Bag a Barra — 28 August 2020

It's time to head to the Top End and Baga Barra. With Glenn Watty Watts, thanks to Shimano. Remember to buy local and fish local. visit shimanofish.com.au. Well, as you know, I just spent eight weeks on the road with the radio program, and a lot of that time was spent in the northern territory, and some of that time was spent with this man. Glenn, what do you watch?

Do you miss me, Watty? Oh, yeah, definitely, Duck. We wish you were here every day. No, I'm sure you do, and I know you have got that little spot reserved there for me at the Watty Ponderosa up there in Darwin and a great spot.

How's the new place going, mate? I'm telling you now. I reckon you're on a winner there. I mean, this, that place in the wet season is going to look like a tropical oasis. The one thing that I, that, that I did find very appealing, which is obviously why you are there, is that you had all these water holes, dug, where natural water holes on the property, but each water hole was accompanied by like a little drinking gazebo.

Yeah, it's a very well set up joint. this one. We've only just moved into it. So, um, it's a, it's right near the, um, the shopping centre, but we're on 8 acres of um, pristine bush and yeah, you'd think you're bloody 200 K's out of town, but no, it's a good little joint.

Yeah, we can't wait till the water holes fill up and we can go swimming in the creek. Yeah, oh, mate, it's an absolute cracker, and you are right. I mean, that was the thing. I mean, when you're there, you would think you're 100, a couple 100 K's away from anywhere, but within 5 minutes, there's civilisation.

It's a great spot. It's an absolute ripper and uh, And and I guess that's, that'll come in very, very handy for when you run out of beer and you've got to duck up to the bottle, though. But I mean, it's 1st, it was, the one thing I will say about you, because I went there and obviously visited your other place too. You don't mind a 4 wheel 4 wheel drive track going into the place.

Yeah, if you're going to be get a bit sloppy once it starts to rain too. I think so, we'll have to have a look at that. But, um, yeah, it's going to be good for just ducking in and picking up the boat, make it a bit easier for um, for fishing trips with clients and stuff. So, yeah, you know, anything that can help help the business run a bit smoother is always a good thing.

Now, for anyone who does book with Barefoot Fishing Safaris, and you do book that trip with Wadi, I'm just going to give you a bit of advice based on my personal experience, be on time at the very latest. Be on time. Don't get there. Look, look, get there.

Look, do the right thing and probably get there 5 or 10 minutes early, but don't go past the time. If he says be here at 5.30. Be there at 5.30. Don't get there at 535 or 530 shift.

Oh, you'll be standing on the road on your own. There's 2 things we're never late for up here, duck, and that's fishing. in the pub. Yeah, no, fair enough.

Well, I certainly did learn that because I copped it for about 3 hours. I was greeted with, well, afternoon shift. Good afternoon. That's what it was.

I pulled up. Good afternoon. Anyway, but it was great and thanks again, mate. That was, I'm still telling people about that experience out on corroborate Billabong.

I reckon you took me to the ideal spot. That, though I will remember for a long time, and I've got to say, was probably, with all the things we did in the Top End, that would have to be, I think, probably my favourite. That was just so natural, so real. Um, and just the whole experience.

We know we, you know, we popped in and luckily we got there and had to wait for those egg and bacon rolls because if they were ready on the counter, I would have been in more trouble. So I caught up with my 5 or 6 minutes, whatever it was. But then on the way back, we stopped and had a quick beer and then we had a bit of lunch at Humpty-Doo. Just the whole thing, but just being on that billabong that time of day, with the sun, you know, with the sun coming up, you know, right there on sunrise, mate, that was just amazing.

I'll never forget that spot out there. That was brilliant and certainly we'll go back out there with you again. Thanks for that, mate. But now the new boat quickly.

How's the new boat coming along? Yeah, new boat's coming along pretty nicely now, we're sort of into the finer detail, sort of finishing touches. I did a little bit of paintwork on it just this morning. So, yeah, well, every week I say a couple of weeks, a couple of weeks, but, you know, these things get pushed out and there's no rush.

