Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Earlier this week, a listener got in contact about the
nightcliff jetty and was really wondering how long it's going
to stay closed for as works get underway as he
loves to go for a fish there in the afternoon.
So we thought let's try and get a bit of
an update and see what else is happening when it
comes to fishing in the Northern Territory. And joining me
in the studio, David Chiravolo, the AFAD CEO. Good morning
(00:22):
to you.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good morning, Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Lovely to have you on the show. Now, I note
that there has been a little bit of an update
now from NT Logistics and Infrastructure around the nightcliff jetty.
What's the latest that you know?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, we saw that update come out from them. We
put a little update ourselves out either early in the
week or last week. And unfortunately, it appears that as
the work has been going on the jetty, and people
will notice that the workers have been down there like
pretty well every day. They've been doing a lot of
work on that jetty. But as they're working through the sections,
they're lifting the slats and they're revealing more damage to
(00:58):
the underlying structure than was anticipated. So our understanding is
that as they go through a section– the engineers then
have to come in and sign off and say, yep,
that's up to standard, that's structurally sound, and that's going
to reduce the maintenance burden. And it's actually been requiring
significantly more work than initially forecast. So unfortunately, what it
means is the jetty is going to be closed for
(01:19):
much longer than the sort of– couple of months that
was originally forecast.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So originally, how long were we expecting it to be
a couple of months closed?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, a couple of months. That did sort of take
a little bit longer because, as you may recall and
your listeners may recall, we sought to get the jetty
opened for the school holidays because, unfortunately, the work was
sort of around prime time. But that really sort of
pales in significance compared to the fact that now we're
looking at The work's continuing through September all the way
(01:51):
through October. And I had been told maybe late October,
but it looks like the department said November.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, look, which is a long time.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Long time.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And, you know, I will say that it is absolutely
essential that we have, you know, the structural integrity of
that jetty. We are talking about a jetty out into
the water that a lot of, you know, a lot
of people are walking out on.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Without a doubt. Yeah. Without a doubt. It's also become
a lot more popular, the jetty. with fishers, but also
with walkers. It gets a lot more traffic. The traffic
creates vibrations that impacts on the structure. And also these
repairs are not only maintenance, but also upgrades, making it
more accessible to more people and actually making the jetty safer.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
And, you know, I suppose from, you know, from every
family or every young person or old, however old you
may be, that likes to go and have a fish,
At least then it's going to be open for the
Christmas holidays, hopefully. Hopefully.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Fingers crossed. Yeah, look, absolutely. We certainly expect that. And
the other thing is, you know, last season we had
Fina come in November. And so the notion of, like,
delaying that any further really wouldn't be good. They just
need to crack on and get it finished now. But,
you know, anyone who spends a lot of time at
(03:04):
Nightcliff will have seen how hard everyone's working on it
down there. So I don't think. they're doing anything other
than trying to get it done as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
David, you know, to anybody listening though, who does love
a fish off the nightcliff jetty and they live nearby and,
you know, they may be thinking, well, where else can
I go? Or where else is a good spot to
go fishing, you know, late in the afternoon? What would
you recommend?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Look, one of the things with the nightcliff jetty is
it provides that safe access. So a lot of people
who like to go fishing off of the jetty maybe
aren't as confident to fish on the rocks. So The
short answer is there's not great alternatives, but there are some. So,
for example, at High Tide, the Rapid Creek fishing platform,
(03:46):
which is just off of that Kasserina Drive at Rapid Creek,
is really good near the Yellow Foot Bridge. So that's
a good spot to fish from. And the other place
that I would encourage people to have a think about
is going down to Stokes Hill. where on the warfare
there are dedicated fishing platforms. There's a new workers' platform,
which I've noticed is a really good spot to fish
from on the corner. And the thing that we just
(04:08):
say to people there is just to remember that it
is a busy place in the evening, so don't take
up more than one car park. But, you know, avail
yourself of those fishing platforms or fish at the back
of your car. And there's been some really good fish
caught there, some good pelagic fish and some big, I
saw a big mangrove jack caught there a few weeks ago.
