Bag a Barra — 8 May 2026

It's time now to head to the top and and Bag a Barra, with Glenn Watty Watt, thanks to Barefoot Fishing Safaris and Uniden, for the best in UHF communications, explore the extract series at uniden.com.au. Well, Watty, you back up the front again, top of the order. And I got to say, you do excel when we put it up at the top of the order, and, you know, I think, you know, you could have earned your spot. How are you, son?

Well, I've been hanging around long enough, mate. Eventually, everyone else will fall off a search, you know, taste what? Well, he hasn't fallen off, though. He hasn't fallen off the perch.

He's over New Zealand. He's over there. looking for a friend in the fridge. Oh, yeah, and a bit with some crumment filling.

Good on him. Crow mint Philly. Oh, that was, and you know how, yeah, well, when you go to the, you know, the deli and you get, you know, 2 bucks worth of Devon. I've got to say Devon.

Do you, what do you call it in the, in up there, Devon? Oh, it depends where you're from. I think Louise calls it Devonshey, South Australian. We'd call it Straz, from Victoria.

We're talking about the same stuff. Yeah, I think so, yeah. Well, mate, over there, over the ditch. I think they call luncheon.

Luncheon, mate. Yeah, righto. There you go. I've got no idea, but it's always been Devon.

I mean, mate, at the end of the day. I got to say, pretty good value, the old Devon. I'm going to ask you a question here, right? Because you better, no, no, no, because I went, I went and visited someone the other day at their house, and I'm not going to name who it was, and do you remember back when you were young and you went to your grandmother's house, oh, well, you might have gone around a mate's place or something like that, and they had the fruit bowl on the kitchen table, but the fruit was all plastic?

Oh, yeah, I've seen the odd one of them. Well, wait, he had it, eh? I said, JJ's lemons look pretty fresh, eh? Why didn't even know you could still get them?

I didn't know you could still get it. He did have a few. He did have a couple, he did have a few bananas, like real ones, but he had this big assortment of fruit bowl on the table, and I said, mate, where did you get that from? And he said, me mother dropped it around and put it there. You got that. I made it.

Oh, mate. Remember the old school, isn't it? You don't see that sort of stuff, very often these days. No, you don't see it. I hadn't seen it for years.

I couldn't believe them. I'm looking at a gun, mate, how good are these lemons and oranges looking, it was all black. It was all plastic. I haven't seen it for years.

Oh, I didn't even know it was still a thing, but apparently you can still buy it at a few different shops, usually those dollar shops, or those cheap ones, and you can get it, and there you go. I mean, look, I mean, and look, we're actually broadcasting from Melbourne this week, as I just mentioned, and we're down at the caravan factory. caravan shows. I'm going to get onto the crew, I was off road, because the next show, we could get some of that and just have it on the tables to make them look more homely when people walk into the van.

People get a bit of a shock if people go to pigeon orange or something, weren't they? That's right. Well, mate, it's a bit like we sort of say up here with some of these fashions that come and go, you know, like the territory, we've been rocking big beards and mullets for the last 40 years and eventually if you keep hanging on to something that'll come back in fashion. So maybe the plastic fruit bowl will do the same thing one day.

Yeah, well, you never know, mate, but there you go. So what are you saying? The beard and the mullet has been the fashion of the Top End for 40 years. Well, I mean, everywhere, it was everywhere back in the 80s and stuff like that, the mullet and everyone up here still rocks them.

But and now you see all these flash footy players and bloody movie stars and stuff were in the same sort of haircut. And, you know, some of these old fellas out the Humpty Doo pub back in fashion again. Yeah, well, I've got to say to you that I say to a lot of people that it was funny. we were at a big, big show last week in Sydney and caravan holiday expo when we were there for like 6 days and lots and lots and lots of people came up and said g'day and a lot of them, not all of them, but a fair few of them actually asked me where my favourite part of Australia was. And I said, well, look, I've got a few and some are close, but I, you know, if I had to choose one, I would say the Top End and I said, probably the main reason for that is it's like Australia in the 70s and 80s and you've just proven that. But the fact that people up there are still wearing the same hairstyles as the 70s and 80s.

And the same footy shorts and sawn off shirts? Exactly. The footy shorts and some of those t-shirts that you can get those prints are pretty good, especially the ones I see there at the 3 ways that say, this is the territory fit in or, and away you go. Or leave. Mate, what's doing up there, mate?