I'd rather do it properly than rush it out. So, definitely by the end of the year, by the end of, by the end of September, I'm aiming for. So yeah, it's pretty exciting. Yeah, no, good stuff, and it's an absolute cracker of a boat too, because I went, I popped into that place where you're getting the work done to it, and uh, mate, I had to look it and thought, mate, it's going to be a beauty.

It's nice and big, looks very, very stable, and it'll serve you well for a very long time, mate. So, well done on that. And mate, also, I noticed yesterday or one day this week, I noticed that you, you do some merchandise there for Barefoot Fishing Safaris and you've got the, uh, you've got those ratty type singlets and your stubby holders. But I noticed now you've produced some footy shorts.

Yeah, that's right. I, um, the footy shorts have become a bit of a hot item. actually. They're, um, they're, I've just got them in 3 new colours as well as the black, but, um, the big difference with these ones is,

They've got, got pockets, you know. So, um, a lot of blokes up here love wearing footy shorts and probably all over the country for sure. So, um, but to be able to carry your keys and your wallet around in them, is a good thing. So yeah, they're up on the um Facebook um uh online store at the moment and you can you can um jump on and order yourself a pair.

They are going pretty quick though, and it, and obviously a big wait time to get stuff made at the moment due to all these other dramas. So, yeah, I'd get in pretty quick if you want to get a pair of Barefoot footy shorts. I got them in Fluro, pink, royal, blue, there's like an army, green, olive colour, and then the black one, which are, they're in my workshorts. Yeah, no, good stuff. I did notice that you were wearing the pink ones as well, which is uh, uh, very, very good and uh, and I'm, what I'm tipping.

I'm going to send you up a bit of blue collar media gear as well, mate. Have you worn the t-shirt I gave you yet? Yeah, yep. I wore it once and then I've been using it for rags in the shed since then.

Yeah, no, well done anyway. I know that you're, I know that the long-suffering Louise will look after the stuff when I send it up there and I'll send you those singles as well, mate. So, I know. And for those who, Nate Louise is what he's suffering partner, who God knows where what he would be without her, that's all I will say.

It doesn't make a bad baked dinner either, just quietly. Now, listen, you, you've been out on a bit of a, on a bit of a fishing trip and a big one. Yeah, that's right. We have got a bit of work happening at the moment through some local tourism incentives, but this um, the most recent one was a 9 day fly fishing trip, which uh, whereas some guys from Canberra come up a couple of times a year.

So, it was good to see those guys again. They were keen to get out of the cold weather, of course, and joke up a bit of sun and a few barr and other tropical species. So, yeah, we had 9 days life fishing around Dundee and Dino Harbour area, which is um, it's always a good challenge and a beautiful thing to do, of course. Yeah, oh definitely, mate.

And uh, so 9 days. So what happens there? So you're just camping? No, no, so we stayed, um, when we're fishing Bynoe, we generally stay at, um, Crabclaw Island Resort for the fly fishing stuff, and we can, you, you're right on the beach there, and you can leave the boat in the water, which is a big advantage.

So, um, on the 1st couple of days of the trip, we tend to have a day in, uh, a break in the middle of the day when the tide's high, and the fish are a bit, um, sort of gone off the bike. So, um, to be able to just um, pull the boat up to the beach, guys can go up and have a beer in the restaurant or uh, swim in the pool or rest in the air con as a real convenience. It's right in the middle of the harbour. So it's, it's a great spot to base out of, and um, yeah, we just, we sort of target different species according, uh, you know, as the tidal spectrum moves throughout the week.

Um, so we, we got into some long tail tuna on the fly, which is really exciting. They pull a lot of string and then, of course, all the other species right through to the bar as well. Oh, mate, you're talking now. I mean, like, and the thing is now, while you're telling me about these places, and I can picture them now because I've been up there and been around and we went out on the harbour one day, um, with one of those cruise boats and things and looked around, one of those catamarines.

was pretty good. So now I know exactly what I'm missing out on. Not good. Yeah, that's the problem for you now.

Yeah, that's right. It's okay when it's a bit of a mystery, but once you've been up here and an experience, it is a bit harder to swallow when you perhaps go back home to something that maybe not as enjoyable. Well, look, I've got to say, I live in a pretty good spot, okay? I'm not, I'm not, you know, where I live is out in the Hawkesbury and it's fairly rural and we're on the Hawkesbury River, but I must tell you that just not far from home when I came through last weekend.

