In order to motivate myself to complete my long overdue write up on my trip to Australia this summer, I thought I might share some pics from the journey as a warm up.....

Queensland, Cairns: Never launched a boat before with the danger of salt water crocodiles (salties as the locals call them) are no joke; the fishing guide did inform me that the Queensland wildlife officers had recently killed a rouge salty in the area of this boat ramp - It seems that someone thought it would be a good idea to go spear fishing in coastal waters and was subsequently eaten.


Heading out of Cairns for my first dive on the Great Barrier Reef!



I even managed to find Nemo's Aussie cousin - This variety of clown fish is found only on the Great Barrier Reef


Uluru (AKA Ayers Rock) Northern Territory - Didn't realize how big this rock really is and signed up for a hike around it, not realizing it was a 7 mile hike!


Wonnangatta Station - The "Gatta" as its locally known is 1.6mil acres of wilderness area that was once a cattle station- I met up with members of the Australia Hunters Forum (AusHunt) for their annual hunt here, while I did not get a Sambar deer; I did manage to have a life changing trip with the help of forum members in Australia and I was left completely humbled by their hospitality and generosity.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonnangatta_Station




Congratulations to Seb - he got this Sambar the evening I had to leave camp

Way cool!

That’s friggin awesome....anxiously awaiting the full report....fantastic pictures...

very cool update. Have a great rest of the trip

Looks like a heck of a good time and experience, your friends Sambar looks a lot like a Red Stag

I had never seen a Sambar - apparently they are from India and were stocked for game in Australia; now they are considered a pest. They are supposed to be the 3rd largest of the deer family.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambar_deer


In Victoria it's a $60 annual license and you can shoot as many of them as you like.... Bulls, cows, fawns = No bag limit!

Helluva Sambar. And the successful hunter smiles. Is it that you CAN'T smile, or you won't smile in pictures? Amazing pictures, well done. But, interesting footwear to outrun the salties.

Looks like a great trip. I got to spend 3 months in Australia working in 1999. Wish I had more free time to enjoy the place but when companies send yu somewhere to work, at least that one expected work

That’s great!!

Thanks for posting that!!

First of all you are NOT going to outrun a salty, and lets just say people don't bother wearing life jackets in some waters....... seriously!

As for the smile....

Somethings make me smile


Some things DON'T!

When you figure out that its not the entrance to the natural history museum after you paid admission! ...... but I did get to tell the truth and say I was there hunting when they asked why I came to Australia






Hey mods!..... Should I do a series or one long complete post for the full write up on this?

You’re putting drlz71 and jcb to shame with those selfies they are going one up you with more all caps post titles

Incredible! You just put "the gatta" on my bucket list!

It's certainly a place not many native Texans see - Thus far I have the AusHunt record of the farthest traveled to attend this hunt; my advice is to PREPARE because its a hard hunt; the terrain is steep and the bush is thick, combine that with a low success rate for kills because of the pressure at times such as the forest back fires that were burning when we arrived after 8 hrs on the road 4hours on pavement from Melbourne and then 4hrs of trail driving and I do mean trails.

But certainly worth it....

From mountain high




To valley low

Trip of a lifetime

Looks like an awesome trip!

Great pics and an awesome Sambar!!! I've been there a few times to party and see the sights, but haven't been fortunate enough to go hunting there yet. Did you bring a rifle or borrow one?

Borrowed a rifle, I was going to be back packing around Australia for weeks and carrying a rifle everywhere would have been a nightmare.... had my choice of 30-06 or .303 I liked the idea of hunting with a .303 in Australia



NOTE! - I did have to get an "international temporary firearms permit" from the Victoria state police in order to simply by in possession of a gun or ammo.

If you are headed to Australia to hunt - START YOUR PAPER WORK EARLY!

I got the option to hunt last minute and ended up having to go to the Texas state troopers office here in Austin to have them sign off on my paperwork..... they also had to sign the picture of my self as well as copies of all the supporting documents I had to send in.

Great stuff!