Port Smith Lagoon (Purnturrpurnturr)

Port Smith Lagoon — Purnturrpurnturr to the Karajarri people — is a mangrove-lined tidal lagoon where threadfin, mangrove jack, bluebone and bream feed in the holes and creeks and mud crabs live in the muddy banks. The creeks feeding the lagoon leave deep resting pools as the tide drops, and those pools give plenty of bluebone. Pearling luggers once laid up here for supplies and repairs; now a caravan park sits about a kilometre back from the shore at the end of 23km of unsealed road off the Great Northern Highway, about 170km south of Broome. The lagoon is the one place in the Karajarri Tourism Zone that visitors can fish without buying a Visitor Pass.

Fish the holes and creeks around the tide changes: jig soft vibes or plastics along the bottom of the deeper holes, which fish best on the neaps, to find threadfin, and work lures past the snags further up the creeks for mangrove jack. Bluebone sit around the rocks lining the lagoon entrance and take crab baits, mostly from a boat. Mud crabs come out of holes and from under snags at low tide — work the holes you can reach from firm bank with a crab hook and a gauge, rather than walking out onto the mud. Launch a boat at the top of the tide, and take care not to drive over young mangroves on the way in.

Threadfin, mangrove jack, bluebone and bream come from the lagoon, its holes and its creeks, with mud crabs in the creeks at low tide. Estuary cod, flathead, whiting, the odd barramundi, and trevally and queenfish on the high tide near the mouth are also reported — ask at the park office what is running. Mangrove jack are 300mm minimum with a daily bag of 2 and bluebone 400mm with a bag of 2; mud crabs are 150mm carapace width for green and 120mm for brown, with a combined daily bag of 5, and berried crabs are totally protected. No licence is needed to fish or crab from the shore, but a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence is needed to fish or crab from a powered boat, a release weight must be on board when boat fishing for demersals such as bluebone, and any throw net needs a Recreational Net Fishing Licence.

Fish the deeper holes on the neaps and the creek snags around the turn of the tide, and save the crabbing for the bottom of the low. Ring the caravan park on (08) 9192 4983 before the drive. Going beyond the lagoon means buying a Karajarri Visitor Pass, online or at park reception: Pebbles Beach at the lagoon mouth, Cowrie Creek, Saddle Hill and Gourdon Bay are the Tourism Zone's other locations and need one, and every other area is off limits — including False Cape Bossut and the creeks south of Cowrie Creek, the southernmost point open to visitors. Buy the pass before driving the soft-sand track out to the mouth. Download tides, maps and passes before leaving the highway, because phone and internet coverage on Karajarri country is limited.

The lagoon shore is about a kilometre from the caravan park, close enough to walk down for the top of the tide with a rod and a bucket. Port Smith Road leaves the Great Northern Highway for the last 23km of unsealed road, usually in good condition in the dry but liable to become impassable in the wet. Port Smith Caravan Park, at 242 Port Smith Road, has powered and unpowered sites and cabins and is the place to stay — there are no camping sites in the Karajarri Tourism Zone at present. A 4WD is needed for every Tourism Zone location except the lagoon, and the sand on the track to the lagoon mouth is soft enough to call for tyres dropped to about 20psi and full recovery gear; away from the park there are no toilets or water points on Karajarri country, and rubbish goes out with you to the disposal points on the highway. The lagoon edge near the park is the easy family option at the top of the tide, with kids kept well back from the mangrove and mud edges; nothing here is documented as wheelchair-accessible.

The holes fish best on the neaps and the creeks around the change, because the lagoon fills and drains twice a day on big Kimberley tides and the creeks drain down to their resting pools at low water. High tides can trap people below the cliffs and out on the flats, so never set off along the shore or across the flats on a rising tide. The dry season, roughly May to September, is the reliable window, with the road firm and the weather settled; the wet brings heat, storms, cyclone risk and a road that may not be passable.

Saltwater crocodiles are common across the Kimberley and move around, and in 2016 locals reported a 2.5-metre crocodile living in the lagoon's waterways, so land fish and work the crab holes from the bank, keep back from the water's edge and never wade the creeks or the mud. Big tides trap people below the cliffs and out on the lagoon's tidal flats — in July 2016 a visitor who walked onto the flats was cut off by the tide and spent 20 hours in the mangroves before searchers found her — so stay off the flats. The soft sand on the mouth track bogs vehicles that haven't dropped their tyres. The muddy creeks hold stingrays as well as crabs, so wear solid footwear, and treat water contact as a box jellyfish and irukandji risk — around Broome they are mostly reported from November to June, with cases in every month. Carry water — there are no water points on Karajarri country — and expect limited phone coverage.

Not for the lagoon itself. The Karajarri Traditional Lands Association says a Visitor Pass is not required if you are only visiting Port Smith Lagoon, where fishing from a boat and from the beach is welcome. Pebbles Beach at the lagoon mouth, Cowrie Creek, Saddle Hill and Gourdon Bay are the other Karajarri Tourism Zone locations and need a Visitor Pass, bought online or at the Port Smith Caravan Park reception, and every other area is off limits. No fishing licence is needed from the shore; a powered boat needs a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence.

Threadfin, mangrove jack, bluebone and bream are the lagoon's regular catch, and mud crabs come from the muddy creeks at low tide. Estuary cod, flathead, whiting and the odd barramundi are also reported, with trevally and queenfish around the mouth on the high tide — ask at the park office what is running, and buy a Karajarri Visitor Pass before fishing from Pebbles Beach at the mouth.

Yes. The lagoon's muddy creeks are known for crabs, which come out of holes and from under snags at low tide. Take them by hand, with a blunt wire crab hook, a drop net no wider than 1.5m or a rigid scoop net. Green mud crabs must be at least 150mm across the carapace and brown mud crabs 120mm, the combined daily bag is 5, and berried crabs must go back. Keep well back from the water's edge — this is northern mangrove country.

At Port Smith Caravan Park, which has powered and unpowered sites and cabins — ring (08) 9192 4983 to book. There are no camping sites in the Karajarri Tourism Zone at present, so the beaches, creeks and cliffs around Port Smith are day trips from the park.

About 170km south of Broome by road, with the last 23km on unsealed road off the Great Northern Highway. The road is usually in good condition in the dry season but the wet can make it impassable, so check with the caravan park before driving in.