Family holiday - Horrocks or Port Gregory?
Put this up on the Western Angler forum a while ago but that forum seems to be slowly dying off unfortunately. Only 3 views in close to 2 hours. So will try here:
My wife and myself are in the process of planning a holiday to the mid west coast in January and want to get everything booked early with it being school holidays at the time. We're spending a week in Kalbarri, but I am hoping to do a couple of days in one of the smaller towns first to just kick back and relax before doing the touristy thing in Kalbarri. At first I was looking at Port Gregory, but then stumbled across Horrocks just south of there. Just wondering which of the 2 is more family orientated?
Obviously I'm in it for the fishing, hoping for a big tailor for myself and getting the kids onto whatever bread and butter species are around, but also need to keep my wife happy, so she doesn't notice the fishing as much. So what recommendations does everyone have?
Oldbull
Posts: 175
Date Joined: 21/09/15
Gregory
Horrocks is much bigger than gregory but family have been to Gregory most years since 1994. Lots of options in January but wind will be a bugger (same for horrocks). Will be huge numbers of Tailor at places like hutt river beach, nobbies or north of the point. Mulloway should be about. wife got a 19kg and a 12 kg from hutt river beach a few years ago.
Marron in hutt river in January if you have a license.
If you have a boat then a whole world opens up for dhui, baldies, snapper, trout, mackeral and crays.
The only downside at that time of year is the constant wind. Go for a week and hope for 2 days of reasonable conditions. Kids will love the bay at Gregory for swimming or snorkelling along the inside of the reef but watch the NW blowies. They are vicous bastards. Some nice patches of coral though including a bit of blue tip staghorn.
tadpole
Posts: 387
Date Joined: 28/01/13
Marron has crossed mind.
Marron has crossed mind. Just not sure if the wife would appreciate me buggering off for a night! How far inland do the marron start in the river? The Hutt is the closest marron fishery to where I live and wanted to get there this year but never got the time
Oldbull
Posts: 175
Date Joined: 21/09/15
marron in hutt
I have not marroned there myself but have seen plenty of cars parked near the bridge on the road in. Probably any decent pool all the way down to the salt would hold them. Most of the river goes through private property (Lynton farm from memory). Also I think drop nets are permitted there (could be wrong) so daylight hours would be fine.
scano
Posts: 1246
Date Joined: 31/05/07
Well my suggestion is
Go to port Gregory if you want to be greeted by locals who hate out of towners, and will be rude as all hell.
use the search function on here and you will see other posts of the same subject where the same responses have been given. Port Gregory would be a nice place if it wasn't for the people in town being pric@s to those that want to come and visit the place. Also if the wind would stop blowing every once in a while.
We went as a group for about 6 days once, I doubt I would go back to be honest.
scano
tadpole
Posts: 387
Date Joined: 28/01/13
Funny. A google search the
Rob H
Posts: 5745
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Definitely new owners now,
Definitely new owners now, young couple Sam and Tim.
Very nice people, know them well.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Oldbull
Posts: 175
Date Joined: 21/09/15
Previous owners were
Previous owners were absentee owners and had put a manager in. Place went downhill for a while. Sam and Tim are the new owners for a couple of years and are really nice and friendly. The park has had a lot of work done and is looking good. The locals are fine. Had a cray boat rescue us one year after our boat drifted while we were diving. Catch up with Arthur if you go there. The bloke nows more about fishing and craying than most of us put togetherr. Must be in his late 80s now but up until a few years ago was still going out solo to catch a dhui, baldie or trout.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Horrocks is way more family
Horrocks is way more family orientated. Lots of nice little things to do there. The bay out the front at the southern end is very very good for kids and beginners to snorkel in. Little town jetty offers easy and safe fishing. Good for squid at night. To the north of town 4wd to Little Bay which i great for a swim or a walk on the flat rocks at low tide. Also big sand dunes to have a slide or roll down.
South of town the Bowes River mouth offers a good chance of Tailor, Mulloway and Sharks. Mainly dawn and dusk/night.
Even some great surfing and bodyboarding just a bit north of the river mouth itself.
The Caravan Park is good to stay. As is the Horrocks Beachside Cottages (where i have stayed when not camping for the last 16 years).
Have always found the locals friendly there. Respect the town and they have always helped me out.
Never stayed a Gregory so can't compare it sorry. Only passed through or night fished around there then driven back to Horrocks to sleep. Less than 30mins from Horrocks to Gregory via White Cliffs Rd. So can easily day trip to Gregory.
tadpole
Posts: 387
Date Joined: 28/01/13
Cheers Buz. I won't have my
Cheers Buz. I won't have my 4WD with me on this trip unfortunately. Will probably spend most of my fishing with the kids having fun with bread and butter species. I was looking at the Beachside Cottages the other day, but their website doesn't have a huge amount of info, any idea if they welcome dogs? Not 100% sure if we'd be taking them or not, but want to keep our options open