in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria

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THE BIG WET!

It has been one of the 'wettest Wets' we have seen in years - with around 1675mm of rain since January 1 and storms still around... (That is 67" in the old measurement!) More rain than we got during all of last year, or the year before. So the locals are expecting a good fishing season!

Not many people get to see the island at its greenest so here is what Sweers looks like in the 'Green Season'...

That was a particularly heavy downpour - if it had rained for any longer, it would have flooded the cabins...

As you can see, the lawn out the front of the bar is looking good! Mowed 3 days before this photo was taken, and already needs a haircut!

"Carsten Creek" - most times it is just a dry sandy gully, but with good heavy rains, it is a proper creek, draining the ridges near Inspection Hill. It even has its own waterfall:

However, the heavy rains take their toll on the roads and airstrip - Tex will have his work out out for him getting this repaired before the tourist season - no Council repairmen in this part of the world...

The heavy rains on top of all that earlier rainfall resulted in even more creeks and gullies, which we simply had to make the most of...click on the thumbnails below to see a rare sight - canoeing on Sweers Island!

Meanwhile Tex's grand-daughter Dannielle was visiting from Collinsville, and she cooked up some tasty treats in the kitchen:

First it was Cyclone Larry, then Cyclone Monica gave us a fright - but we are still here and the airstrip has dried out nicely so aircraft are having no problems getting in or out. Not the same story over at Burketown, Karumba and Normanton, where local businesses are really suffering from the road closures. The big Easter competitions had to be cancelled so if you are flying or driving up that way later, please stop in there and spend a few dollars in the area on fuel or accommodation or whatever - to help get the Gulf community back on track.

Sweers Island Resort.    Mail:  PMB 1 Karumba QLD 4891   Phone: 07 4748 5544    Fax: 07 4748 5644    Email:  info@sweers.com.au

Website by Lyn using  This page last updated on 21 Apr 2008.  © 2003