It wouldn’t be the Top End without a bit of barramundi fishing.
While a keen fisherman myself, in 1987 I covered the annual Barra Classic, on its return to Corroboree Billabong.
Minutiae
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INXS newser
One of the benefits of working in smaller TV newsrooms is that you do get to do a bit of everything.
In August 1987, I was heading for an early finish to my day when asked to cover a media conference with Australian band INXS, and songstress Jenny Morris.
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Victoria River murder
In June 1987 I was asked to take a camera crew and helicopter to Victoria River to cover the search for two Western Australian fishermen who had gone missing.
The two men, father and son Marcus and Lance Bullen, had left their wives at the Victoria River Roadhouse to go fishing. They had spent the night at the roadhouse and were expected to be back in time to move on that day.
Soon after we arrived the police made the grizzly discovery, the two men had been found murdered.
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Gurig National Park
Port Essington ruins Sometimes as a reporter you get to go to those beautiful, out-of-the-way places most only dream about.
One of these is Coburg Peninsula, the original European settlement in the Top End.
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Manbulloo mangoes
Mangoes One of the countries largest mango plantations was established on Manbullo station.
The plan: to take advantage of an earlier growing season to get mangoes on supermarket shelves before the Queensland crop arrives.
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Wildlife on Woolner Station
Wild buffalo While in the Top End I came across a number of cattle properties which were diversifying into tourism.
One of these was Woolner Station, where the pastoralists were using off-season mustering helicopters as observation platforms.
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Pig-nosed turtles returned to wild
Growing up in the bush I’ve always enjoyed doing stories on wildlife.
In this case the story was about some unusual pig-nosed turtles, something I had never come across before.
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Pope John Paul II vists Alice Springs
Pope John Paul II in Alice Springs In 1986 Pope John Paul II visited Australia.
My colleague Phil Smith got the job of covering the Pope’s visit to Darwin while I was sent to Alice Springs to cover his visit to the Centre.
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Kapalga research station, Kakadu
Kakadu Dunnart Along the western border of Kakadu National Park lies Kapalga Station, in 1986, a research facility for the CSIRO.
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World heritage listing of Kakadu
Jumping crocodile – East Alligator While the original section of Kakadu National Park had been granted World heritage listing, it didn’t stop the 1986/87 debate over the listing of stage 2 of the park.
Probably the most famous quote came from then Minister for Mining and Energy, Gareth Evans when he described it as “clapped out buffalo country.
By the end of 1987 Stage 2 would be listed, and by 1993 stage 3 and therefore the entire park had been listed on the World heritage register.
