Discover Flinders Island

Paradise Right at Our Door. Anglers Heaven.

In January this year a friend and I decided to head over to Flinders Island and investigate the rumours we had heard about fish that literally queued up to take a lure or bait - all sounded a bit fanciful to me - but then, what if it was true?By the time all our rods were loaded aboard the Air Charter flight from Bridport to Flinders Island, the plane closely resembled an aerial porcupine and it was a credit to the pilot that he was even able to get the plane off the ground let alone make to the Island - you can never have enough rods really, can you?Accommodation is plentiful on Flinders with something to suit every taste and budget, from camping on Crown land with no facilities at all, right through to renting a holiday home or the affordable luxury of one of Partridge Farm's "bush retreats" with its panoramic views over Franklin Sound, we opted for something in the middle and stayed in one of the units at the Furneax Tavern in the small township of Lady Baron.

As we sat in the dining lounge that first evening eating freshly caught fish we enjoyed the magnificent views out over Franklin Sound to Cape Baron Island. There are another half dozen or so smaller islands in between and we began to realize that Flinders really was something special and the excitement began to build - if the fishing was half as good as the views and the meal we were eating then we were in for one heck of a trip.That night we wandered the hundred metres or so down to the local wharf, rod in hand, to see what was available close to home, the wharf is lit up at night and as we peered over the edge, fish fever took hold!! There were calamari squid everywhere, cruising in and out of the light chasing the myriads of small baitfish that were attracted to the lights, there were schools of silver trevally and salmon drifting out into the light and then retreating back into the shadows under the wharf, there were garfish gliding along on the surface and wrasse peering out from the clumps of weed. Every now and then there was an almighty splash just outside the range of the lights which had us puzzled - until the next day when the locals informed us that the wharf was a favourite haunt for yellowtail kingfish and the sounds we heard undoubtedly signaled the demise of either a garfish or salmon.
Being somewhat partial to squid rings, we hurriedly tied on razorback squid jigs and success was instantaneous, within minutes we had more than enough for a feed and it was time to change over to spoon lures and see if we could entice the salmon into committing suicide. We opted to use one of the 7 gram Spanyid "Maniac" lures as these are great for jigging and have a great fluttering action as they sink to the bottom, this usually induces a "take" if there are any salmon in the area. Every time we let it flutter to the bottom, a great school of silver trevally drifted over to curiously inspect our fluttering offering - they were so thick that they blotted out any sight of our lures as they came to rest on the sandy bottom below and a quick heave inevitably ended up with some poor unfortunate fish with a piece of jewellery hanging off some part of its body - not very sporting really, so we decided to call it quits for the evening and get a good nights rest for what was promising to be a great days fishing the next day.
Now, if you are ever going to Flinders Island for the first time, I strongly suggest you indulge yourself for at least one day and book the services of one James Luddington. James runs a guiding/charter business on the Island, appropriately called Flinders Island Adventures and, take it from me - he knows the spots!!!! Many people would have seen James on the TV show "Hook, Line and Sinker" where on more than one occasion he has featured as the "guru', putting both Nick Duigan and Andrew Hart on to some spectacular fish - he did the same for us.For those whose "better halves" are not all that fussed about the pursuit of fish, there are some great tours of the island to be had run by James's wife Lindsay, one of the most popular tours being Gem Stone hunting! - guaranteed to keep your partner occupied and you forgotten - and free to catch fish.
On that first morning (at our request), James gave us a guided tour of all the available accommodation around the Lady Baron area - we were already in planning for our next foray to the Island based on what we had experienced the night before, and thought it prudent to investigate our options.
In the afternoon, he carted us all over the place pointing out hot spots for each of the different species we enquired about, telling us the best time of year for each one and giving us tips on what worked best - he put us into soo-o-o-o-o many fish that it seemed as though he "had them on a string" and I wouldn't have been surprised to learn he knew them each by name. When it comes to fishing, there is nothing that beats having local knowledge!
The following day James was booked out so we headed off to one of the spots he had shown us the previous day to see if we could repeat the success.With every cast the water literally boiled with salmon as they raced to intercept our lures and we soon tired of catching them on spinning tackle. It was time to break out the fly gear. Once again the action was fast and furious, although lifting them up onto the rocks proved somewhat more challenging.
