Wuruma Dam

At the dam wall

Wuruma Dam is halfway between Monto and Eidsvold on the southern end of the central highlands in QLD -  Map is here . Whilst at Boyndale Bush Camp we agreed with the mob we were travelling with since Baralabar that we would meet up at Wuruma for a week before we all headed our separate meandering ways.






On arrival we soon realized that “the secret was out” - the place was packed with grey nomads on every available space along the water front.  After towing the van around in circles and walking thru several camp sites we finally located the “Baralabar Bunch”.

View from under our caravan awning

There was no waterfront sites left but we found a spot at the back of the camp area close to our travelling friends and with views over the dam.

Excavations required to get level

There is not a single level caravan site in the whole Wuruma camping area and the spot we chose was no exception – so out with the shovel’s and lots of help from our fellow campers we soon had a hole of almost half the wheel height dug on the uphill side for our tandem wheels.  All vans in the area were similary dug in on the uphill side.

Spangled Perch

Wuruma Dam is stocked with Barramundi, Australian Bass, Golden Perch, Silver Perch and has a resident population of Saratoga and Eel Tailed Catfish.  It is also full of red claw (apparently!) and most folk with tinnies were catching 40-50 a night. Despite some determined efforts with Linda and my mate Budgie we didn’t catch any fish in the Dam except small Spangled Perch which were everywhere and always willing to hit a small diving lure or popper.

Wish I had caught these!

Also our red claw pots remained mostly empty with our best haul a measly 15 red claw – much to the amusement of our neighbours.

First Bass for 2015

During one dawn fish trip we talked to one of the locals out on the dam and he told us that the fishing was good below the dam wall in the river. Sure enough the first afternoon session resulted in two good size Bass on small walk the dog poppers and another two bass on the last trip.

Two nice 35cm bass

As the bass were very structure based my casting efforts ranged from very good to mediocre and most days a small refreshing swim was required to retrieve that occasional mis-directed lure.  Great fishing on light gear and those surface strikes got the pulse up.

Yep - been swimming again

Whist we were camped at Wuruma we witnessed some of the biggest and longest lasting thunder storms I have ever seen. Every evening from around 5:30 to 8:30 Thor got going with lightning and thunder.
We spent a memorable 2 hours one night under a mate’s caravan awning sipping cool refreshments and watching the non-stop light and sound show.




Linda is like a frightened puppy when it comes to thunder and lightning – absolutely terrified. Out came the ear plugs every evening.
Sadly we had to cut our visit short as at some time we had hit something with the prop on my tinny motor and broken the bush on the prop – this resulted in a max speed of around 4-5 knots (normally 14-17 knots). Off to the service man in Brisbane before we head to the next Dam!
It was a little sad to leave the Baralabar Bunch as we had become good friends over the few weeks we had travelled together. We had 5 days with great friends at a great place when at Wuruma – way to go!

Awoonga - again!

Sunrise Lake Awoonga

Boyndale Bush Camp is a great free camp on the western shore of Lake Awoonga about 45 kilometers from Gladstone in central QLD. With beautiful lake views surrounded by hills this is a very popular place for the grey nomads.

The tinny and I - early morning

For the “tiny” brigade there is the additional benefit that you can leave your boat in the lake usually within sight of your caravan. This is the third time we have camped at Boyndale bush camp – we enjoy the lake views, the birdlife and the challenge of catching red-claw and fish and generally being out on the lake in our tinny.

My fishing mate Budgie

We had met a group of fellow grey nomads at Baralabar (our previous camp) and they had also travelled to Boyndale. Together with a nice couple we met this visit we spent many a good night around the campfire with much laughing, joking and the occasional serious discussion.

Catfish Kerry!

Last time we were at Boyndale bush fires were raging in the hills to the east of the camp on the other side of the lake – this time there were several fire fronts on the western side not far from our camp. We kept a close eye on these and watched the fireworks during the night. Thankfully there was a constant easterly wind which kept the fires burning away from us and the local Rural Fire Brigade and water bombers kept it under control.

Budgie with a nice popper caught Sooty

For the period that we were there the local shire was upgrading the gravel road leading into the camp area and this will make access even easier in the future.


Great place, great people, a camp-fire, lake views and the occasional fish – we will be back!

Baralaba - you beauty!

Baralaba is a small town in central Queensland with a population of around 400  - one Pub, a General Store and a News Agent. The local shire has established a nice park and free camping area on the edge of town overlooking the Dawson River and Neville Hewitt Weir. Nice camp with grassed picnic area, $1 hot showers and town water available from 1 tap behind the toilet block. 

Sunset - Dawson River

Baralaba is also famous as being the home for Southern Saraotoga (Toga) – which is only found in the Dawson River and its tributaries in central QLD.

There's Toga in those snags!

After 5 days unsuccessful fishing for Toga at Bedford Weir this was going to be our last fish in the Dawson River system this trip and catching a Toga was on my trip bucket list.

I fished for 4 days- 6 hours a day - and despite seeing Toga “swirls and splashes” caught nothing but catfish! 

