 

throwing lures on the ord! good fun..just wish i had more small lures.

 

On the way to Katherine from Kununurra. just taking it easy trying to clock 120km a day. resting during the heat of midday.

 

 

 

 

Camping in the NT.  At three in the morning a bull arrived and decided to stand ten metres from my tent and bellow his heart out. I was lying inside praying he didn't get any funny ideas. I had a vision of him mounting my tent in a desperation as no cows seemed to be nearby.

 

 

barra seem to be everywhere in the NT

 

 

resting up out of the midday sun under a bridge. Best spot as no trees give enough shade for long

 

 

I stopped on the king river and after a while gathered the energy for a fish. after a few casts i saw something fishy going on and let the lure sit on the surface after the retrieve. this little sooty grunter suddenly came up and smashed the static lure hard and unluckily for himself got a hook caught in his mouth! promising start!

 

 

 

After just a few more casts  i saw a good fish race out of the snags and nail the lure. no hook up unfortunately..fired me up tho and soon a barra of around 2kg grabbed the lure and proceeded to jump about the river which brought a smile tto my face. didn't manage to get a photo as it did the houdini on me was i unhooked it. next one which was bigger put up a great fight but unfortunately also jumped back in when i was cleaning the dirt from it. so only this crappy photo of a king barra

 

 

King river..which i had all to myself! Nice!

 

 

Earlier in the day i noticed two cans of VB neatly placed by the side of the road. Of course i rescued them intending to give them a new life. Worked out well as when i got back from the barra fishing i could celebrate with two almost cold VB's!;) I also picked up a brand new roosta popper..replaced the one i lost back in kalbarri..

 

 

I noticed loads of orange eyes in the creek where i was camped in litchfield park..hmm had no bait so sacrificed a frog and sent it in on a line and got a few of these out. quite entertaining as it meant i could go to bed at 8 o'clock instead of 7.

 

 

Saw this seriously big ant hill in litchfield park which quite impressed me! determined little buggers!

 

 

 

Camped by this beautiful little creek in litchfield.. tea and a jaccuzzi! nice end to the day

 

Stopped on the finnis river for a 4 days and camped with two croc handlers. it was a particularly interesting few days as we shared a lot of stories and had some good fishing. I got some beautiful sooty grunters who really fight well. proper brute. a few small barra also got the lures. After hearing so much about crocs i was pretty nervous about fishing. we found one salty living quite a way up stream but it wasn't until the third day that we discovered a monster croc living close by. Deon had seen it at night when he was fetching water. so i went in the morning and sat by the river with my cup of coffee. sure enough after 5 minutes up he came just a little way down the river which is a mere piss puddle. unbelievable..the guys thought 15 feet and who was i to argue as they have worked with crocs for 12 years..sweet heart came from the same spot so maybe it was his son!

 

 Nice sooty grunter

 

This is where i saw the big croc but unfortunately i had left my camera back at camp..doh!

 

Camp on the Finniss river..fridge, laptop, surround sound..bit of novelty for me! nice to have some company for a change.. just shame it wasn't two beautiful girls but hey ho!

Nice spot for a swim in litchfield national park

 

 


Posts: 9358

Date Joined: 21/02/08

Some tough miles there mate!

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:02

Some tough miles there mate! Love the pics of the Fitzroy, love to get back there myself sometime.

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snappermiles's picture

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Date Joined: 05/11/10

what a great trip!!

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:04

your legs must be stuffed though?? awesome photos look forward to the next part of your trip!

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Goodz's picture

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 Great to hear you made it to

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:16

 Great to hear you made it to Darwin Scott! Thats an epic trip and some great photos! Whats the plan from Darwin???

 

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Lamby's picture

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Very cool, the Pentecost

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:42

Very cool, the Pentecost River crossing had me laughing good stuff mate

bulla's picture

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Date Joined: 11/05/10

what a trip you have taken on !!!

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:47

awsome way to see the place,good luck on your next chapter

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Stop complaining and get on with it !!

crasny1's picture

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What the hell

Sun, 2011-08-14 10:57

You must have corrugations in your head. Thats beyond inspirational. I think I would last 10k's on that shiite, then sit down beside the road and become dingo bait.

Some great pics and what a story to tell.

Neels

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"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

dkonig82's picture

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You must have legs and a will

Sun, 2011-08-14 11:40

You must have legs and a will of steel mate.

Great report, and what an awesome journey.

Dan

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When asked by a non-fisherman 'how many fishing rods do you really need?' the correct answer is either:

n+1 (where n is the number of fishing rods you currently own); or

n-1 (where n is the number of fishing rods which would cause your significant other to dump you. 

crasny1's picture

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As interest Mate

Sun, 2011-08-14 12:04

What rod did you cart with you, and reel.