When our arms finally tired of casting flies we tied lures onto our surf rods, casting them as far out to sea as we could and then starting the retrieve before the lures hit the water so that they skipped across the surface of the water. By the time they reached the rocks there were literally hundreds of salmon in hot pursuit.
I don't know how many we caught and released that day - I have a sneaking suspicion that I may not be able to even count that high. I wondered how this fantastic place had managed to escape my knowledge during the past 35 - 40 years that I have been addicted to fishing.
On the final day a friend who lives on the island took us fly fishing off a sand bar that runs out into the Franklin Sound, and I mean runs out! At one stage we were some 500 metres out into the Sound standing knee deep in the current and fishing over the "drop off" into water that was a very deep blue and contrasted dramatically with the light aqua colour of the knee deep water running over the flats we were standing on - as I looked back to shore at the snow white beach I was reminded of a tropical paradise such as is often featured on shows such like "Getaway" - no wonder the Islanders are proud of Flinders and have not gone out of their way to "let the secret out'.
No matter what type of saltwater fishing you fancy, over the summer months Flinders Island has it all - fishing off wharves with the kids, surf fishing, rock fishing, bottom bashing and game fishing - it truly is angling heaven.But wait - there's more!
What else is there?
Because I am addicted to fishing I have concentrated so far on just one aspect of the Island however, there is much, much more on offer than just fishing.For the walking enthusiast there is everything from coastal walks along some of the most pristine beaches in the world for those who simply enjoy a leisurely stroll to the moderate to hard walks for the energetic individual traversing the Darling range or up to the top of Mount Strzelecki which features in the now infamous Three Peaks race run at Easter each year.
You don't even have to pack your own lunch - just ring Anne Bickford at Flinders Island Local Food Hampers and choose from a wide range of hampers designed to meet every need from that romantic interlude through to the most basic hamper for the intrepid bush walker - all these can be arranged to either be waiting for you at the airport or delivered right to your door.
Don't forget to pack a hat and the sun cream, Flinders Island enjoys fairly hot weather over the summer months.
As I mentioned earlier in this article, there is some great gemstone hunting on the island for those who love to fossick around for treasures such as Topaz - and almost everyone has heard of the infamous Killiecranke Diamonds.If gems don't do it for you then a leisurely stroll along one of the northern beaches may suit you better in search of rare sea-shells including the delicate Paper Nautilus shell.You can walk some of these beaches for a whole day and not see another living sole.For the scuba enthusiast there is some great diving to be had around the island and there is a smorgasbord of animals and birds for the nature lover.
How Do I Get There?
Flinders Island can be reached by air charter flights from Launceston and Melbourne arriving at Whitemark or departing Bridport in Tasmania's North East and landing at the smaller township of Lady Baron.
For those that wish to take their own vehicles over to the Island, there is a shipping service departing from Port Welshpool in Victoria and also from Bridport. Because there is ample transport for hire on the island at very affordable rates, I personally would suggest this is a better way to go than exposing your own vehicle to the harsh environment of the salt air on the island - and it works out much cheaper than freighting your vehicle over!
A word of warning - drive with care on the island, especially early morning and evening times, you will be forever dodging either wallabies, turkey or peacocks - the latter are somewhat too large to be hitting your windscreen - and it does happen!
Where Do I Stay?
Apart from the Furneaux Tavern units where we stayed (and were great), there are also a host of separate holiday homes for hire at very affordable rates. Of the ones we had a look at, I would highly recommend "Felicity's Cottage" which is very central to a lot of the facilities at Lady Baron; 'silas Beach" which is a modern home set on a small point surrounded by coastal reserve and has its own track down to a very secluded beach.If it's something really special that takes your fancy then give Rob and Lorraine Holloway a call and secure a spot at "Partridge Farm" which offers a choice of three 4 ½ star rating accommodation packages ranging from "The Bungalow B&B', a double bed unit with spa, superb views and all the little extras to ensure your comfort. "The Top House" is a modern 3 bedroom home with all the "mods and cons" set in native bushland and last but certainly not least - "the Retreat" which is the latest addition to the Partridge farm holiday options, fully self contained with all the little extras including a king sized bed.
If its total privacy coupled to superb views and a tranquil bushland setting that takes your fancy, then look no further - Partridge Farm was really something special!!For those "back packing" it, there are no end of places to set up camp under the shelter of  'she-oaks" beside the beach - there is something for everyone on Flinders Island.
If you haven't been to Flinders yet, I can highly recommend it --.did I mention the fishing?!!!!!!!