'Dad, I'm on!'. Dedication pays off at Weipa.

Weipa, western side of Cape York peninsula

Tuesday 9th- Saturday 13th August

'Dad, I'm on!' screamed Jackson as his rod bent in half. Daniel dumped his own rod and ran over whilst Jackson held on for dear life as the fish took off. 'Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz' went the line as the fish tried to escape. Daniel stood next to Jackson and talked him through it (he also stayed close in case the fish pulled so hard that Jackson went flying off the floating pontoon!). Jackson slowly started reeling it in, his heart pumping harder than ever. He doubted that he could do it, but Daniel encouraged him and eventually (after what seemed like an age but was probably only a few minutes) the fish was close enough for Daniel to grab the leader and hoist the huge Queenie up onto the pontoon. Loud applause broke out from the group of men who were on the pontoon waiting for their charter, much to Jackson's delight. He'd landed a big one!

It was a very prolific morning of fishing that day, and the boys returned to camp with 3 Queenies, a Golden Trevally and a Coral Trout. Jackson was beside himself after his exciting catch, and he regaled the story to anyone who would listen over the next few days.

Weipa proved to be a great fishing spot as Daniel also brought in a big barramundi the night before- he was extremely happy to have bagged a trophy fish. 

We were really impressed with Weipa Caravan Park so we ended up deciding to stay 4 nights. We had views of the beach from our spot and the caravan park had a really relaxed vibe to it. Other than fishing we:

• Watched the sunset over the beach every evening. I don’t think I could ever tire of watching the sun melt into the ocean and the way the sky changes colour. Every time is different and the colours are always so intense.
• Utilised the lovely salt water pool at the caravan park- whilst swimming we also got to see the helicopter charter leave a few times (it left from only 10 metres away), which was pretty exciting to watch.
• Visited the Western Cape Cultural Centre, an excellent and informative museum, where we learnt about the history of the local indigenous people, the changes since colonisation and the beginning of bauxite mining industry in the region (bauxite is the raw product that ends up as aluminium).
• Spent a day exploring some of the nearby beaches- Red Beach, Bouchat Beach and Pennefather River
• Enjoyed being able to shop for groceries at a Woolworths supermarket- there was so much to choose from after the limited supplies in the rest of the shops on Cape York.

Emilia finally fits this gorgeous jumpsuit she got before we left - the perfect outfit for a beach sunset.

It was approaching full moon so the tides went super low- which created a lovely effect for sunset photos.

The bridge from Weipa up to the northern coastal communities - it is the longest one-laned bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. When we visited Red Beach (the beach you can see on the far left) we got to see a mining train with a lot of carriages go over the bridge.

A mural at the Cultural Centre showing the totems, places and rivers of the 11 Traditional Owner groups that make up the Western Cape Communities.

Positioned to enjoy another lovely sunset over the beach in front of the caravan park.

He got a barra! Just before they were about to finish their late evening fish Daniel hooked on a barramundi. Barramundi put up a good fight so Daniel enjoyed the thrill of pulling this one in.

Some of the shell middens at Red Beach. Shell middens are mounds of cockle shells from hundreds of years ago. One of the explanations we read at the Cultural Centre was that the piles were made by local indigenous people as an indication to others of where there were plenty of cockles available to eat.

Totems on Bouchat Beach

One of the beaches on the way to Pennefather River.

While the boys tried their luck fishing the Pennefather River, Emilia and I relaxed in the shade with our books before wandering along the shoreline looking for shells (we found some great ones).

Although there were lots of fish jumping, not many were biting. They caught 2 fish, but unfortunately both were undersize and they threw them back.

Enjoying another lovely sunset. Jackson built a mini version of a sand firepit he'd seen further up the beach....

...he even filled it with firewood!

Proudly holding the Giant Queenie he caught and pulled in.

"All those thousands of casts were worth it', Jackson explained to me when he got home with a bucketful of fish.

One last pic of the delighted fisherman!

On the last night we drove down the beach to watch the sunset.

Jackson's hair has turned nearly white in some places from all the sun!

On the drive out from Weipa there was no wind so the dust from the roads hung around creating interesting patterns in the morning sunlight.