Obviously some breakdown or telesopic. Also what gear.

Doing something that daunting (well to me its more than that) you certainly have to be light and self sufficient. Just the required water per day would be in the range of 6-8l a day minimum for drinking, cooking and minimum hygiene. Carrying that for 8 days equals a mighty load by itself or did you fill from streams/passers by. Not at all dangerous in Aus in flowing water. Stagnant well maybe you should do something to it or watch the gut.

I am just interested in your load. Perhaps a breakdown off what you carried. Its a long way to cycle between roadhouses up here, where you can fill water, but up there??

Cadel Evans eat your heart out!!

Epic.

Neels

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"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk

GrahamM's picture

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Mate that is an awsome trip

Sun, 2011-08-14 12:37

Mate that is an awsome trip and great that you have taken the time to share it with us. I really look forward to your posts and Pic's they are amazing. It is a shame more people dont take the time to enjoy the country side and stop for a chat.

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Date Joined: 04/07/11

Brilliant! I'd love to do

Sun, 2011-08-14 14:38

Brilliant! I'd love to do that, but maybe not quite on your scale. Inspiring stuff.

What frame are you using? Surly?

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Hmm I thought it was a Thorn?

Sun, 2011-08-14 15:31

Hmm I thought it was a Thorn?

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Adam Gallash's picture

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hahah

Sun, 2011-08-14 14:48

You've done some hard yards there Scott, atleast you got them done before the heat really kicks in!  Great photos mate.

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fantastic

Sun, 2011-08-14 15:52

this should be a tv documentary.  What an amazing journey.  All power to you Scott.

Lucky Tim's picture

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I've got to hand it to you

Sun, 2011-08-14 15:54

I've got to hand it to you Scott I don't think I would be mentally strong enough to take that on, it's an epic feat what you're doing. Had a laugh picturing the Pentecost crossing adventure too.

Looking forward to the rest of the fishing pics, hopefully we can catch up in Darwin.

Bodie's picture

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well done mate making it that

Mon, 2011-08-15 10:23

well done mate making it that far, some cracking photos too!

tailor marc's picture

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All i have to say is WOW. I

Mon, 2011-08-15 16:20

All i have to say is WOW. I would kill to do somethig like that!!!

 

Great photos aswell!

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alfred's picture

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Bloody awesome Scott!  Thanks

Mon, 2011-08-15 16:40

Bloody awesome Scott!  Thanks for sharing.  Please keep the pics and stories coming.

Rick's picture

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Brilliant

Mon, 2011-08-15 16:43

Great report mate, awesome photos of an awesome journey. Look forward to more as you move around.

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Lucky Tim's picture

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sweet additions there Scott.

Mon, 2011-08-15 20:29

sweet additions there Scott. How do you go with bugs (mozzies, midgies etc) at night when camping by the rivers? And the photos of you riding, do you set up a tripod and ride back past as it takes the photo, or do you pull someone up to take the pic?

Chuditch's picture

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Thanks for sharing. Amazing

Mon, 2011-08-15 20:48

Thanks for sharing. Amazing journey.

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What can i say ???

Mon, 2011-08-15 20:54

Awe inspiring,

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worldfisher's picture

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 Hey Guys, Thanks for the

Mon, 2011-08-15 21:17

 Hey Guys, Thanks for the positive comments..great to know you enjoyed. Got my first saltwater barra here in darwin earlier..only 50cm but i was convinced i would get one in the spot and it worked out.

Tim...yeah I set the tripod up and then ride past. its easier than getting someone to take the photo as you can get what you want (most of the time) The mozzies and things have been ok. There have just been a few nights where it was terrible..just wrote about one such night in licthfield on my blog. There were so many that there was no possiblity to come out of the tent. They were so thick that if you covered every inch of skin the result would be death by choking on mozzies. sucked as i couldn't cook any dinner. all other bugs are more or less ok although last night my worst nightmare came true. There's one creature that i can't stand which is the centipede. we were lying on the grass watching a concert in darwin and suddenly i felt a weird sensation on my chin. Lukcily i was fast and swiped at it..result... a dirty great fucking centipede..man i hate those thinsg..and i haven't been the same since:) i'm a nervous wreck;) usually i don't put up the tent..groundsheet/sleeping mat/and then sleeping bag and that is usually fine but i guess do it enough and something will get me;)

 

For anyone interested I carry an ocean master three piece travel rod as well as shimano beastmaster 7 piece beachcaster (haven't used it too much but hopefully will sometime on some sharks..got the mulloway with this rod in kalbarri) three reels. a small shimano bait runner, a shimano navi 8000pg and a big finn nor with 80 lb power pro loaded. too many lures!!! shit

