All things Karumba

Saturday 5th to Monday 7th June 2021

Due to poor reception we decided to combine the 3 full days here in Karumba, into one blog.

On driving into Karumba we had our first sighting of the majestic Brolga.

Saturday

Saturday Madeline had a PJ day. It was very windy outside, so we stayed indoors all day. Jason went out for a spot of fishing in the afternoon.

Madeline played, did some learning and art.

So many people here at the caravan park have had a good chat to us today. Everyone out here seems so friendly.

After Madeline went to sleep, we ducked down to the fire pit outside our caravan for about 15min to take in the breathtaking Milky Way and listen to some entertainment around the campfire.

Sunday

Today we woke after a very good sleep. We slowly got ourselves together and drove to Karumba town to the playground.

After this we stopped at the boat ramp for a spot of fishing.

Madeline and mummy looked at seashells on the shore while daddy did some fishing. We were unsuccessful as was all our fishing companions.

In the evening we went out to dinner at the Karumba Point Sunset Tavern.

We had dinner and watched the sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Monday

Our final day at Karumba and we needed to desperately get some groceries.

We filled up petrol at 144.9 which was surprisingly good. Groceries were a little dear being in an isolated town but the fruit and vegetable quality was unsurpassed.

We headed to the Karumba information Centre which was linked with the Barramundi Discovery Centre.

From humble beginnings with second hand, donated equipment the Centre was started by a group of professional fishermen who set out to restock the local waterways with fingerlings to ensure a sustainable fishing future for years to come. They became known as the Barramundi Restocking Association.

Karumba History

The country of the southern gulf was home to the indigenous Kukatj, Gkuthaaam and Kurtijar peoples for many thousands of years.

In 1623, Jan Carstenz, the Dutch commander of the merchant boats Pera and Arnhem, reached the mouth of the Norman river and disgustedly reported; “we have no seen one fruit-bearing tree, nor anything that man could make use of…” Little did he know of the seafood wealth lying beneath the water surface that would be discovered 300yrs later.

The gold boom in the late 1800s brought the first settlers here. The first settlement was known as Norman Mouth. In 1876 it was changed to the Aboriginal word Karumba, meaning ‘spirit of an old man.’

Seafood

In 1951 Lloyd Clark came to Karumba, from Caloundra, to check out the fishing possibilities.

In 1954 Lloyd Clarke pioneered fishing in the area and was soon exporting over 130,000 lbs (58,967 kg) of barramundi and king salmon from the Gulf. Clarke was the first person to fish commercially in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

In 1958 Lloyd Clarke recommended that the Queensland Government conduct a prawn survey in the Gulf. The survey was carried out between 1963-1965.

In the 1960s and 1970s the town became the centre for the Gulf fishing industry. Today it is still home to extensive prawn, mud crab and the barramundi fishing fleets.

Karumba in the skies

In 1937 Karumba became a refuelling point for Qantas and BOAC flying boats travelling from Australia to London.

During World War II the town was an RAAF base for Catalinas flying into New Guinea, Timor and Indonesia.

Tomorrow

We leave Karumba for our first of 2 overnight stops, on our way to Winton.