Malcolm Douglas - Australia - Islands Of Arnhem Land (1980)

[Music] do the northern territory australia's last frontier is a vast region far removed from the densely populated southern states five days constant driving from sydney and we're still traveling north along the stuart highway our destination darwin it's august the middle of the dry season and we're about to begin an exciting and adventurous journey along the northern coast to the little-known islands of arnhem land in darwin brett nixon my traveling companion and i repack the gear that we'll need for the next eight weeks all our travelling now will be in rabuna our five meter quintrex from darwin we'll head east to the many islands scattered along the arnhem land coast after two months of fishing and exploring we'll reach cape wessel darwin's penny bay provides a peaceful setting for our launching jody my kelpie is to come with us although she'd rather not get her feet wet pump 750 liters of fuel into the specially fitted tanks and we're away [Music] we can carry only a limited supply of provisions so brett and i soon begin the constant task of finding food and what could be better than a good feed of mud crabs [Music] a fish suspended in the net will attract the crabs and they'll tangle in the fine mesh negotiating the slash at low tide is a tedious business so brit mud skis the oars back to the boat while jody does it the hard way the giant crabs come out to feed among the mangroves on the rising tide and we motor along the coastal estuaries looking for a likely place to set our nets [Music] a marker float suspends a net in place and we'll check the traps later in the day while we wait for the crabs to take the bait i have a go for a barramundi this is the way i like to cook fish straight onto the hot coals inside the charred skin the meat is sweet and juicy we go around the traps at high tide and we're not disappointed the crabs exhausted in the tangled nets are safe to handle [Music] i tell you what mud crabs don't come much bigger than this one and what a great way to end the day after a few days among the mangroves brett and i are keen to be moving i'll have to keep an eye on jaudy from now on we've been warned that there are some pretty big crocodiles about jody puts up with having her feet washed before going aboard [Music] the prevailing winds increase and we're forced to seek shelter in a delightful tidal river on melville island lunch is fairly basic just a few small mullet and the last of our darwin bread brett assures me that this is the way they make toast back home on the cattle station in the kimberley jaudy prefers to relax out of the heat the strong wind keeps us in the creek for days but there's plenty to do it's always a thrill to catch fish this way on the falling tide we discover bunches of oysters a minute or two on the coals the shells open and they're ready to eat small sharks cruise the shallows they're good eating and it's always a challenge to hunt them [Applause] after all the excitement it's back to bed i startle a small doctoral and on closer inspection discover that it's nesting the broken wing ploy is typical of this species as it tries to distract me from its nest the eggs are exceptionally large for such a tiny bird turns feeding beyond the reef let us know that it's time to get out the fishing gear to save my commercially made lures for another time i try out an old favorite made from a powdered milk tin liner the foil shaped like a small fish is soon ready to go the surface boils as the fry panics ahead of the bigger fish it's frustrating to see so much action and not get a bite straight off but this time i'm lucky and it's a good one too these queen fish or skinnies as they're often called put up a good fight the winds are easy tomorrow we'll move on [Music] on the falling tide we pull up behind a rapidly emerging reef fish trapped in the shallow pools often shelter under the coral ledges but with experience they can be located and caught danger too lurks around the rocks and coral and we're careful furtive stingrays with a poisonous barb at the base of the tail are a constant worry in 1964 on my first trip to the territory i did some crocodile hunting but now i'm keenly interested in the survival of these splendid animals and as we push on towards the wildman river i'm on the lookout for signs of the reptiles since their protection their numbers have increased anchored in the mouth of the river is the heron a battered barramundi boat owned by tony spinella one of the territory's oldest barramundi fishermen tony pioneered the fishing industry along the coast back in the 50s it's a tough rugged existence with back-breaking work for months at a time night and day whenever the tide is right constantly seeking the elusive barrier as soon as the nets are emptied the fish are filleted and frozen in the huge freezer on board some other species like this giant golden catfish are also sailable as the philippine begins a curious spectacle occurs hundreds of catfish come to the surface around the boat for a free feed the catfish familiar with the boats routine appear as soon as the men arrive back from checking the nets as the