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Your questions

Question

My husband and adult children are keen to fish in the Northern Territory. I would like to relax and perhaps not go fishing for barramundi every day. Is there something to keep us all happy that is not too expensive?

- D Syphers, Picton.


Barramundi can be caught all year in the NT but the quality of sport depends on knowing where to fish and when. The pre-monsoon "build-up", from October to December, brings a barra bonanza to billabongs and estuaries; the "run-off" between March and April is excellent for fishing. A licence isn't required unless you're fishing on and over Aboriginal-granted land and waters. See nlc.org.au.

You'll find rich stocks in the Victoria River, which sits about 250 kilometres west of Katherine. Katherine also hosts the Barra Bash in October, an annual competition held on the Roper River. If your family's base is Katherine, you can do other things: for example, take a small-group eco-tour with the Jawoyn Association-owned Nitmiluk Tours, where you canoe, swim and bushwalk in the gorge. See nitmiluktours.com.au.

An hour south-east of Katherine is Mataranka, famous for its thermal pool. Mataranka Homestead Tourist Resort has a variety of accommodation. Phone (08) 8975 4544.

If you want to stay based in Darwin, saltwater barramundi can be caught in nearby Shoal Bay.

Then there's Crab Claw Fisherman's Village at Bynoe Harbour, about two hours' drive west of Darwin. The village welcomes non-fishers. See crabclawisland.com.au.


If you have any travel questions, we'd love to hear from you. Write to travelshd@fairfaxmedia .com.au. Personal correspondence cannot be entered into. Only questions appearing in print will be answered. If your question is published, you will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.

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