Travel Bulletin: January '17

Ron and Viv Moon’s latest news and info from Australia’s treks and tracks

Barra Season Opens (Qld)
The Gulf of Carpentaria opens its fishing season for barramundi on midday, February 1, having been closed since early October, 2016. For regulations and further details, go to Recreational fishing.

Oakabella Homestead (WA)
Steeped in historical significance, Oakabella Homestead is classified by the National Trust. Set in a dramatic landscape, this must-see location offers spectacular vistas including Elephant Hill, Table Hill and the ancient gorge and seasonal waterfall in the Oakabella Creek. Wildflowers are also plentiful in the cooler months. Caravans and campers are welcome. For more detail visit Oakabella homestead.

Port Lincoln Tunarama festival (SA)
Port Lincoln’s Tunarama Festival is one of the largest and most popular regional festivals in Australia held over the Australia Day long weekend. It’s a family-friendly festival held on the foreshore lawns of Boston Bay, where you’ll find filled stalls, sideshows and rides, with fun events, activities and competitions for all ages. There’s the annual World Championship Tuna Toss competition where players attempt to fling a fish weighing between eight and 10kg as far as they can. It’s all good fun. For more information see Tunarama Festival.

Tamworth Country Music Festival (NSW)
This is the big music event of the year, where up to 60,000 people head to northern NSW for this 10-day music extravaganza. This year it will run from January 20 (Friday) to January 29 (Sunday) and there will be hundreds of events to keep you and the family entertained. For more info visit Tamworth Country Music Festival official website.

Mount Bundy Station (NT)
Set on the banks of the Adelaide River, famous for its crocodiles, is the historic Mount Bundy Station (established 1911). Just over an hours’ drive from Darwin in the NT, the station is a working cattle property with accommodation options for singles, couples, families, conference groups and campers. The unique station experience is also an ideal place to set up base and explore the area. For info: Mount Bundy station.

Enjoy the Murray this Summer (Vic)
A mountain stream in its upper reaches, the mighty Murray turns into a meandering river lined with magnificent forests of red gum; while sandy beaches line its middle reaches downstream from Wodonga to Mildura. The region is home to a multitude of parks and forests with plentiful wildlife, supporting more than 350 varieties of birds, as well as many species of mammals, reptiles and fish. Relax in a canoe, try your hand at fishing, board an historic paddle steamer or visit museums in the many towns dotted along the river. You’ll find plenty of campsites and lots more. For more see Parks Victoria, or Visit Victoria.

the Festival of King
Island (Tas)
For something a little different try this festival in the middle of Bass Strait. Not easy to get to, the rewards are definitely worth the effort. Held over the weekend of Jan 27 to 29 in Currie Harbour overlooking King Island’s picturesque hills, the Festival brings together a bevy of great folk, blues and rock musicians. There’s horse racing, the Great Raft Race, and a 100m soap-accelerated plastic-sheet waterslide full of thrills as it weaves and cascades its way through the scrub surrounding the festival. Add to the mix great cheese, beef and seafood, as well as great surf, diving and beachcombing and you’re likely to find all your sensations tingling by the end of FOKI 2017. For more visit Festival of King Island.