Lorella Springs

Lorella Springs Wilderness Park is a 100 hectares property in NT, which is a working cattle station as well as a camping/adventure playground. 100 hectares is big, so there is plenty of space and places to camp.

The main site is the homestead campground, which has amenities such as showers, water and flush toilets. There is a bar where meals are served as well. There is no mobile coverage but the homestead offers satellite internet and phone for a fee.

We camped at the homestead for a couple of nights. There is a water hole called Magical Spring, where warm water flows and croc-free. We spent our evenings in the spring with a couple from Newcastle who we met on the way here. Together with our new found friends, we drove to Helicopter Pool, Fern Gully and Le Spa. All 3 are watering holes which have different landscapes and features and safe to swim. My favourite was Helicopter. The water was clear and pristine.

Helicopter Pool with the Sanders

After 2 nights at the homestead, we said goodbye to the Sanders who left Lorella Springs while we moved on to more remote areas in the park. We decided on Secret Fishing Camp, right where the river meets the Gulf of Carpentaria. It was a 61km drive out. The track is 4WD only and took us three and half hours, which gives you an idea of the condition of the track. We were also towing the Podd. Our main goal here is to get a barramundi and mud crabs. Once you leave the homestead, we have been warned about crocodiles and told not to swim and never turn your back to the water. 

TJ found some discarded broken mud pot and net, which he modified into a scoop net and useable mud pot. In the afternoon, he put in the mud pot and we went off to try the scoop. I was on crocodile watch while he walked into the water to find crabs. We were successful twice but they were not big enough to legally keep. Finally, after 3 days of hunting, TJ got his first big muddy. It was sweet tasting.

Meanwhile, his mud pot trapped a few small ones, which he released. Overall, TJ was happy as he made the two apparatus from junk.

I tried my luck fishing but unsuccessful with barramundi. I switched to squid as bait instead of plastic lures and got my first Mangrove Jack, which tasted quite nice.

The next day, I used live bait fish, which someone gave and caught a baby shark. It was a thrill reeling it in. The best part about fishing is reeling it in. I am happy to release it as some fish has to be eaten fresh or not edible as in the case of the shark.  We did have fish for dinner as our neighbour caught 2 Queenies and they have to be eaten fresh. We learned that Queenies don't have scales.

The road into Secret Fishing Camp

Queenie

Whole fish into the fire straight up