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yes, I reckon you'll find a lot of the teenage
boys are down there all weekend going for a fish.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Hey, tell me, in terms of infrastructure and some of
that fishing infrastructure, where are we at? Like I know
some locations were due for an upgrade or some work.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, so one of the ones that's really been on
our radar because we've been following it up for quite
some time. In fact, we've been following this up for years,
but there was significant damage done to the east arm
boat ramp pontoon in Cyclone Fina. So unfortunately, that pontoon
was probably never the right pontoon for that location. It's
a smooth water pontoon. It was put into a fairly
(05:04):
exposed location. And what that's meant for the last five
years or so is In the late build-up, they take
away the outer pontoons to stop cyclone or storm damage
in the wet season. That happened before FINA, but FINA
actually took another three pontoons and distributed them out into
the harbour. Oh, dear. The reports are some of them
are still in the mangroves. Yeah, right. What that's meant
(05:26):
is there's only the upper two pontoons, which basically are
not in the water most of the time.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And the ramp itself is quite slippery. You've got poles
in the middle. And then you've got this sort of
pontoon that's kind of awkwardly just in the wrong place
and mostly unusable. We've had numerous reports of people falling,
hurting themselves, children hurting themselves, people cutting themselves on the rocks.
We've been following this up with the department for quite
(05:51):
some time. And because of that long-term engagement here, we
know that they were already looking at an alternative pontoon design,
something that they call wave attenuating pontoons, which they use
in places that have much more swell than the Northern Territory,
places like Alaska and Canada where you have really big waves.
So there are solutions, but they do cost money. We
(06:11):
also know that prior to the 2024 election, it's not
something that AFANT asked for, but there was an announcement
from the now government that they were going to build
a rock wall there. but it looks like at the
moment it's unfunded. So we're not sure what the solution is,
but at the moment it's slippery. The pontoon's not there.
It's not a family friendly location. We've been trying to
(06:34):
get updates. We haven't got any news for you. But
what I would say is think twice about using that
facility right now, especially if you're going with your family.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And especially if it's forecast, we get, As the build-up
goes on, you can get afternoon squalls. Yeah. And a
lot of times people want to get off the water
when that happens. If you get to that boat ramp
with a squall hitting and there's waves there, it's going
to be an ugly situation.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Well, to me that sounds as though that work needs
to get underway sooner rather than later.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I'm not going to downplay the fact that this is
quite complicated. Yeah, yeah. Because it is. Potentially a longer-term project,
whether it's a rock wall or wave attenuating, whether it's repairs. Yeah. But–
And I'm not in control and individuals are not in
control of what the government is doing. We're certainly seeking
a resolution and we have been for– I've made numerous
(07:24):
inquiries around this. But what we can do is control
our own behaviour and I'd say take your safety into
your own hands and really think twice about using that
facility at the moment.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
How popular is it, David?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's not the most popular boat ramp. The more popular
boat ramp would be Diner Beach, which also has issues
with tenders tying up to the pontoon there. And that's
been a long unresolved issue that we, again, always talk
about at this time of year. But that's a better,
safer facility. And the Elizabeth River boat ramp, there were
some maintenance requirements down there. I went down to have
(07:58):
a look myself. It looks like they've been taken care of.
It looks fairly safe at the moment. So I would
advise people to use those which are in more sheltered
locations and to really think twice about East Arm at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I mean, if we are talking about the potential of
people ending up injured, and I know, like you've said,
it doesn't sound like it's an easy fix, but it
does sound like there needs to be some work done
pretty urgently.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Look, it does. And we've just seen this occur at Dundee,
where they built a platform in the middle of the,
on the side of the boat ramp. And very early on,
we heard that people were slipping. I went down there,
saw someone do a spectacular double-footed slide, went out there
and walked there myself, and it was very slippery. You know,
the works were still ongoing. We reported that to the department.
(08:40):
At the time, they were of the view that it
was up to standard, but Numerous people slipped and hurt themselves.
They have now put in a remedy. They've put in
a fibreglass-infused grid to reduce the slippage, and that's a
really important step. But it just highlights how challenging our
tropical marine environment with big tides and high sediment loads
(09:05):
are for everybody, users, and for the infrastructure department to maintain.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
We're always reporting things as we hear them from the community.