I was driving through the snow. So I mean, I'd gone from being up there. I think one day in Catherine, it was 37, and then I've made my way down and down to Charleville, and from, like, obviously down to Camberwheel, then to McKinlay, and then down to Charleville, from Charleville, I made the dash home, and it was just a complete difference in temperature. And to be honest with you, it's not that far up there when you look at it as a crow flies, but the difference in the weather is just unbelievable.

I've got to say to anybody. Look, if you're planning on travelling anywhere in Australia, you've got to go to the northern territory and in particular up that Top End. I just think it's, for me, it's the, it's my favourite. Look, I love Queensland, and I love that channel country as well, and obviously I've been up to Cape, and I've been just about everywhere, but for me, I think the lifestyle up there that you enjoy, and the way it is, the culture, the attitude of the people that live there.

I just think, mate, it's, it's got, it should be the capital. It should be the nation's capital up there. But then again, if you do that, you'll end up with a whole bunch of suits up there, so you don't really want that. Yeah, they wouldn't fit in too good up here.

I'm sure they wouldn't, which is probably why, or it's probably why I fit in. What do you reckon I fit in, all right, didn't I? Yeah, yeah, I reckon you'd probably slot in, all right? They'd probably find a seat at the bar for you.

But yeah, I mean, we are very lucky in Australia. I've travelled to over 20 different countries. Um, and I, I, I understand the value of how lucky we are in Australia not to have to worry about border crossings and this and that when we go on holidays, you know, we can go from, you know, when things are normal, you can go from the snow one day to the tropics the next day and, and, um, and it's no worries at all. So, yeah, people um probably really need to understand how lucky we are in Australia as far as that goes.

And even, you know, the big driving holiday is something that I always encourage people to do as well, just to see how vast the countryside is. Um is a great experience. Flying is good, you know, fly from Darwin to Melbourne in 4 hours and, and it's easy peasy, but to, to drive it, you know, say 4000 kilometres or so, it's a whole different experience, it's something everyone should do at some stage. Oh, yeah, totally, mate. I totally agree with you.

And obviously I've just done all of that. And yeah, I agree. I'm a big believer and if you got the time, drive and because you're flying over some of the best parts of the country, you know, playing. But when you drive them, but it all takes, it takes 2 things.

It takes diesel and time. Well, petrol. But you know, but time's the big thing. And but if you can do it, you certainly won't regret it.

I know, I certainly our trip was epic, mate. By the time I got back here, I'd, I'd gone, I'd been everywhere from up there with you and travelled all around up there and I'd left you and went into Kakadu and obviously, um, we mentioned Louise, she should be a, um, she should be working for tourism as well because she'd give me all the little tips and places to visit and even where to park the car. I mean, like... Yeah, so, I mean, she, and she knew a way around and then, and then just hung around down at Pine Creek and then back, you know, back to Adelaide River and the history up there in the northern territory is just fantastic as well.

In particular, all the stuff around World War 2, and of course, Cyclo and Tracy. It was just a really good experience. But then driving back through the Queensland outback, was good as well, and spending some time in that channel country, as I say, and I went on the mail run with Frank from the pub and saw how people live and work on remote stations, and it's just a different way of life. Some of those people out there.

I mean, they wouldn't even be thinking about some of the stuff that all these people are worried about bundled up together in the big smoke on the east coast. It's just a great way of life anywhere up there. But no, all good, mate. All right.

So if people want to get onto these footy shorts of yours, we'll just go to the website. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I think it's easier to go to the Facebook page, and then there's a shop tab on the Facebook page, um, and they can sort of follow their notes from there.

Yeah, there's, they're probably, I, I'd be surprised if there's any left by the end of the weekend, actually, like we just got a few of each, just to see what everyone wanted and they're, they're sold by hotcakes. So, you know, another 3 months down the track, we might have another batch, but, um, yeah, they're pretty cool. It's good to see you, mate. You mentioned as quickly before you go, I just thought of it.