How are the fishing you were out on the boat last week when we were talking to you? How'd that go? Yeah, that was bloody good. That's the only chance that I've had to have a bit of a fish so far this year and we did get stuck into them a bit.

It was nice. But it kept going for a few days after that when my group turned up, so that was good as well. Majila Creek dropped to a low enough level that we can get across to Kale's crossing in the East Alligator in the last week as well, which is pretty exciting. You know, you get access to a whole nother river system for the 1st time in, in this season and, and there's been plenty of fish going on over there as well as it's just a really spectacular spot to go for a fish and, and in the meantime, mate, since I did talk to you last, we've really kicked into this dry season weather.

We've got sort of these cool, dry days and that, and that southeasterly breeze coming up off the desert and um, the only thing that we're missing perhaps at the moment is, is um, is some tourists. It does seem to, no, I haven't really noticed it too much and until now, which is when we'd really start expecting to see him after Anzac days all done and dusted, seems to be a bit of a time when a lot of tourists head off and come up this way and the caravans and stuff and we're just not, we're just not seeing it at the moment. So whether everyone's holding out a bit or they've already made the decision with the fuels and all that sort of thing, who knows, it'll be something interesting to watch over next month or two. Yeah, look, I've got to say to you that people I spoke to last week and I spoke to plenty of that big expo.

A lot, mate. They're either haven't got a lot of money or spare money or they're holding onto money and it's everyone's got that same. There were 2 there were 2 common threads. One, no confidence at all, and we're not, we don't get, we're not a political show here, but no confidence in Elbow and Co at all.

And that was, especially the people that exhibited there by business, small business people. Certainly no, because you're a confidence with everybody I spoke to, and a lot of the punters as well, but I think it's the fear of the unknown as well, because you just don't, you know, of, you know, you don't know what's happening, and this is all stuff that's happening overseas, and, you know, interest rate hikes again this week. Mate, I tell you what, they keep saying that we're going to be heading for a recession. I don't know if you remember the last one, but I think people are doing a bit tougher now than we did when that was on, I think, where it's already happened.

I don't know, man. not an economist. I'm not real good with money, mate, but I've got to say to you that I just don't... I just think that in my hello.

I mean, open your eyes. I think it's on. Because, you know, yourself at those shades. You see people walking around with little trollies and goodies and bags full, mate.

You did not see that. And I can only look at the numbers we did there last year. And the numbers we did this year were completely different and talking to other exhibitors are on the same boat. So, mate, we've got to try and keep it upbeat, keep it confident and get out there and travel to places like the Top End because you're going to...

I know, look, you know, if you can do it, go and do it because we've got to keep people in jobs, especially those tourism jobs and those little pubs and roadhouses, and caravan parks, mate. We've got to keep it going, and look, at the end of the day, the caravaning and camping industry's survived all the tough times, and it'll survive this one, buddy. Yeah, that's right, mate. I guess it gives us an all everyone an opportunity to have a look around a bit closer to home.

If you're not going to do those big, big trips away, um, because of a bit of uncertainty or money or whatever, you can, you can do weekends or, or, or 3 or 4 nights away from home, you know, uh, within uh, a bit closer and, and keeps it a bit more um, acceptable to, to the old scared um, brain that you're going to be able to manage everything, mate. So, I mean, there's no shortage of Darwin locals out about on the water and that sort of thing. So, um, perhaps everyone, it might just be doing it a little bit closer to home, which it, uh, of course, doesn't make up for the difference in tourism numbers that you're going to miss out on, but, um, yeah, hopefully it'll be enough to keep these guys going through, um, and until things come good again, that, that rely on that big tourism influx each year. I mean, Mindle markets have started up here in Darwin again, and um, yeah, we, we might even duck across to them next week or 2 and, and check it out, but normally 4 or 5000 people each night at those markets, so it would be interesting to see how that goes.

Yeah, absolutely. How good are the indoor markets? In fact, I was actually talking to a bloke last week of that show about the Mindle markets and Darwin and all those places. And the one thing, that common thread that, you know what? I think Darwin is one of those places where multiculturalism actually really works well. And, and there is no, there is no, and look, I mean, you know, I don't believe it, but works well everywhere, but it certainly does up there. And, and, and it's no more evident than it is when you walk through Mindle markets when you go in and smell the aroma. the foods you can get there.

