Winter News Update From London Lakes

I am very happy to be the most southern of the Australian Less Travelled destinations, but oh, there are times when I envy those at Faraway Bay or in Broome! I notice today's temperature in Darwin is thirty-one degrees - at London Lakes it is close to zero! The Lodge is surrounded by deep snow and a fairyland of snow-covered eucalyptus trees, the snow is five feet deep where it has slid from the Lodge roof and been hardened by heavy frosts overnight. It will be some time before this snow melts. Such is the contrast Australia Less Travelled can offer the visitor to Australia.

Like all accommodation houses, I welcome regular guests - there are a few who have visited the Lodge in excess of forty times. One of these, a recent Lodge guest, is the perfect example of a fanatical fly fisher. He arrived at the height of the recent snowstorms, and to my surprise - and dismay - insisted that I guide him there and then to catch his first fish in the snow! For those of you who remember the film "The African Queen" I knew at that moment exactly how Humphrey Bogart felt when Kathryn Hepburn asked him, "Mr Allnut, can you build a torpedo?"

I chose to try the London Lakes' stream, which although still under construction, I considered presented the best opportunity of landing a trout in the prevailing conditions. This entailed a walk of several kilometres through the snowfields, in driving snow. My friend fished several pools without success, progress was slow, the eyes on the rod through which the line passes icing up every third or so cast, and of course it was my job (the torpedo-maker) to de-ice the rod. Happily, to my astonishment, after only a reasonably short time a beautiful two and one half kilogram brown trout took the fly, was landed and released.

The job was done, the torpedo had been built, and a contented angler and his relieved guide returned to the Lodge and with the help of a roaring log fire and a fine malt whisky resumed more sensible activities.

Good luck to all in Australia Less Travelled.