Karumba -- the end of the road

A very short drive (73km) brought us to Karumba which is the end of the road for this safari. It's quite sad to think we will be going our separate ways from here although some are moving on together, others are staying here a little longer.

Karumba is the Barramudi capital of Australia and the caravan park was full of fishing enthusiasts, many of whom stay here for an extended period. In spite of their saying the barra were not biting because the water is still too cold, there were nonetheless some impressive catches.

An almost 8 kilo barramundi

Our first night was a bit special as one of our couples had organised a "progressive dinner", which meant that, in groups, we had three different courses, each course at a different Winnebago. Each course was in the company of different people. It was an excellent idea, as it meant that we could get to know people better and it has been noted as a possibility for future safaris. It would be better if it was held nearer the beginning, but it was great fun anyway. We were responsible for a main course for 8 people.

The entree chez Noel and Anne

Main course chez nous

Dessert chez Cheryl and Craig

We were a bit scattered around this caravan park. We were near a tree which a huge flock of corellas had adopted as their daytime roost. From time to time they would suddenly get excited about something and rise up all together with a deafening screeching. They are rather beautiful but are generally regarded as hooligans because they are so destructive. They sit in the trees and shred the leaves.

Corellas in the tree

The shredded leaves of the tree

The second night in Karumba was "Bad Taste Night" which produced some imaginative get-ups. Dinner that night was barramundi and chips from a local seafood cafe and it was very good. 

Jenny and Tony looking outrageous

Ernie and Joan

Craig

Janine

Peter and Renate

Breakfast the last morning was followed by a series of goodbyes. It is amazing how close one can get to people who, three weeks ago, had not even met each other. Some chose to follow the same route and travel on together, others chose to stay an extra night in Karumba to enjoy the sunset -- looking west over water  -- which is not often possible in Queensland. We chose to stay and we had a very pleasant evening with the others and we did enjoy the sunset at the Sunset Tavern and a seafood dinner afterwards.

So all in all it was a very successful safari. For Isobel, it was exactly what was needed to lift the morale after the lost time through surgery. Unfortunately we did lose three couples on the way, two for health reasons and one for problems with their Winnebago. They had to limp back to Townsville for repairs.