We encourage them to report to us. We're always seeking
updates from the department, which we can then get that
work done and relay it back to the community. But
it is important, particularly around this time of year, where
you get enhanced algae growth for people just to take care.
But don't hesitate. If something's slippery, if it doesn't seem normal,
(09:30):
contact us. We'll follow it up for you. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And we'll see if we can get a response from
the department as well in relation to the eastern boat
ramp and where that work is at. David, before I
let you go, a couple of things I want to
ask you about. Well, first off, the Million Dollar Fish,
the Rego, has now opened. Now, our friend Kiri Blankensop
from Nine News, she's asked, can you ask David his
tips for where to catch the Million Dollar Fish? She
(09:54):
wants to know.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, firstly, can I begin with the disclaimer that I
have no inside knowledge about where the Million fish is located?
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Oh, come on. You can tell us. We won't tell anyone.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Look, it's pretty boring, but the best way to find
out would be to have a look through the million-dollar
fish Facebook page as to where they've been caught previously.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Good point.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But we do know that, you know, historically, and I'm
not suggesting this is any kind of forecast, but we
do seem to get a few caught around Darwin Harbour
or around Nightcliff, Diner Beach and that sort of coastline
in between. We have had the caught in Manton Dam
in the past. We seem to get a few caught
in the Daly River. So these are places that people
(10:35):
could direct their attention to. But, you know, what I
would say is the first thing to do is to
make sure you're registered for the competition.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Very good point.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
That's the first thing. And then the other thing is
you won't catch it if you're not fishing. So you've
got to go out fishing.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Very good point. Hey, Yum, obviously with the weather heating up,
it does mean some of those billabongs are opening up
as well. How is the road infrastructure going to some
of those locations?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah. Yeah, so it's a really, like, billabong fishing is
going gangbusters at the moment. We've just had the four-mile
billabong open up in Kakadu. Yep. And by all accounts,
everyone took a sickie last Friday, so it was quite
busy down there. I'm going to tell Kathleen and I.
The good news down there is that the Kakadu team
have done a great job in preparing the road and
(11:21):
getting the infrastructure in place. We also know that there's
been grading that's occurred on the road into Corroboree Billabong.
Lots of the women fishing the secret women's business and
their families have been out there pre-fishing for the comp,
and we've got that competition coming up very soon. Awesome.
So it is a great time to be fishing the billabongs,
and the fish have been on the chew, which is exciting.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Good stuff, good stuff. Hey, before I let you go,
the Tourism Minister has launched the Best Kept Season campaign
for 26-27, encouraging Australians to visit during the Territory's off-peak season.
So we've been asking, what's your secret, like, favourite thing
to do in the Northern Territory?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Well, this is when I get my fishing done, isn't it?
The dry season's got visitors, it's windy. Yeah. And even
though I talked about afternoon squalls, we're entering that time
of the year where you do get these pockets of
weather where it's calm for days at a time, usually.
Check your forecast. That's my disclaimer. But that can be
a great time to head out a little bit further
(12:22):
afield offshore. Yeah. A great time to target pelagics out
in the harbour, particularly in the morning. And I've kind
of got these fond memories of these mornings where you
get up at sunrise, you head out into Darwin Harbour,
you find the birds working, and then around about 10.30
you think, jeez, I'm stuffed, but I've had such a
great morning because I've caught so many fish. So I
(12:43):
actually think that it's that calm water fishing. Of course
the billabongs really go off this time of year too,
but as someone who loves pelagic fishing, I think it's
one of the secrets of the Territory that if you
want to come and have a good chance of being
able to spend a good amount of time on the water...
You'll get really good pockets of calm weather this time
of year.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Yeah, good to hear. I like that. Everyone's got something
different that they like to do. I said earlier, mine
just revolves around food, basically.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Well, that's what we do when we get home. That's
exactly right, after you've caught those fish.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Hey, David, lovely to speak to you as always. Really
appreciate your time. Thank you so much for having a
chat to us about that fishing infrastructure as well.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Thanks, Katie.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Thank you.