first scraps hit the water the frenzy begins and continues furiously until the last fish is cleaned [Music] never have i witnessed such a performance within seconds nothing remains intrigued by the ferocity of the seething mass brett dangles a scrap above the water so tenacious other catfish that they will not let go until the very last moment the species is commercially useless so they grow fat with impunity beneath the fisherman's boat [Music] curious for a closer look brett lowers a bare hook into the water and brings up a fish catfish must be handled with caution the venomous dorsal and pectoral fins can wound painfully the long whisker-like feelers give the fish its common name a popular visitor to the heron ever watchful for choice scraps is the splendid white breasted sea eagle so majestic in flight this regal bird is one of my favorites [Music] we motor up the wildman river looking for crocodiles tony tells us that a number of potential man-eaters have been stealing fish from his nets and we're hoping to spot them late afternoon on a dropping tide is the best time to look for the big crops when they're most likely to be sunning themselves on the exposed mud banks i spot some likely tracks it's a croc all right and the tracks are fresh indicating that it's only recently left the water and is lurking in the mangroves there it is it checks my position and disappears and that's a really big crop i soon realized that the mighty estuarine crocodile is definitely making a comeback after being shot almost to extinction within an hour we see dozens of these prehistoric monsters [Music] there are few animals so awesome as this huge saurian perhaps 100 years old edging towards the water it would indeed be a disaster if these ancient reptiles were exterminated simply because they're a potential hazard to humans [Music] oh [Applause] [Applause] the popeye's mullet an abundant source of food for the barramundi and young crocodiles spend their entire lives in a state of total panic [Music] the future must see these fascinating mangrove line rivers as a major tourist attraction especially if the crocodile population continues to thrive [Music] the crocodile has an unnerving habit of disappearing without a trace beneath the murky water direct descendants of the dinosaurs they're a spine tingling sight as they slide into the water [Music] the days pass and we continue to explore the interlocking river systems [Music] the little corellas keep us company [Music] on the really high tides we're able to leave the mangroves and negotiate the channels out across the coastal plains [Music] known as the buffalo planes because of the thousands of beasts that roam across the vast expanse the marshy ground is churned into impassable bogs where the buffaloes wallow the buffs descendants of the animals introduced in 1838 are now as much a part of the northern territory as the indigenous crocodiles on the way we call in at port essington looking for evidence of one of the territory's earliest colonies after several attempts at settlement a township was established here in 1838 with the intention of making it the capital of the north and a great commercial center like so many other abortive attempts port hassington was abandoned within 14 years the scattered ruins show that buildings of substance and quality had been erected and one can only imagine the isolation and hardship of this ambitious venture water buffalo imported from asia were released here when the settlement was abandoned and their descendants now roam the north in plague proportions here's a crumbling kiln and a deep well empty now in the dry season even today the only access is by boat and recent arrivals have left reminders of their visit [Music] traveling east we arrive at mission bay on croaker island in 1964 i worked here among the aboriginal people and i'm delighted to meet an old friend jimmy jambaloola nobody knows how old he is but he remembers the mccassin traders who regularly voyage to australia until the turn of the century we talk of the early days and the changes that he's seen never again he laments will they build a dugout canoe like this one i feel the canoe should be in a museum not rotting here on the beach jimmy and his wife are the only people who now camp on the beach the rest of the community live in european style houses at his main camp the old man passes his time painting traditional designs on bark he's the last of the traditional bark painters of croaker island and these paintings will eventually be sold in art galleries throughout australia his wife jilky is never idle as she weaves beautiful pandanus leaf baskets for the tourist trade in darwin it saddens me to watch the last of the old people with them will go many of the traditions of their tribe as i wait for the returning tide i make up a good supply of lures tomorrow we head for some of the best fishing spots that i know so well you can't get the big ones every time these are just the right size for lunch when the tide turns the bigger fish are soon on the bite and this is a sight every fisherman dreams of fish frantically following the lure [Music] [Music] up [Music] schools of trevally