Wicked! how long are you planning to be on the water? worked up there last year as a guide on a derby live aboard, did all the tourist spots. would love to hear where your stopping along the way.

best tip is always be observing, loved driving boats up there, completely different ball game to the rest of the coast, awesome challenge and awesome fun. Not much beats sitting at half throttle in a 10knot tide just to be stationary while the punters plug away for queenies.

Tide charts times are a guide only and not gospel. watch what it does each day and when it turns in relation to what the chart says, can take up to an hour or two difference depending on where you are. If you want phone reception thats never more than an hour away get a virgin/optus sim for the talbot bay side and a telstra for the king sound side.

for your thoughts, we cant wait to get up there, but as with all planned holidays, as quick as they come they go... Bugger

We plan to do approx 2 weeks on the water, sleeping on the boat every night, and wanting to go through cone bay, strickland bay, graveyard, croc creek, silver gull creek and around to Talbot bay.. Fish where we can.

Got 2 drums of fuel waiting at the barge (only $3.25 a ltr) But that is cool.

Thanks for the Phone tips, I will get a virgin/optus sim for sure..

I have hard copies of the tide times, but also connected to the Garmin network where I can access all the latest tide times etc for all the different areas up there...

What were you guys using for up to thr minute weather info???

We used to get weather on the HF which was the BOM local waters forecast so it was never up to the minute. If you've got a small laptop and thumb modem thingo I'd guess you'd get internet from Koolan but not 100% on that. Koolan Island has an optus tower for the mine but you'll only get phone reception with line of sight, once your through whirlpool passage you never have to travel more than a few miles/minutes to get a clear line of sight to the islands tower. If you work out a clear bearing on a chart we would get full reception for 20 NM as long as there wasn't an island or even the hull in the way, I'd get no bars in the wheelhouse and step out the door and have full bars. We'd get reception all the way west across to Kingfisher Island and south just before you enter Talbot bay.

If your in cone bay have you heard of XNX's? an abandoned hippy camp and natural spring, great spot for a swim and refill water a mile west of the Barra farm on the mainland,pretty interesting place, a few ruins and heaps of wild passion fruit and a few bananna trees, If you see Phil and Marion they have a few files and scrap books on their table with info on the guy who used to live there. Pretty colourful bloke, he was evicted by the TRG after shooting at the local coppers when they tried to arrest him for growing and selling dope to the locals in Derby. also at some point he was arrested for trying to blow up the townsville courthouse.

Also Phil and Marion have all the full internet/radio/telephone set up if you touch base with them. Just dont dawdle at their landing, lots of people come and go from there every day, only place i ever worried about crocs... but more importantly dont try look up marions dress, their not big on underwear.

... sigh... really miss working up there.. lucky bugger!

we off to exmouth for a week on the 7th may then up to hedland to meet up with three other boats that live in hedland.
17th may off to derby then a week on the water will be sleeping on the boats around raft point my mates im going with have done this trip 3 times before so lucky for us it makes it a bit easier, cant wait after that a couple of nights in broome to chill and then workout wether we truck the car and boat back or drive see how stuffed we are.

Up the hill at Raft Point - particularly late in the afternoon when it is lit up by the sun - special place 

good luck mate will be a trip of a lifetime. pick up plenty of fish and take plenty of happy snaps and enjoy yourself!

I wish people wouldnt put posts like this up,lol,makes my poxy fishing holidays sound lame.Very very jelous and a trip I will be doing as soon as possible, Cant wait to see follow up pics and reports.Good on ya outdoinit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Defiantly a trip of a life time and very excited.
Next year I would like to do a similar trip but go further out to Montgomery reef and Raft Point Etc, so if anyone interested in planning for this one give us a yell..
Hoping for some good fishing and I am sure a few thousand photos.. ;-)

That's a dream trip.  I'm happy to look at every one of your thousand photos :-)

Great time,

Drive Safe, look forward to all the photos & videos

GP

Hi Lyndon

Wishing you all a safe trip, both on the road and on the water.  

Certainly on my bucket list and keen to tag along if you're heading up that way next year....hope to have the new tub by then.

Can't wait to see your pics and videos and to hear all about your adventures....I know you'll have a great time.

Good luck guys, stay safe.

regards
rusty...

 All the best for your trip guys.wish I was tagging along.Maybe next time .I guess I will have to stay behind and look after all the fish at the islands until you get back.Look forward to your report and pics .

 Will have shot all the fish with your name on them so you will have to leave your gun at home  lol

I will start to target the fish with Jesse's name on them..
At least they are bigger than the ones with my name on them.. LOL See you back early May..

All the best, guys....maybe next year 

regards
rusty...

Have a safe trip! I'm sure it wont be your only one up there

Thanks again,
Cheers

 Wow what a trip- Just looking at your tow vehicle(200 Series V8 Diesel).

Make sure you take along a spare diesel fuel filters,they are easy to change on the side of the road. 

 I carry a spare just in case, cheap insurance i think. Cheers 

as an update we have arrived in Derby (without incedent) and will be launching the boats first thing in the morning.

the weather at the moment is just awesome and hoping it will stay like this for the trip??

fingers crossed

getting quite excited now at what lies ahead for the next couple weeks..

hear from the locals there are plenty of crabs and some big squid around (further out)?? Will have to wait n see??