Gulf of Carpentaria 2014: The Ramp Up

Well it's been 2 years since our last big adventure so its time we went bush again. Not quite the 3 month monstrosity like last time but still 5 weeks of getting back to nature should recharge the batteries - and hopefully catch a barra or ten! This time we're heading the the Gulf of Carpentaria and we've got ourselves a bunch of Roadies! Yep....we're taking Nat's parents. "You must me mad!" I hear you scream...well there's method to our madness.

Apart from the being bloody nice people, we're calling this a symbiotic relationship....you see Nat is shit-scared of crocodiles...so the only way we're going to get her to go barra fishing is in a boat that's a bit bigger that the average croc - but because we'll be going over a bit of dirt and rough stuff we need a boat that's a bit light and also good in estuaries...so that mean's towing our 4.75m tinnie "Backwash". But we don't want to be grovelling around it tents for 5 weeks either...not when a camper will do...so that means we need two four wheel drives with like minded adventurers - one to tow the boat and the other to tow the camper.

Yeah....the sleeping arrangements are going to be cosy. Because their really old we're letting Daph and Bruce use the good bed and Nat and Daz and the kids will be swagging it on the floor for a series of one night roadside stopovers until we get to Limmen Bight. Once we get there we'll probably be ready to pull the tent out of the boat and escape the snoring!

So what's the plan...where are we going?

We're starting at Brisbane and will be taking 4 nights to get to Limmen Bight River (via Rockhampton, Longreach, Mount Isa, and the carpentaria Highway). The plan is to stay for a week or so at Limmen river and then head back east along the Savanna Way at whatever pace suits us. We'll probably call in at Lorella Springs for a swim in the hot springs and maybe hit Rosie Creek (if the road is ok), before heading to King Ash Bay. The plan is to see if we can get to the Edward Pellew Islands if we can, and then meander on home. If we get time to make it as far as the Staaten River that would be good but it might be a stretch timewise.

What have we done to prep?

A fair bit of planning has gone into this. We've...

beefed up the boat trailer (thanks to Bruce and his trusty welder)
added a freezer to the back of the Patrol and a fridge into the boat
added air springs and rock tamers to the Patrol
converted our crab pots to be legal by NT standards (ie used cable ties to close up two of the entrances)
done a shakedown trip with all both vehicles and most of the kit
consolidated equipment lists with Bruce and Daph about 6 times
repacked the camper about 5 times
prepped fishing gear and boat safety equipment including GPS mounts, long range fuel bladders, sat phones, EPIRBS, Nav charts, stone deflectors, life jackets, auxiliary motor, live bait tank, special ladder fittings etc etc
Restocked first aid kits
worked out meals and food rations as we wont be staying in towns much

All this has taken months...but tomorrow's the big day! time to hit the road - WOOOHOOO!