Lifestyle.

Although Karumba is located only 72kms from Normanton, despite its diverse industry, it has retained an untouched quality with its relative isolation and small population (approximately 600).

In the 1870s a telegraph station was built on the site of the present town from, Karumba to Cardwell. This township was originally known as Norman Mouth as it is situated on the mouth of the Norman River, its name then changed to Kimberley before adopting the Aboriginal name Karumba. Karumba first came to importance in the 1930s when it became a stopover point for flying boats on the run from London to Australia. During World War II, Karumba was used as a base for the RAAF and by the 1950s it had become a popular spot for people eager to go fishing in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The town went through a boom period in the 1960s and 1970s when it became the centre for the Gulf fishing industry. Today the prawn fishing industry and the barramundi industry earn over $130 million each year.

The journey to the Karumba, from Normanton, passes over an area of very flat Gulf Country. The land is alive with birdlife and it is common to see flocks of cranes and brolgas feeding beside the road. Karumba itself is a tiny town with the sign on the way into town highlighting this fact: ‘Welcome to Karumba – Population Small’. As the road enters the town the all-pervading fishing industry becomes obvious with signs like - Karumba Marine Service, Karumba Charter, Net Mending and Seafood Supplies.
Karumba's existence is connected to the simple fact that it is on the banks of the river and it is set on sand ridges which allow direct access to the river and the sea. As Burke and Wills found out, in 1861, large areas of the Gulf's coastline are impenetrable because of the dense mangrove swamps. In fact the bank of the river opposite the town is still impenetrable mangroves.

In spite of its industry there is something quite beautiful, peaceful and exotic about the place.