Sweet's Lagoon

Everyone should know the story of Sweetheart, the 4.6 m crocodile that spent many years terrorising the fishermen on the Finniss River. Documented stories of upending boats and grabbing outboards was the stuff of legends. Why? I think sweetheart got sick of everybody taking his photo and then hitting him in the head with cans or sticks while he was relaxing on the bank so much so every time he heard an outboard coming he expected to be accosted especially with the old steel cans.

Sweetheart when being removed drowned and now resides in the Darwin Museum.

It's now some 25/30 years since Sweet's lagoon has been accessed, massive growths have inhibited the way through from both ends of the Finniss, to know where this is if you go downstream from the hardcastle boat ramp near Sand Palms you come to the 3 ways turn right and the access is blocked 500 metres further on. Sweet's lagoon is another kilometre further on.

Last week Matt Wright dropped his helicopter on the beach at Crab Claw and picked me up  to show me his pontoon on Sweet's Lagoon, there is no access from either the Tidal Finniss wetlands or the fresh, he has set up an airboat wetland and crocodile viewing operation there.

We flew straight in and landed on his day pontoon which has been set up to provide lunch etc, but at this stage he has no fishing boat available.

The lagoon looked excellent, tarpon going off everywhere and I assume there would be huge numbers of Sooty Grunter and Barra. Saratoga are not part of the Finniss System.

I know Matt well having done helicharters to the Reynolds River with him and hope to create some sort of access in the near future. He has a floatplane as well so this might bring the cost down to fish this legendary hole.