Day 217 – 18th August 2018 – Darwin, Fishing Darwin Harbour

Col and I decided to put the boat in the water and go fishing in Darwin Harbour today.  It was a beautiful spot, and I loved seeing the city so close from the water.

Darwin Harbour, Darwin NT
Darwin Harbour, Darwin NT

I put the boat in, reversing down the boat ramp on my own for the first time and got it out as well!  I also reversed the trailer down the ramp while another car was on it!!  I was super excited!  I did weave my way down the ramp a little, but that is ok, I didn’t hit anything and I didn’t drive off the edge.  I got the boat out successfully so I am counting it as a win!  It is the best feeling to see yourself improving and gaining confidence.  Love it.

We tried putting in the crab nets but we were running a little late and arrived just after high tide, so missed the best opportunity.  We also didn’t know exactly where to put the nets in, and Col forgot the floats, so we tied the cages to the boat and just fished the spot we were at near the mangroves.  We didn’t catch any crabs unfortunately, but caught a small tuskfish and a couple of Batfish who put up a great fight.  There was also a beautiful Turtle that was hanging around and keeping an eye on us and he was pretty cute and entertaining.   Col had a big fish chasing his lure but it didn’t take the bait.  The tide was dropping pretty quickly so we decided to pull up the crab nets and try some trawling.

Kris and a cute Batfish, Darwin Harbour, Darwin NT
Kris and a cute Batfish, Darwin Harbour, Darwin NT

We moved spots and cast the lines in and began our trawl and about two minutes later both Col and I had hooked a decent sized fish.  We were scrambling about trying to bring them in and not get our lines tangled, it was great fun and action stations.  We managed to both land a Giant Trevally that weren’t all that giant :)  They were about 40cm long.  Great fun to catch but not great eating.  We continued fishing for a while and then called it a day mid afternoon and headed home again.  We stopped to buy some floats for the crab cages on the way home so we are prepared for the next fishing expedition.  All in all a great day out and good that it is so close by.   We will do some research on the best places to catch mud crabs and will keep you posted.

9 thoughts on “Day 217 – 18th August 2018 – Darwin, Fishing Darwin Harbour”

  1. Yeah ….great job backing the boat in Kris also really glad that the boat seems to be getting utilized a fair bit now. I was wondering if it was worth the effort and expense when you were coming up the west coast but seems like a valuable addition up North

    1. Thanks Tania, I do feel like I have really accomplished something, funny.
      This place is awesome for using the boat, we are spoilt for choice. Was definitely worth the effort of bringing it up with us. Even though we didn’t use it as frequently on the way up, they were some of the best days when we did. You just can’t beat being out on the water and the fishing is way better too I think.

  2. Well done Kris. You are a legend. Also love the fairy lights addition to the camp. Ps let me know about the mud crabs – chilli mud crabs def worth the flight up to Darwin xx

    1. Thanks Son! I do love fairy lights I must admit.
      We went to a restaurant recently that did Mud Crabs and Col and Dee shared one (1.5kg) and they were raving about it! Will let you know when we have success catching some.

  3. I really love that you get excited with your (not small) achievements, ie backing the boat. I dont know many females that are confident to do this so WELL DONE.

    1. Thanks Sam :) I do actually get really excited, it is pretty funny. Thanks for appreciating it!
      You generally don’t see too many women on the boat ramp, I agree. It was a goal of mine at the start of the trip because I had very limited towing experience. So it is great to feel like I am actually getting it. And it means I don’t have to stand in Croc infested waters holding the boat too – GREAT INCENTIVE :) :) :)

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