Before we take to the water and begin the hunt for the much lauded freshwater crustacean, the redclaw, a quick tour of the park which makes this (declared pest!) species its logo, and which is home to many who spend weeks and weeks here netting as many out of Lake Maraboon as they can (and on some occasions that can mean huge numbers of them) is in order.
As I have mentioned earlier this is a big park, with infrastructure reflective of two factors which are bound up with its location.....some distance from the nearest town, Emerald, and right on the edge of the aquatic playground which is Lake Maraboon.
This was more than evident from the first moment of arrival. Whilst I did not take a shot of the interior of the park office, in addition to the normal check-in desk and so on, it houses a cornucopia of holiday related goodies. Bait and fishing tackle (including a pile of redclaw nets, of course) compete for space with a wide range of holiday clothing (all bearing the park logo as you would expect), sun protection products, basis foodstuffs, camping gear and assorted mechanical bits and pieces. And, for the peckish, another counter allows the placement of take-away orders from the cafe.
If dining is is more your style, the Lakeside Restaurant,
which forms an integral part of the park office complex, is right on hand to meet your needs.
Here the wares on offer, either solid or liquid, can be enjoyed at a table in the Bamboo Bar (with the one proviso.....it closes at 1800 hours, so any evening dining in must be early!)
or alfresco on the outside deck which provides views
over the excellent park pool.
For those in the right spot (right at the far end of the deck) glimpses of the waters of the lake below can be seen through the trees.
These facilities were pretty well patronised during the week, but on the weekend things became very lively. This vintage car and hot rod club was but one group which descended on the park for a fine lunch and a few beers before rumbling and roaring back to Emerald.
Not too distant from the park pool with its water slide and sheltered area,
stand one of the two park amenities blocks and the nearby camp kitchen. Our site was but a short hop across the roadway from these. The facilities provided in these heads were excellent
as is the case with those to be found in the camp kitchen, where in this shot, you will notice two chaps standing at one end, obviously working at something. I'll have more to say about this later.
This 'entrance' end of the park, which is the designated 'doggy' area' is also home to a facility of the kind we had never come across before, a 'Puppy Playpen 'no less, complete with a hooded BBQ. We did understand why it had been put here (the BBQ that is), but a number of rather quirky alternatives did cross our minds!
This end of the park is also home to some of the many park cabins and a couple of the odd little statues which we found dotted about the place.
From the puppy playpen, the road stretches away down to the other end of the park,
past our sites
and off into the distance along the well sealed and well signed roadway.
The camping area was all but deserted during our stay,
but this was not the case elsewhere in the 'non-doggy' areas of the park, where the occupancy rate would have been a joy to behold from an owner's perspective.
This end of the park houses many more cabins (also well tenanted),
the second of the park ablution blocks,
and some sites which deliver a real bonus for those quick, clever or just plain lucky enough to have snared one.....lake views. We rather suspect that only the death of the regular high season occupants of these sites would free them for others...as they say in the real estate game...tightly held!
Apart from all else to be found here, there is one other inescapable item which can be seen throughout, unsurprising given the location and the primary reason many come here. Boats abound, of all different shapes and sizes,
most on trailers,
but with others well secured to the top of the varying tow vehicles.
The vessel which was to transport Hens and yours truly to crustacean central fell into the latter category.
Personal boat ownership is not critical for any who arrive here with a penchant to drop a net or two (or three or four....up to eight per person is allowed) or cast a line. The park offers a solution in the form of brightly painted hire craft, but at a cost, a significant cost.....$85 per half day, or if one wants to go the whole hog, a discounted rate of $135 per day. I'd rather cosy up to a neighbour with a boat, and on this occasion I had one on hand!
In my next we take to the water, learn some sharp lessons about redclaw (both catching and cooking) and have a generally jolly good time.
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