Earlier this week, a listener got in contact about the
nightcliff jetty and was really wondering how long it's going
to stay closed for as works get underway as he
loves to go for a fish there in the afternoon.
So we thought let's try and get a bit of
an update and see what else is happening when it
comes to fishing in the Northern Territory. And joining me
in the studio, David Chiravolo, the AFAD CEO. Good morning
(00:22):
to you.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Good morning, Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Lovely to have you on the show. Now, I note
that there has been a little bit of an update
now from NT Logistics and Infrastructure around the nightcliff jetty.
What's the latest that you know?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah, we saw that update come out from them. We
put a little update ourselves out either early in the
week or last week. And unfortunately, it appears that as
the work has been going on the jetty, and people
will notice that the workers have been down there like
pretty well every day. They've been doing a lot of
work on that jetty. But as they're working through the sections,
they're lifting the slats and they're revealing more damage to
(00:58):
the underlying structure than was anticipated. So our understanding is
that as they go through a section– the engineers then
have to come in and sign off and say, yep,
that's up to standard, that's structurally sound, and that's going
to reduce the maintenance burden. And it's actually been requiring
significantly more work than initially forecast. So unfortunately, what it
means is the jetty is going to be closed for
(01:19):
much longer than the sort of– couple of months that
was originally forecast.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
So originally, how long were we expecting it to be
a couple of months closed?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, a couple of months. That did sort of take
a little bit longer because, as you may recall and
your listeners may recall, we sought to get the jetty
opened for the school holidays because, unfortunately, the work was
sort of around prime time. But that really sort of
pales in significance compared to the fact that now we're
looking at The work's continuing through September all the way
(01:51):
through October. And I had been told maybe late October,
but it looks like the department said November.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well, look, which is a long time.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Long time.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And, you know, I will say that it is absolutely
essential that we have, you know, the structural integrity of
that jetty. We are talking about a jetty out into
the water that a lot of, you know, a lot
of people are walking out on.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Without a doubt. Yeah. Without a doubt. It's also become
a lot more popular, the jetty. with fishers, but also
with walkers. It gets a lot more traffic. The traffic
creates vibrations that impacts on the structure. And also these
repairs are not only maintenance, but also upgrades, making it
more accessible to more people and actually making the jetty safer.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
And, you know, I suppose from, you know, from every
family or every young person or old, however old you
may be, that likes to go and have a fish,
At least then it's going to be open for the
Christmas holidays, hopefully. Hopefully.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Fingers crossed. Yeah, look, absolutely. We certainly expect that. And
the other thing is, you know, last season we had
Fina come in November. And so the notion of, like,
delaying that any further really wouldn't be good. They just
need to crack on and get it finished now. But,
you know, anyone who spends a lot of time at
(03:04):
Nightcliff will have seen how hard everyone's working on it
down there. So I don't think. they're doing anything other
than trying to get it done as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
David, you know, to anybody listening though, who does love
a fish off the nightcliff jetty and they live nearby and,
you know, they may be thinking, well, where else can
I go? Or where else is a good spot to
go fishing, you know, late in the afternoon? What would
you recommend?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Look, one of the things with the nightcliff jetty is
it provides that safe access. So a lot of people
who like to go fishing off of the jetty maybe
aren't as confident to fish on the rocks. So The
short answer is there's not great alternatives, but there are some. So,
for example, at High Tide, the Rapid Creek fishing platform,
(03:46):
which is just off of that Kasserina Drive at Rapid Creek,
is really good near the Yellow Foot Bridge. So that's
a good spot to fish from. And the other place
that I would encourage people to have a think about
is going down to Stokes Hill. where on the warfare
there are dedicated fishing platforms. There's a new workers' platform,
which I've noticed is a really good spot to fish
from on the corner. And the thing that we just
(04:08):
say to people there is just to remember that it
is a busy place in the evening, so don't take
up more than one car park. But, you know, avail
yourself of those fishing platforms or fish at the back
of your car. And there's been some really good fish
caught there, some good pelagic fish and some big, I
saw a big mangrove jack caught there a few weeks ago.