 

I have an MSR dragonfly stove that runs on petrol or diesel or if you are really stuck vodka. Good 2 man tent made by terra nova. thermarest sleeping mat. standard sleeping bag for this trip. usually carry six litres of water but have a 10 litre bladder to fill for longer stretches. On the gibb i drank out of the creeks. used puritabs once where the water looked a little suspect. stomach seems to have been conditioned over some years but still i don't want giardia or the shit for a few days as it gets a little boring. can carry food for 8-10 days or longer if i am just going a little way to camp up like i will do in kakadu. noodles/baked beans/salami stick/snickers/tinned fruit/boil in the bag curries/peanut butter/bread/boiled eggs/biscuits.just usually keep it simple and will buy meat if i pass through town for a little bbq that night. the main secret is to drink vast amounts of tea! After a while the body adjusts and i tend to eat very little food for the amount of exercise i'm doing. a tin of baked beans for breakfast usually gets me 70km down the road for instance. i have lost weight since perth but feel very healthy at the moment.

the bike is a thorn..uk company that builds touring bikes.

 

Hope this answers everything, All the best, Scott

 

www.worldbiker.blogspot.com

crasny1's picture

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Cheers mate

Tue, 2011-08-16 09:36

Answered all the questions I was interested in. I have to admit I was wondering about carrying all that water, and I certainly would drink in Oz from any flowing water. Learned that fact yrs back when we lived on the harvey River south of perth. Had a spear in the river which sucked water into a tank. Beautiful water. Walked along the track upstream to discover a dirty rotten dead cow in the stream about 15m up from the spear. Had a new born so shat myself. Called the water authority and they advised that flowing water 2m away from the carcass is good to drink!!!!

That I wouldnt do, but 15m was OK. As a scientist I checked further and it is true. Have to admit got bottled for the kid, but the Mrs and I just kept going.

Inspirational stuff.

Neels

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extra pics

Mon, 2011-08-15 23:37

nearly missed all the extra pics you posted.  That photo under the bridge, I can't believe you fit all that stuff on the bike.  You'd learn quickly how to pack efficiently I guess.

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Pretty inspiring stuff mate,

Mon, 2011-08-15 23:51

Pretty inspiring stuff mate, really enjoyed reading your blog and this article. Definatly not for people who fear exercise. Great effort some of the pictures you have taken are incredible. cheers

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Pete D's picture

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Inspirational stuff

Tue, 2011-08-16 06:57

Inspirational stuff Scott!

Great write up and some speccy pics.

The little back water where the bigger croc was - perfect for skitter pop lures and good barra.  Used to love fishing those areas when in Darwin - wild pigs were the biggest concern.

As said the tourist traffic across the Gibb is crazy....and most want to do it in 2-3 days.  Took the missus and I two months, and that felt rushed.  So much to experience up there.

Stay upright and keeping having fun.

Cheers Pete

madfisher's picture

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Awesome read and great photos

Tue, 2011-08-16 09:22

Awesome read and great photos I always enjoy reading your adventures Worldfisher and will look forward to your next installment

Webby's picture

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mate, you are one crazy SOB

Tue, 2011-08-16 11:36

mate, you are one crazy SOB haha. that is awesome. as said before, inspirational stuff

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I live with fear every day... sometimes she lets me go fishing.

Rod P's picture

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Really good read. My sister

Tue, 2011-08-16 11:55

Really good read. My sister in law is about to ride Gibb River road for a charity event so i sent her your blog. Hope thats cool.

Great attitude to life. Slow down and enjoy the ride. Very Good advice

 

carnarvonite's picture

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Major bum sore

Tue, 2011-08-16 14:06

My bum is sore just looking at those corrugations let alone riding a bike over them.

Top report

PJAY's picture

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scott you mad

Tue, 2011-08-16 18:49

scott you mad bastXCXX....well done mate great story and pics!

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The Kimberley....perfect one day and more perfect the next!!!

Aaron Santos's picture

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Great work mate, sounds like

Wed, 2011-08-17 18:47

Great work mate, sounds like your having a ball on your trip, and getting some good fishing in as well, bit of a bonus. looking forward to your next report.

Good luck on the next leg of your travels.

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DazSamFishing's picture

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fantastic read. Very

Wed, 2011-08-17 21:08

fantastic read. Very inspirational. Well done mate, good on ya. What a great experience. Thanks for sharing & we look forward to your next adventure.

Spicey's picture

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Top stuff Scott.I have been

Mon, 2011-08-22 16:31

Top stuff Scott.I have been right through that area and it was hard enough in a 4wd let alone riding it .

 

Gods country though.