Australia Travel With Firearms - Share Your Prior Experiences

[UpNorthMI]

I think you have the perfect combination of rifles and ammo, the 500/416 will be fun on the buff and if you practice 100yds shots with it will be no problem.

You are correct about Australia offering many carried opportunities; between my two trips I’ve spent 3 months there and only seen half of that big damn Island.

Thread 'AUSTRALIA: Back Country Hunt - NT Australia'

Oct 13, 2023

This hunt (Back Country NT) was 3 years in the making and I cannot do it justice with a few paragraphs; so to capture all the nuances of the experience, I'll be presenting in a format of the events that lead up to it, followed by the events of the hunt and what I've taken away from what has been a truly life changing experience.

Prologue: 2019 Wonnangatta Valley Victoria Australia - Sambar Hunt

In the Spring of 2019 I was dealing with the loss of the longest tenured job of my career and subsequent deaths of friends and family in the following weeks and I decided to clear my head by...

• deewayne2003
• Replies: 75
• Forum: Hunting Australia & New Zealand

• 

You’ll have a blast and if you have any questions about different NT hunting, reach out to @264 here on the forum he lived and hunted in the NT for ages and is a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks for sharing your post from your 2023 trip, what a trip, I hope ours turns out something like your hunt as that is exactly the type of experience my son and I are looking for.

 

[Franco]

Thanks for your comment, I reached out to my outfitter Alex Jagers yesterday to ask about "export" paperwork, he said they normally do it for guests on the first morning of arrival. Alex has been great at sorting out all of our Australia firearms licenses and any other paperwork needed.

If you're hunting with Alex you've got no worries, he can handle the paperwork - just do what he tells you. Alex is who I hunted with, tell him I said hello.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@UpNorthMl
I

I just want to give a shout out and thanks to Gary Georgiou from Safari Firearms who is based in Bexley, NSW Australia about 2 miles from Sydney Airport for agreeing to store our firearms and luggage while we enjoy our 14 hour layover in Sydney on our way to our upcoming hunt trip to Darwin.

I'm sure we will find a few things we need in what looks like a well stocked hunting and gun store, it's always interesting to visit stores in other countries. No matter where I've travelled to hunt in the world I've generally found hunting people to be very helpful.

Don't know how much sight seeing you will get done.
Gary is a top bloke and always up for a yarn so you may end up spending a few hours talking and having a look around his shop.
Enjoy your trip mate.
I was once asked what the best things to see in Sydney are.
I told them the views in your rear view mirror when you leave the place. Big cities don't mix well with this country boy and he don't play nice with yuppie fools or snobby city folk that think your a country bumpkin.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

@UpNorthMI

The best boat tour you can take in Sydney is the Manly ferry, you board at the Opera house terminal and you'll see the bridge and opera house from the boat; likewise you can take a ferry to the Taronga zoo.

I would also highly recommend stopping at the Mall downtown for the best Laksa(Asian dish) you can find in an english speaking country.

The NT is a big place and I have no idea where you will be hunting, but if you get the chance to stop at the Adelaide River Inn pub, I highly suggest you pop in and have a pint and lunch/dinner and pay your respects to Charlie... The water buffalo that stared in Crocodile Dundee.

Food for thought - If you get a buff, consider doing a skull mount and having it painted by an aboriginal artist for a truly unique trophy rarely seen in the USA.
View attachment 677397
(this pic is from here on AH, posted by another member and is not my skull - but I'd love to have it)

Speaking of which, aboriginal canvas paintings are beautiful and easily brought back rolled up in a cardboard tube - Just don't buy from a dealer or art gallery, they will skin you alive, ask your guide about it and he will most likely know people you can buy from direct for 1/3rd of what you would pay at a shop.

I also highly recommend packing light and doing any outdoor gear shopping you may need(for your hunt and at home) in either Sydney or Darwin - The quality of items you can buy in Australia makes Cabela's and Basspro products look like hammered dog shit!

The USD vs AUD is trading at 1:1.66 currently so take advantage of that.