keep us really busy [Applause] [Music] [Applause] now [Applause] it's mid-afternoon when we try trolling in deeper water and we're on to even bigger fish brit lands a barracuda and it's obvious why this fish has such a fearsome reputation at the end of another great day i unload our catch at mission bay jimmy and his family are pleased [Music] our next stop is grant island and jaudy is happy to be ashore few people visit this delightful place it's a part of the arnhem land aboriginal reserve and entry permits must be approved by the tribal elders fish abound in the shallow sheltered bays and within the hour our gallero and i have speared some mullet and brett brings in a tropical crayfish what a marvelous way to spend a week so far away from the russian tear of the big cities lunch will be ready in 15 minutes [Applause] with ease and skill our gallera hand nets a good catch nearby we make a chilling discovery a croc slide only a short time ago it is silently entered the water from the number of tracks we find it seems that this is a regular horn to the big reptile the croc was most probably after the turtles that nest along the beach our gullera finds one of the nests and collects a good feed as a day ends we work our way towards a small creek to shelter for the night our gallery can never resist another mullet and once again it's fish fatigue in the mangrove lined tidal rivers many species of fish congregate and we're after the shy yellow-tailed mullet an elusive target but brett is deadly accurate with his crossbow the harpoon head of bush timber has three straightened fish hooks embedded in its point working well at crosstalk [Music] another dweller of the mangroves is a gregarious flying fox particularly evil tempered when disturbed during the day they shriek and squabble as they wheel away from our intrusion this bet nearly moves to a higher vantage point and unperturbed settles down to sleep out the afternoon saltwater fly fishing is a relatively new sport and i find it an exhilarating way to fish with light tackle [Music] [Music] i hate sand in my swag so jody has to put up with having her feet washed whenever we pack up to leave and now we continue east along the arnhem land coast all our fuel supplies were sent in months ago and here at elko island we fill our tanks the props are continually changed according to the load carried this way we achieved maximum efficiency the elko community was originally established here because of the guaranteed supply of fresh water at low tide it streams out of the sand along the beach we always ensure that we carry an adequate supply of fresh water whenever we take to see we head towards the wessels a chain of narrow stony islands stretching north towards new guinea these islands among the most remote in australia are a part of the arnhem land aboriginal reserve again the telltale track of the huge salt water crop we won't be diving in these waters at a small fresh water soak jaudy nervously investigates the fresh scent only minutes ago the croc was here either drinking or waiting for rock wallabies [Music] [Applause] we can always find some mullet for a feed and i get a charge out of catching them with a hand spear and a warmer come on [Music] this narrow race separating two islands is called the hole in the wall and it can be a very dangerous channel for larger vessels when the tide is really racing [Music] traveling slowly to appreciate the rugged beauty of this unique place i'm shocked to see graffiti left by sailors i'll never understand why anyone should spoil our wilderness in this way [Music] at low tide a special treat can be found under the rock ledges this is a particular species of oyster that grows to the size of a saucer they're so big that brett collects a good feed in no time the strong flavor is best appreciated after a minute sauteed in the frying pan we keep to the sheltered western side of the island the rough dry season winds are unbearable along the eastern shore at last my favorite bay at the bottom of machine bar the most northerly island i first visited this idyllic inlet in 1964 to salvage a lager wrecked during a cyclone we camped on this beach for four weeks the sand is the finest i've seen anywhere i wandered down the beach to a spot i remember well here the donna maria was thrown up on the sand during the big cyclone of 64. when the crew was rescued the lugger was left until the dry season then i returned with the owner and a team of aborigines to refloat the stricken vessel at low tide night or day 24 men dug to free the dhana maria on the high tide we relaxed and danced and hunted our first attempt failed and we returned to the mission later six of us came back to matron bar to try again we dug a channel to the sea repaired the broken planking and slowly inched her down the beach on each high tide after an exhausting months later the donna maria was freed and towed back to elko island for extensive repairs sadly a year later the dhana maria was completely wrecked in another storm off queensland i'll never forget the hardships of that operation but now it's back to more leisurely pursuits tempting the fighting queen fish what a glorious way