Karumba, north Queensland

Karumba is indeed true to its slogan - “the outback by the sea”. Through Normanton and on the approach to the town there are vast expanses of salt and flood plains with low scrub and small trees. Quite simply dry and dusty. Arriving in Karumba, the sea greets you with a relieving cool breeze and relaxing panorama of the Gulf. Monsoonal rains brings floods every year, which is difficult to imagine in this dry and dusty place, but the tourist season goes into recess between November and March as the rains come tumbling down.

Anne, Murray and Estelle, looking out over the Gulf.

Karumba sits on the mouth of the Norman River as it enters the Gulf of Carpentaria. Mangroves dominate the river’s edge upstream for hundreds of kilometres, which in turn provides a home for crocodiles. We did a boat tour one evening and saw crocs lying at the water’s edge, one of them was massive in size. It looked large enough to swallow a human in one go. We also saw jabiru, long-legged waterbirds, actually Australian storks, and the females have  mysterious yellow eyes. Various birds of prey, eagles, sea eagles and kites, soared above our boat with magnificent wingspans. The boat then took us out into the Gulf to watch the sun sink into the sea in front of us. A memorable evening. One of many.

A female jabiru, on the Norman River.

A monster crocodile, scary even from a distance.

Karumba is one of very few places that access the Gulf of Carpentaria, although you cannot swim in the bright blue waters due to the threat of being taken by a crocodile. This area is also famous for fishing, indeed we felt out of place for not having a tinny dinghy on the roof of the car, as most other visitors did. Fishing has been so popular that a few years ago it was recognised that the local delicacy, barramundi was threatened by overfishing, so a hatchery program was developed. We toured a local hatchery where barramundi are reared in tanks from eggs and released into local waterways to ensure the future of the species.

Barramundi, after hatching in captivity, they await release into the wild. 

The sun setting in the west seemed to put on a show for us every night in the outback. The bar at the Sunset Hotel on Karumba Point is strategically placed to provide a dramatic view of nightly sunsets. The sun appears to dip into the sea, releasing an eerie red glow across the horizon. The darkness then reveals an uncanny row of flashing red and green lights atop channel markers that guide boats out into the Gulf. It is certainly a famous place to have a beer and experience the outback by the sea.

The Gulf sunset, from the bar of the Sunset Hotel, Karumba Point.