USEFUL HINTS WHEN HUNTING DOWN UNDER

ABOUT GUNS IN AUSSIE

Contrary to rumours and sensational reports we still own our hunting guns ! In fact, if you want to bring your favourite hunting firearms to Australia, you can ! We can arrange all the necessary paperwork for you within a week ! Should you not wish to bring your own firesticks with you, you can always hire one from the outfitter ! Almost every kind of ammo is available here unless you show up with a completely esoteric choice of boutique calibre. In Northern Territory you do not have to have any license etc., as long as you use an outfitter's firearm under his direct supervision. In other States situations vary a bit, in Qld you still need a Visitor's Shooter License to handle a firearm, the same in Victoria, in South Australia you need to have your home license on you. There are various hunting and firearms licenses to be had from State to State, all to be dealt with quite easily with fees not exceeding AUS $ 30.00 per State. You can bring with you up to six firearms and 5 kg of ammo. However you cannot bring handguns or semiautomatic rifles to Australia. You can hire those in NT and in NZ.

TAXIDERMISTS

Their services are of excellent value here, considering the current US to AUS dollars exchange rate. They know their trade, they have experience with local animals and the so called VAT or GST tax is not added to their charges, it is all export ! We strongly recommend talk to them about mounting your trophies or expediting your capes overseas ! We recommend only the best in the trade !

LIGHT AIRCRAFT CHARTERS

They save time when the time is of the essence and in many cases those are the only means of getting from A to B. If the hunting party is more than one, costs are shared. Men who fly those wonderful machines quote their charges once they learn you destinations, exact dates of departures and the numbers in the party.

BOAT SKIPPERS

Boat Skippers always quote a daily fee for using their craft, regardless if there are one or more passengers on board. They burn the same amount of diesel once they cast off, regardless how many people on board !

TRAVELS WITHIN AUSTRALIA

When there is a need to fly between Australian cities, say Darwin to Brisbane or Townsville to Sydney, we can suggest the best local Travel Agents to book with. Those guys know local timetables, local domestic airlines and their antics. Australia in comparison to the rest of the World is still in a kind of a time warp situation, things here are not necessarily working along the same lines like they would be in US or Europe. Therefore we strongly recommend using the local agent who knows the ropes instead of arranging it from abroad. It will be cheaper and more reliable in the end of a day !

SEE SOME AUSSIE WONDERS

So far this has been all about hunting. When you make your tracks this far, you might like to see some Aussie Wonders as well ? Or may be your companion would ? Within your time frame set aside for your visit, we can always suggest a side visit here and there and we can direct you to some significant attractions en route. Depends on where your hunting grounds are, you can always find a day or two for a sandy beach, coral reef cruise, sailing adventure, shopping spree day or a sightseeing tour along the coast off the Great Barrier Reef or in the Red Centre.

ONE MORE THING

Australia is a Very Big Country, but the huntable numbers of buffalo and banteng are not endless. Neither is the number of good operators. Lots of people book in advance and to secure a good time slot you should book a year in advance. January and February are the last months to book slots for Big Game for the oncoming season. In February, during the Reno and Dortmund monster hunting shows three quarters of the available time slots are taken !