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yes, I reckon you'll find a lot of the teenage
boys are down there all weekend going for a fish.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Hey, tell me, in terms of infrastructure and some of
that fishing infrastructure, where are we at? Like I know
some locations were due for an upgrade or some work.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, so one of the ones that's really been on
our radar because we've been following it up for quite
some time. In fact, we've been following this up for years,
but there was significant damage done to the east arm
boat ramp pontoon in Cyclone Fina. So unfortunately, that pontoon
was probably never the right pontoon for that location. It's
a smooth water pontoon. It was put into a fairly
(05:04):
exposed location. And what that's meant for the last five
years or so is In the late build-up, they take
away the outer pontoons to stop cyclone or storm damage
in the wet season. That happened before FINA, but FINA
actually took another three pontoons and distributed them out into
the harbour. Oh, dear. The reports are some of them
are still in the mangroves. Yeah, right. What that's meant
(05:26):
is there's only the upper two pontoons, which basically are
not in the water most of the time.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
And the ramp itself is quite slippery. You've got poles
in the middle. And then you've got this sort of
pontoon that's kind of awkwardly just in the wrong place
and mostly unusable. We've had numerous reports of people falling,
hurting themselves, children hurting themselves, people cutting themselves on the rocks.
We've been following this up with the department for quite
(05:51):
some time. And because of that long-term engagement here, we
know that they were already looking at an alternative pontoon design,
something that they call wave attenuating pontoons, which they use
in places that have much more swell than the Northern Territory,
places like Alaska and Canada where you have really big waves.
So there are solutions, but they do cost money. We
(06:11):
also know that prior to the 2024 election, it's not
something that AFANT asked for, but there was an announcement
from the now government that they were going to build
a rock wall there. but it looks like at the
moment it's unfunded. So we're not sure what the solution is,
but at the moment it's slippery. The pontoon's not there.
It's not a family friendly location. We've been trying to
(06:34):
get updates. We haven't got any news for you. But
what I would say is think twice about using that
facility right now, especially if you're going with your family.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
And especially if it's forecast, we get, As the build-up
goes on, you can get afternoon squalls. Yeah. And a
lot of times people want to get off the water
when that happens. If you get to that boat ramp
with a squall hitting and there's waves there, it's going
to be an ugly situation.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Well, to me that sounds as though that work needs
to get underway sooner rather than later.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I'm not going to downplay the fact that this is
quite complicated. Yeah, yeah. Because it is. Potentially a longer-term project,
whether it's a rock wall or wave attenuating, whether it's repairs. Yeah. But–
And I'm not in control and individuals are not in
control of what the government is doing. We're certainly seeking
a resolution and we have been for– I've made numerous
(07:24):
inquiries around this. But what we can do is control
our own behaviour and I'd say take your safety into
your own hands and really think twice about using that
facility at the moment.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
How popular is it, David?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's not the most popular boat ramp. The more popular
boat ramp would be Diner Beach, which also has issues
with tenders tying up to the pontoon there. And that's
been a long unresolved issue that we, again, always talk
about at this time of year. But that's a better,
safer facility. And the Elizabeth River boat ramp, there were
some maintenance requirements down there. I went down to have
(07:58):
a look myself. It looks like they've been taken care of.
It looks fairly safe at the moment. So I would
advise people to use those which are in more sheltered
locations and to really think twice about East Arm at
the moment.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I mean, if we are talking about the potential of
people ending up injured, and I know, like you've said,
it doesn't sound like it's an easy fix, but it
does sound like there needs to be some work done
pretty urgently.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Look, it does. And we've just seen this occur at Dundee,
where they built a platform in the middle of the,
on the side of the boat ramp. And very early on,
we heard that people were slipping. I went down there,
saw someone do a spectacular double-footed slide, went out there
and walked there myself, and it was very slippery. You know,
the works were still ongoing. We reported that to the department.
(08:40):
At the time, they were of the view that it
was up to standard, but Numerous people slipped and hurt themselves.
They have now put in a remedy. They've put in
a fibreglass-infused grid to reduce the slippage, and that's a
really important step. But it just highlights how challenging our
tropical marine environment with big tides and high sediment loads
(09:05):
are for everybody, users, and for the infrastructure department to maintain.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
We're always reporting things as we hear them from the community.