If you like Rum - bring back Bundaberg Rum, I think it's the best rum on earth and not available in the USA, you can pick it up at duty free upon departure.
View attachment 677399

If you want to bring back a gift for the Mrs. Australia has the most beautiful Opal and gold work I've ever seen and just like the art - ask your guide for a local connection.

@deewayne2003
You hit the nail on the head mate . BUNDY is the BEST RUM IN THE WORLD. It even makes ugly people good looking and eejuts sound like rocket scientists.
Pity you forgot that other great Australian staple.
VEGEMITE, gods gift for toast. I will be taking some to the USA when the wife and I go this year to educate a few members on the finer things in life and enhance their food appreciation skills.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yes we decided to make this a long and varied trip, Australia can offer a fair amount of trigger pulling so we decided to make it a very memorable father and son trip. I've been wanting to go hunting in Australia for many years and just took early retirement at 61, it's great to be able to make some of your dreams come true and include your son too.

I'm taking a 500/416 NE Krieghoff double rifle fitted with a red dot & a .308 Blaser R8
My son is taking a .375 H&H Blaser R8 and a .308 Barrel

The more videos I watch I see those Australian buffalo and even their camel can take quite a bit of lead. We selected .308 as it seemed one of the most popular calibers used in Australia and we could get 150 gn .308 ammo from just about anywhere. For bigger bore ammo we will be shooting Barnes TSX or Hornady DGX bonded bullets. In .308 we are opting for 150gn TSX and Nosler partition bullets. I did not realize that camels can be over 1,000 lbs!

My only concern is shooting distance for the buffalo on open ground, I may have to borrow the guides scoped .375 H&H for longer distances, we will see how things go. Between hunting and fishing it should be one hell of a trip.

@UpNorthMl
Camel steak is some of the best eating meat around in my book.
A friend of mine and his son used to guide buff and scrub bull hunts. Both carried a 358 Mitchell express as their main weapon and never had a problem. Ted dumped a charging buff on its arse from around 10yards with his 35 and it came to a halt at his feet. Reckons he couldn't shit for a week because his arse cheeks wouldn't relax for that long and that's after a healthy dose of Bundy run.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Yep, 100% Bundy is a rough rum. I love the smell and taste of the stuff but I don’t drink it without a mixer.

@R eight
Bundy is very versatile
You can degrease engine parts with it
Run your vehicle in the over proof stuff
It makes ugly people look good and stupid peopBle sound sensible.
Can make sensible people do stupid things
Will put hair on a bald man
I've heard non believers even praise the lord after drinking it. Ask them what they think and all they say is Jesus Christ
And is as smooth as barbed wire
Mix it with a good mixer and it's good stuff .
Leaves that bourbon crap in its wake.
What more can I say about our glorious Bundy. It ain't fer the daunt of heart.
Bob

 

[Tiger2001]

I'm traveling next month with my son for a large and mixed hunting trip to Australia, we have our Australian Firearms Permits, Import Permits and have completed our online electronic travel authorizations. Our arrival point is Sydney at 6:30am on a Thursday, with a connecting flight on Jetstar Airways at 8:25pm to Darwin.

I'm looking for any comments on the arrival process, how were the Aussie customs guys with firearms, any input on flying with Jetstar with firearms / ammo?

We have a nearly 14 hour layover in Sydney, it would be great if we could "dump" our firearms and get out to see a little of the city, anyone managed to do similar?

Any chance your outfitter can put you in touch with a good expeditor service? Worth the cost if they can help you navigate arrival and even perhaps mind your firearms while you enjoy Sydney--which is definitely worth a visit.

 

[CBH Australia]

Sounds like you are sorted. I hope you enjoy the Bundy.

The recently found a neat little restaurant within walking distance of the Sydney airport as everything else seemed.expensive.

They discount for cash too.

Zio Pino Pizza, Mascot NSW - Home Delivery - Order directly from us

Like our food? Support us by ordering directly here! Dine-in, takeaway & delivery

www.ziopinopizza.com