My personal trainer (AKA Tom the fishing guru) drove over 500 kilometers to fish with me for a night and morning session to show me how to catch the elusive “Toga”.  Well!! - after 3 hours fishing he had 4 hook-ups, lots of jumping Toga but none in the boat. Toga have very hard mouths, jump a lot and you are found in timber and snag infested sections of the river.

63 cm of  Dawson River Toga

After he departed and left me his secret Toga Lure – out I went again for the 3 hour afternoon to dark session.  

4 cm lure = 63 cm Toga

Armed with Tom’s secret lure and lessons learnt from the previous session -  I hooked 4 Toga and landed 2 !!!  As the sun set out came my favorite “walk the dog” popper and after a few casts - whammo  - big surface strike and screaming run until he pulled the hooks.

Yahoo – mission accomplished!!

Bedford Weir Fishing Competition

Two optimistic anglers

We had planned to stay at Bedford Weir (on the McKenzie River 26 kilometers from Blackwater in central north QLD) as we had been told by other Grey Nomads that this was a nice spot. By coincidence the annual fishing competition was held 3 days after we arrived - so keen to show these Queenslanders how us West Ozzies can fish Linda and I nominated for the Saratoga Spectacular.

one of six catfish

We fished poppers, shallow divers, deep divers, blades, vibes, bait and apart from catching stinking old catfish (which were not a category eligible for the comp) and every tree, stump and each other we didn’t enter a single fish after about 10 hours on the water.

nothing to brag about here!

There were 356 fisherman entered for the 2 day comp and 37 Saratoga (largest 79cm), 3 Barramundi, 6 Yellow Belly, 2 Sleepy Cod, 37 Sooty Grunter, and 3 eel tailed catfish were caught – sadly none by Team Britton.

"are you sure there are fish here?"

Over the two day comp there were hundreds of prizes drawn for nominated fisherman – and yep Linda and I didn’t get a sniff!!

Winner - Red Claw Draw!

However – there was a novelty category for Red Claw and all you had to qualify for the $100 prize money was to catch a Red Claw and take it to the weigh in desk to be in the draw.  Linda won!! Yahoo!!
Bit of story how Linda ended up with a Red Claw but enough to say her good looks and happy smile contributed to the winning catch.

keen angler and tinny

The comp is run by the McKenzie River Fish Stocking Association (MRFSA) and all proceeds go back into stocking the weir.

two new crutch type rods 

Great atmosphere and friendly well run event – we had a ball! No excuse for not catching any fish but looks like I will need a new knee soon as the left one is giving me grief (if I was a horse I would have been shot by now).

Fishing to the Max

Since leaving Perth in April I had been keenly anticipating spending a month with Linda’s brother Tom and his lovely wife Marion. Plan was that the girls would do girly things and Tom and I would camp and fish until we dropped.

Lets go camping and fishing!

Well the plan went to plan and we fished every creek possible within a 300 kilometer radius for Barra and anything else that we could temp with our lures and live bait.

We fished Carmila Creek, Constant Creek, Murray Creek, Sandy Creek, Wallaces Creek, Morrissey Creek, Baratta Creek and caught Barramundi, Estuary Cod, Mangrove Jack, Threadfin Salmon, Blue Salmon, Barracouta, Trevalley, Bream, Flathead and a half a dozen big fat mud crabs.

Blue Salmon and Threadfin Salmon

Every fish and crab was earnt with a typical easy day going like this:

- Up before 5:00AM
- Leave before 5:30AM and drive 100-200 kilometres to the chosen creek· 

The only bit of shade on the boat!

 - Launch the boat and cast lures continuously at every tree, snag, branch, stick, gutter, rock, mud bank that we could see as we slowly crept along on the electric motor.
- Continue doing this until it was impossible to go any further up the creek and then head back to the ramp against the incoming tide.
- Retrieve the boat and drive the 100-200 kilometres back home

Nice legal Barra

- Get home around 3:00 PM
- So in a 10 hour session 4 hours driving and 6 hours casting lures (in the full sun in an open boat).

One of many undersized barra

So yes – every fish and crab was earn't with blood, sweat and perseverance – and I loved every minute of it!!

Mmmm - tasty tucker!

Harder days included the setting and pulling of 8 mud crab pots.  If you have pulled a 10KG heavy duty crab pot against the tide a few times you will appreciate the effort involved – but those big buck mud crabs are a delicacy worth the effort.

Another highlight was seeing those monstrous mean crocodiles close up – kept you on your toes and out of the water!

Nice up the creek

On days where the wind and tide wasn’t favorable we would go fresh water fishing in the Pioneer River for those big mean black Sooty Grunters. Still getting up before 5:00AM but only a few minutes’ drive as Tom’s place is at Mirani which is on the River. 

Linda's nice Sooty

It’s a beautiful river early in the morning with Sooties smashing our little lures and the added bonus of platypus swimming past and eyeing us off.

Tom and best mate China

Thanks to Tom and Marion for making us so welcome and especially to Tom for driving both the car and the boat for hours on end, taking me to every creek that could have a barra lurking and retrieving all my badly cast lures out of trees, snags , banks, stumps and the back of his shirt.