We encourage them to report to us. We're always seeking
updates from the department, which we can then get that
work done and relay it back to the community. But
it is important, particularly around this time of year, where
you get enhanced algae growth for people just to take care.
But don't hesitate. If something's slippery, if it doesn't seem normal,
(09:30):
contact us. We'll follow it up for you. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And we'll see if we can get a response from
the department as well in relation to the eastern boat
ramp and where that work is at. David, before I
let you go, a couple of things I want to
ask you about. Well, first off, the Million Dollar Fish,
the Rego, has now opened. Now, our friend Kiri Blankensop
from Nine News, she's asked, can you ask David his
tips for where to catch the Million Dollar Fish? She
(09:54):
wants to know.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, firstly, can I begin with the disclaimer that I
have no inside knowledge about where the Million fish is located?
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Oh, come on. You can tell us. We won't tell anyone.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Look, it's pretty boring, but the best way to find
out would be to have a look through the million-dollar
fish Facebook page as to where they've been caught previously.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Good point.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
But we do know that, you know, historically, and I'm
not suggesting this is any kind of forecast, but we
do seem to get a few caught around Darwin Harbour
or around Nightcliff, Diner Beach and that sort of coastline
in between. We have had the caught in Manton Dam
in the past. We seem to get a few caught
in the Daly River. So these are places that people
(10:35):
could direct their attention to. But, you know, what I
would say is the first thing to do is to
make sure you're registered for the competition.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Very good point.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
That's the first thing. And then the other thing is
you won't catch it if you're not fishing. So you've
got to go out fishing.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Very good point. Hey, Yum, obviously with the weather heating up,
it does mean some of those billabongs are opening up
as well. How is the road infrastructure going to some
of those locations?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah. Yeah, so it's a really, like, billabong fishing is
going gangbusters at the moment. We've just had the four-mile
billabong open up in Kakadu. Yep. And by all accounts,
everyone took a sickie last Friday, so it was quite
busy down there. I'm going to tell Kathleen and I.
The good news down there is that the Kakadu team
have done a great job in preparing the road and
(11:21):
getting the infrastructure in place. We also know that there's
been grading that's occurred on the road into Corroboree Billabong.
Lots of the women fishing the secret women's business and
their families have been out there pre-fishing for the comp,
and we've got that competition coming up very soon. Awesome.
So it is a great time to be fishing the billabongs,
and the fish have been on the chew, which is exciting.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Good stuff, good stuff. Hey, before I let you go,
the Tourism Minister has launched the Best Kept Season campaign
for 26-27, encouraging Australians to visit during the Territory's off-peak season.
So we've been asking, what's your secret, like, favourite thing
to do in the Northern Territory?
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Well, this is when I get my fishing done, isn't it?
The dry season's got visitors, it's windy. Yeah. And even
though I talked about afternoon squalls, we're entering that time
of the year where you do get these pockets of
weather where it's calm for days at a time, usually.
Check your forecast. That's my disclaimer. But that can be
a great time to head out a little bit further
(12:22):
afield offshore. Yeah. A great time to target pelagics out
in the harbour, particularly in the morning. And I've kind
of got these fond memories of these mornings where you
get up at sunrise, you head out into Darwin Harbour,
you find the birds working, and then around about 10.30
you think, jeez, I'm stuffed, but I've had such a
great morning because I've caught so many fish. So I
(12:43):
actually think that it's that calm water fishing. Of course
the billabongs really go off this time of year too,
but as someone who loves pelagic fishing, I think it's
one of the secrets of the Territory that if you
want to come and have a good chance of being
able to spend a good amount of time on the water...
You'll get really good pockets of calm weather this time
of year.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Yeah, good to hear. I like that. Everyone's got something
different that they like to do. I said earlier, mine
just revolves around food, basically.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Well, that's what we do when we get home. That's
exactly right, after you've caught those fish.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Hey, David, lovely to speak to you as always. Really
appreciate your time. Thank you so much for having a
chat to us about that fishing infrastructure as well.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Thanks, Katie.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Thank you.
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