KARUMBA - THE ONLY MAJOR PORT ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA AUSTRALIA

Through a series of 5 stories students will gain an understanding of the layout and function of this remote port. Many Australians are aware that Karumba exists but regard it as a destination for fishing for Barramundi and crocodile spotting. The “Gery nomads” - retired travellers usually towing caravans or arriving in motor homes - often put Karumba on their bucket list of places to visit. There is much more to Karumba than fishing and crocodile viewing. Take your students along the stretch of the Karumba Port near the mouth of the Norman River and there are large buildings which indicate other functions. Learn about Krys the crocodile of unbelievable proportions. Pass the rusting wreck in the mangroves and wonder how it arrived there. Go past the sign where cattle yards exist and recognise the prohibited access. Go past the dredge as it moves back into deeper water to dredge the channel from the deeper waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria and recognise by research how important that process to the population of the town. Look inland to discover the very large Century zinc mine at Lawn Hill and find out how it is connected to the zinc pellet processing plant at Karumba. Then, like the recent advertising programme from the local tourist operators, become aware of the environmental assets in landscape and a range of bird life. Understand why they have included their heading “There’s more to Karumba than fishing and crocodiles”. Find out why those visiting Karumba need to come in the cooler months of the year and avoid the hotter summer months. The attachments assist student understanding. The fill-in attachments could be used to support a type of tutorial approach where the numbered sections matching the page numbers could be screened and the students with some discussion could fill in the answers to provide a record of Karumba. Enjoy the excursion to Karumba but if you are involved in bird watching in the mangroves or on the lowland marshes on the entry road from Normanton, take time to read the warning -“crocodiles eat birds and bird watchers”.