You've mentioned those tourism vouchers. Man, they seem to be doing the trick up there, don't they? Yeah they are. It's a really good idea.

by, I think it was local council and government, um, so you could jump online as a local and um, apply for a $200 voucher to spend, um, on a local local tourism industry, and, and that could be an accommodation, um, can be tours, can be, like a car hire, um, lots of different things, and it really boosted our industry, sort of back into gear, I suppose. Yeah, like I've probably picked up 50 or 60 days worth of work out of it, which was, was unreal, you know, it was $5000000 worth and um, and you matched it. And so, yeah, my myself personally, I got an annual membership at Territory Wildlife Park for the family and an annual membership at Crocosaurus Cove for the family as well. So, you know, we can go there as many times as we like throughout the year and um, and so, sort of support that industry as well as um, you know, had experiencing the tourism in our own backyard, which is, I guess, what it's all about, um, supporting local industry, and yeah, it'd be, it'd be a good thing for other states to look at as well.

But yeah, we're in a pretty fortunate position here where we're not shut down and stuff at the moment too. So it's a bit different. Oh, mate, I just think it's a great idea. What an incentive.

And I saw people in caravan parks and stuff, locals who were, you know, out camping locally for the weekend and or a week or whatever with those vouchers. I just think, and I'm not sure how it worked, but I was sensing that there were a few people who threw their vouchers in together. and book things like cabins and things for extended stays in parks. I'm not sure how that worked, but, well, no matter whatever it was, whatever they did, it certainly, um, it certainly did the trick, and it was good to see. It just stimulated things along a little bit.

and got people out, and they got people exploring their own region. Because a lot of people, and people are guilty of that everywhere. I mean, you know, they live somewhere, I might live in New South Wales and go to Queensland for a holiday. Well, if you live in New South Wales there's plenty to see in New South Wales.

So, and I guess it's same for the territory. I mean, where people will travel. Well, this sort of kept everybody there and and got under to explore their own backyard a little bit. It's a great idea.

Whoever came up with it, he's an absolute genius. And like you say, the fact that you can get 50 or 60 days work, Just off the locals because of those vouchers. Well, mate, those, well, that just proves that that, that, that idea worked. Yeah, that's right.

Well, it saved my bacon, that's for sure. Um, and uh, it's so, well, it shows me having to go and get other work, I suppose, which is, ideally, we keep the business just ticking along and keep a present, so that when people, you know, there is, there's, there's a number of interstate tourists coming in at the moment. So, if I was out driving road chains, I sort of can't mobilise easily for a couple of people, but because we've been able to keep ticking along. The little groups of ones and 2s and stuff that are coming in from interstate and we can shandy him in with the locals and it's a great time.

They love chatting to the locals on the water and everyone gets a lot of benefit out of that. So yeah, absolutely brilliant idea. Yeah, absolutely. And well done, and well done, everyone concerned.

All right, mate. Well, I'll leave you up there in the 30 odd degree temperature and just think of me, will you? And keep that spot ready here. Well, that's the good thing about this new place of yours.

It's got that little caravan side on it. You better just keep that. Just make sure I get priority there. All right. Yeah, right.

We'll put a little sign up in Duck's place or something, will we? Yeah, yeah, yeah. If he turns out, if anyone comes and say, look, mate, you're there. But if this bloke turns up, mate, you're out.

All right, Watty. So g'day, everyone up there for you, mate. We'll chat to you next week, all right? Good on you, mate.

See you later. Good on you, mate. There he is, Glenn. What are you watching?

You can check him out. Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Do yourself a favour. Jump onto the Facebook page as well.

Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Hit that shop tab, and now get yourself a pair of those shorts while they're, the Yogi said, they're running hot, and we'll sell very, very quickly, and his designs are great. I mean, the singlets are good. The stub.

very versatile as well because they back up as, as, um, they think they're real covers or something, cover up your reels and when you're not using them and then obviously he's got the singlets and now he's got the shorts. And he did so that pockets, which do come in very, very handy for those keys and wallets and you lose change when you're, especially when you're out at the pub. So I get on to that now before he runs out, Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Just go to the Facebook page, hit the shop tab and buy yourself a pair of those shorts.

And he did say they do come in a range of colours, including hot pink. If you do anything like Wadi, that's what you'll be buying. But Barefoot Fishing Safaris is there on Facebook.