Barry 'Baz' Lyon

Cape Melville National Park

Cape Melville

Without doubt, Queensland’s lesser-known Cape Melville National Park is one of Australia’s most remarkable coastal destinations for adventurous and self-reliant campers. Tucked away in a remote far-flung corner of eastern Cape York, the park’s rugged and diverse landscapes stretch 70km from the Jeannie River northwards to the glistening waters of Bathurst Bay. The eastern section of Bathurst Bay offers wonderful …

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Broome and beyond

Broome

It came time to leave the rugged Pilbara, with its impressive rocky desert landscapes, stunning coastlines and generally fabulous roads.  broome Our first stop was at Barn Hill Beachside Station, 132km south of Broome and only 9km west of the Great Northern Hwy. And it did not disappoint – great campsites above the spectacular coastline, shady trees, abundant wildlife, plenty …

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Western Australia adventures

Western Australia

As I mentioned last month, Bremer Bay on the southern coast of Western Australia seriously impressed us with its all-round beauty. Unfortunately, we had to move on after a few days – there were still many more miles to cover and places to explore. Now, on to the southwest of the state! This magazine is about both the bush and …

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Eyre Peninsula and beyond – The Gap Lap Part 1

gap lap

Well, I didn’t get much fishing on the magnificent Cape York in last year because my wife Shelley and I did what we called a ‘gap lap’ around this fabulous country. So named as, for the most part, we travelled straight through Queensland and NSW – having already toured fairly widely thereabouts – to South Australia. As well, we wanted …

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An overview of our estuarine crocodiles

The saltwater crocodile is a large and opportunistic hypercarnivorous apex predator. It ambushes most of its prey and then drowns or swallows it whole. It is capable of prevailing over almost any animal that enters its territory, including other apex predators such as sharks, varieties of freshwater and saltwater fish including pelagic species, invertebrates such as crustaceans, various reptiles, birds, …

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Interesting facts about Cape York termite mounds

Cape York termite

While reaching the tip of Cape York or camping and fishing at your favourite Cape destination may be the main reason to travel into this magnificent region, the sights and experiences along the way are absolutely all part of the journey. Cape York termite It’s the spectacularly varied landscapes and outstanding nature that give the Cape it’s unique character. Cape …

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The underrated sooty grunter

underrated sooty grunter

If there’s one tropical fish that is truly underrated by many anglers, it is the sooty grunter – also known as the freshwater black bream. underrated sooty grunter As the latter name suggests, sooties are fish of the freshwater – inhabiting flowing streams and dams, this fish is found from northeast Queensland though to the northern parts of the Northern …

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Reef fishing northeast Cape York

Reef Cape York

Well, as of November 1, wild barramundi are off the take list in Queensland until next February. However, the current weather patterns open up other fabulous fishing options on Cape York, while we leave barra to go do their spawning thing. November is slap bang in the middle of the ‘build up’ season here – with rising heat and humidity …

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Reef fishing northwest Cape York

September on Cape York is very much a transitional month weatherwise. This is the peak of the dry season – conditions are definitely warming and there’s an increasing chance the seemingly relentless southeast trade wind may ease off from time to time. Reef Cape York Inshore water along northwest Cape York is usually fishable by smaller but seaworthy boats of …

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Camping and cooking on the Cape

WHAT a fantastic time of year on the Cape! The mid-dry season – or ‘winter’ – here is magical, with mild weather and perhaps an occasional cooler night inland. So far, the ubiquitous southeast trade wind has been relatively light. At the time of writing, we hadn’t had enough ‘winter’ to really slow the barramundi bite down, and with August …

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