Karumba is on the Gulf of Carpenteria and is a maritime port originally used to ship gold from the Croydon goldfields.. The port was also used on and off since the 1900s to ship live cattle to South East Asia with a pause in the 1940s during WWII and again up until the 1980s. It then became the processing and shipping port for zinc produced at the worlds largest open cast zinc mine, Century Mine at Lawn Hill, owned by a Chinese company. The mine ceased zinc production in 2015. Today the port and facilities operate primarily for the fishing fleet of prawn boats and barramundi fishing boats. This part of the Gulf provides most of the banana prawns in Australia and everywhere we went we had the best tasting Barramundi.

Karumba was also important prior to WWII as a refuelling point for the BOAC and Qantas ‘Short Sunderland’ aircraft on their route to/from London. During WWII the port served as an RAAF Catalina Base which flew from Karumba to Indonesia, New Guinea and Timor.

We booked 3 nights in a caravan park at Karumba Point so we could catch up on washing and have some air conditioning – and besides there were no good freedom camping spots around (watch out for crocs!). Besides the crocs, Barramundi and mud crabs are the top attractions – eating and catching. We were planning a fishing trip out on the Gulf but the wind was up for the days we had so we had to content ourselves with eating them (fish) and going on a leisurely Croc and Crab cruise up the river. We spotted many birds and just one crocodile which was initially on the riverbank then took a leisurely swim past our boat. We also pulled up a few crab pots and saw some undersized ‘muddies’. I made up for that by demolishing one for dinner that night at the Sunset Hotel on the river front.

The Barramundi Discovery Centre and Hatchery run tours and what I now know about Barramundi. … well its more than I ever wanted to know. The Barramundi in Karumba are specific to this geographic area and at the barramundi centre they breed fingerlings which are released back into the rivers and the ocean around the area to ensure the viability of fish stocks into the future. There are also size regulations and seasons for fishing to ensure breeding stock is not depleted.

On our way out of Karumba we thought we’d have a quick 9 holes at the local Golf Course. There was actually no grass and the greens were made of sand. Very challenging when you have to flatted a track from your ball to the hole requiring a much firmer putt that normal. I guess you’d get used to it. The course was in such bad condition that we gave up after 7 holes and 2 lost balls. You can’t but admire the efforts made by the community to keep this sort of facility open in such tough times.