TOD Tour 2.0 Day 31 - Clouds & Cruises

The Morning Glory

It was a day of extremes, with wonderful experiences at either end of the day.

One of the natural wonders we hoped to catch, was a cloud formation which moves in over the southern end of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the early morning, called The Morning Glory. You have to have the right weather conditions for it to happen, which the lady at Ash's explained to us. This morning seemed to fit the bill, so we were up at sunrise, which for me was no more than a daily occurrence but for Sue was a major effort.

Sure enough, a long, continuous cloud stretched from as far as we could see to ... as far as we could see! It just gradually rolled on over us and head inland where it began to dissipate. It wasn't perhaps the greatest example of a Morning Glory but it was never the less what we were hoping to experience.

We went into Karumba for another coffee at the Wild Fish Cafe. Afterwards, we watched them feeding the barramundi in the big pond at the Barramundi Discovery Centre. They cast pellets onto the water surface, causing the fish to strike at the surface. If it wasn't enough watching these big fish rolling about the surface, next came a flight of Whistling Kites - perhaps ten or twelve of them - who swooped on the surface to also grab the pellets for a feed, eating them mid flight as they prepared for the next swoop. It was an aerial ballet, choreographed by some natural instinct and complete with those haunting calls they make.

Fish and chips at Ash's for lunch and then bummed out for the afternoon.

Late afternoon, we joined a cruise by Crab & Croc Cruises, which took us the short distance back up the Norman River to the port. There was lots of information about the history of the port and the various stages of infrastructure that have supported it. During WWII, it was a base for The Black Cats, a Catalina Flying Boat Squadron and before that, Sunderland Flying Boats use to land and refuel in Karumba as part of the route from Sydney to London. They would land on the river, water taxi to the boat ramp, drop their wheels and run up the steep ramp to a hangar at the top. The Federal government constructed two large buildings for passengers and crew, with a restaurant and sleeping quarters.

We also got to watch a Jabiru (Black Necked Stork) at close quarters. on the bank of the river.

The skipper turned seaward - or is that gulfward - and we zipped out through what is still a fairly shallow channel of 4 metres deep, to a sand island 7kms off shore, where we de-camped to watch the sunset. The viewing treat was accompanied by drinks and prawns and other delicious additions. Too many cameras and with enough sunset shots, we just enjoyed the experience rather than recorded it. On the way out, we saw two fledgling sea eagles sitting on a nest originally built by an osprey. The osprey like a high nest and often pick the tops of lit channel markers.

We slept well.

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TOD Tour 2.0 Day 30 - Barramundi Centre

For several hours this morning, we were enthralled by the Karumba Barramundi Discovery Centre.

Growing from an original facility set up by the CSIRO to support the prawn industry, it grew first into a co-operative intended to support the ongoing nature of barramundi fishing and final morphed into its current form and named after Les Wilson, a former Mayor and a larger than life character who is renowned in these parts.

The design, by Brisbane architects Bud Brannigan and Associates, is an award winner for the way it rises in an arc in the same way a barramundi does when it strikes and rises from the water. The displays are presented in a variety of ways, mirroring that different people learn in different ways. Children are well catered for.

We took a tour with Tony, who presented just enough information for his audience but as much as they wanted. I watched the start of a subsequent tour and saw him adapt to his new group and tailor how he presented. We found out much we did not know about this great fighting fish. For instance, all barramundi are born male and they can eat from their third day and they grow at the rate of 1mm a day. After their birth in the saltwater of the Gulf, whilst still quite young, they make their way up the rivers to fresh water to grow. Once they reach somewhere between 75 and 90cm, they go through a process called sexual inversion and almost all will become female. Therefore, barramundi over 90cm long will be females.

The KBDC, only opened in 2018 but has already sent fingerlings to various locations for release into dams and rivers.

Barramundi have no teeth, although this didn't reassure Sue when she hand fed a big one in a tank. Its sudden grab for the squid in Sue's hand still has her checking her fingers and underpants.

It's very, very rare that you visit an attraction which combines every element you might look for in something to occupy a few hours. This places ticks every box. Wonderful, award winning architecture; just enough information on the walls presented in interesting ways; learning for kids and adults in ways that are appropriate; an excellent tour delivered expertly such that everything you heard, you remembered; education without preaching; a kick arse cafe; staff that made you feel welcome even when you were leaving; and extremely reasonable entry prices. There is no praise I can give the BDC which is too high.

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Fish and chips for lunch (barramundi grilled) and eventually another brilliant sunset. I'd love to tell you about the sunset cruise we took to the sand island for snacks and snaps but despite spending time to get ready and walking towards the boat, we decided it would be better to go tomorrow night, when we are booked in. Doh!