It's a great spot, eh? Great spot. Yeah, look, absolutely. There's there's over 80 different nationalities represented in the population in Darwin, mate, and then we're talking in the northern territory, and we're talking about a population of under 250,000 people.

So, you know, um, all the kids grow up, um, having their best mates from all around the world and that sort of thing and learn about different culture and Tucker and and just being accepting of people's differences, which is, which I think would, would solve a lot of the dramas that we see around the world if everyone was a bit more tolerant of people that were different to them. And of course, yeah, you get the benefit of all these great festivals. You know, we've got the Greek Glenty festival. We've got Costa Rica had a festival um earlier this year, I think, and all sorts of other different food and um cultural festivals throughout the year in Darwin, and everyone has a hell of a good time and gets a good feed, and, and it's different than the, than the normal sort of meat and pre veg that you might get down in Western Victoria, where I come from, where the, where everyone sort of looks and does everything the same.

So, yeah, we're pretty lucky up here and everyone, like I keep saying, everyone just gets on with it and enjoys their life. Yeah, well, mate, in Blue Collarville, there's a lot of meat and potato blacks. I can tell you. I'm one of them.

Yeah, that's right. You don't mind a bit of a lux or an Indian curry or... Mate, I'm going to tell you now. pizza or whatever as well, right? Mate, I'm at a place in Melbourne called Ozflex. We build our caravans where I was off road, right?

And mate, these blokes, the spread they put on, Watty. Seriously. I mean, I had to say to him, look, even a pig nose when it's full. I cannot eat anymore.

They're going, what's wrong with you, mate? have something to eat. I said, mate, you're kidding, aren't you? And I said, mate, you didn't just put this on for me.

I said, no, we do it every day. The staff, all these big platters, and, like, unbelievable. Anyway, mate, all right, well, well done. We'll try and encourage people to hook up their caravan and head to the Top End.

There's a lot of places between Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, and even Perth, to get to the northern territory that'll miss out if you don't hook up the van and go. So, uh, and look, I will say in relation to I mention the show. There was still a lot of caravan sold, which is, you know, you've got to remember too, a lot of great name ads, they don't have mortgages and they don't have, you know, that stress of, you know, and you see some of those bigger vans with the big Rams and Chev trucks and F3 50s, um, a bit extra in fuel might not bother them people that have worked hard all their lives and all of a sudden, you know, find themselves a bit cashed up as they deserve to be because, I mean, we were talking about that as well. I mean, blokes, my vintage mate had a job after school and left school at 16 and went and got a job and then you sort of get bagged a bit now because you might have put some away.

I mean, hello. What else would you do? Yeah, well, it's unbelievable. but anyway.

Those people that do choose to or make the effort to get out and about this year are going to have a lot left traffic at waterfalls and roadside stops and all the best campers as well. 100%. the best time to actually do it from that point of view as well. Yeah, 100%. All right, mate, we better fly.

Well done. Good luck up there in the Top End. Enjoy, mate. And love that lifestyle, mate.

and mate, I look forward to just keep that mullet and be going, OK? No problems there, mate. Yep that's right. If anyone wants to see Watty and see what we're talking about.

I'm not telling lies here. Go on to Barefoot Fishing Safaris, social media pages, you'll see what his beard and his mullet and everything else he's got going on up there in the Top End. So check it all out there. You're a good man, mate.

We'll chat to you next week. Righto, bro. Good on you. See you, mate.

There he is. Actually our man, Glenn. what do you want, bear foot fishing safaris? You can check him out, check out the website, and if you want to go fishing in the top men, he is your man.

You'll certainly bag a barrel with Watty. That is for sure, if you want to take your fishing adventure to the next level. Well, you just go on to angling adventures and he can take you to some very exotic fishing spots all over the world. So, um, but we want to really promote that and we want to really promote the fact that you can get in the car, hook up the van, travel the outback and make your way to the Top End.

You certainly will not regret it. I love it up there and as I said, if I had to pick one spot. I do love that whole region. The Northern territory, how good is it?

And in particular, the Top End around there, where Watty frequents and, you know, raids the bottlos and pubs in there. He did mention the Humpty-doo, he loves it there, doesn't he? Anyway, Barefoot Fishing Safaris. Check him out and go fishing with Watty.