to spend the day clear blue skies warm water and not a care in the world [Music] armies of small soldier crabs skitter along the beach at low tide extracting organic fragments from the sand leaving neat tidy pellets behind them unlike the sideways movements of other crabs these walk forwards when the tide turns or they're threatened they disappear into the sand with a comical corkscrew action [Music] further up the beach are the holes of the ghost crabs if you have the patience to dig for them they're exceptionally good bait with plenty of bait on board we look for a suitable reef the echo sounder picks up a deep channel this should be a good start [Applause] one of the exciting things about reef fishing is the variety of species caught although there's always a problem of troublesome sharks these red snapper are a superb table fish i've hooked something big and for almost an hour anticipate a great catch a sleepy shark breaks the surface the line snaps and it's all over oh well there's always tomorrow days later we beat rabuna on the sheltered shore close to the cape whistle automatic lighthouse some good friends are camping here and we settle down to talk about old times this family fly out here to the small service airstrip and stay through the dry season cape wessel is the most northerly point of arnhem land beyond this headland stretches the arafura sea all the way to the coast of new guinea this small canoe flotsam from new guinea is now used for turtle hunting canoes rarely reach australia but when they do are of special significance to the local people for they believe that tribal spirits travel in the drifting craft this wreck was abandoned by vietnamese refugees who mistakenly thought that they'd reached darwin and beached their leaking boat the regular coastal surveillance plan spotted them and they were soon rescued the coastal patrols are constantly on the lookout for refugee boats and drug smugglers we too are under investigation until cleared by the authorities in darwin [Music] food [Music] [Applause] [Music] the painstaking preparation of the ray is always carried out according to tribal custom the fish is placed on the fire and cooked well the stringy meat is washed several times in fresh water then squeezed into tight rubbery balls [Music] days pass as we explore machine bar with larawee further up the beach he shows us a number of huge crocodile tracks heading over a large sand dune follow the tracks he urges and you'll be amazed a short walk away is a beautiful sight and quite unexpected in this sandy terrain here where the crocodiles lurk the wessel island tribe once camped along the lagoon [Music] always conscious of the need for a balanced diet on these extended journeys i'm soon off collecting my greens but i'm reluctant to venture too far from the bank we stay among the lilies where the approach of a croc would be easily detected [Music] water lily bulbs this is bush tucker that i really enjoy roasted on the coals they taste like small potatoes [Music] we set off for a cave hidden deep in the interior that i visited 15 years earlier it was a fascinating discovery that has intrigued me over the years and i've always planned one day to return beneath this ledge is the pictorial record of the impression made upon the aborigines by the sailing ships that must have passed this way in the early days of european discovery but tens of thousands of years the aborigines had lived in isolation on these lonely islands then came strangely clad men in huge boats no doubt they stopped briefly and these experiences had such an impact on the aborigines that they recorded them in occur on my first visit in 1965 without suitable film i was unable to record these lovely paintings in the dim light under this low ledge this time i'm here to film these historically important pictographs nobody is really sure of the significance of these uniformed figures but we do know that the dutch and portuguese passed this way and more recently matthew flinders and the pearlers sailed these waters sadly the paintings are slowly being obliterated by wasp nests and so these historic records of australia's past must vanish forever it's now two months since we left darwin and jaudy has adapted completely to her new lifestyle she even enjoys getting wet and my swag is still her favorite camping spot the ocean currents ceaselessly swirling between australia and new guinea collide at cape wessel and it's a fabulous fishing spot as i'm landing at valley a spanish mackerel takes another lure still in the water and this is what i call a big barracuda [Music] with an unseasonal change in the weather the fish suddenly go off the bite so i try my game rod to get the lures down deep [Music] a good-sized queen fish puts up a mighty [Music] fight [Music] and so it's time for lunch brett organizes a really good feed before we leave cape wessel for the last time [Applause] we pack our gear jaudy cleans up the campsite and already i'm planning my next journey to another wild and rugged place [Music] bye

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Length: 47min 13sec (2833 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 01 2020