Beach Fishing and Other Wildlife

This morning Kerry and I went to the Sunday Market on the waterfront in Port Douglas. Although not massive it had a varied selection of stalls selling goods hand-made by local people, and provided me with a couple of holiday presents to take back. Unfortunately I couldn’t see any green ant marmalade or outback hats with the corks around the brim, but we’ll be visiting some more new places yet – watch this space!

Conor went to wash the triple this morning and found that some scumbag had broken off and stolen a piece of trim. Reasoning that they’d very likely have thrown it away almost immediately once their brain cell had worked out that it was no use to them we had a look up and down the street but couldn’t find it. Maybe they take longer to process simple information than we gave them credit for, and it’s further away. Honestly, there must be amoeba with greater intelligence than this thieving filth.

Obviously we’ll get a replacement, although this could prove more difficult in Australia than UK so I might source it once I get home and send it for Conor to fit. If anyone knows of a good outlet for pre-owned trim panels for a Triumph Speed Triple please send me the details. Likewise if anyone reading this knows the identity of the thief…

Lunchtime improved the mood as we went to the golf club and enjoyed a roast pork meal complete with crackling, a bottle of wine and a couple of beers. It would have been very easy to stay there all afternoon just drinking the day away but we had a plan, and things needed doing.

We were going to meet up with Robyn and Andrew and go fishing at Four Mile Beach, so I went with Conor to get some bait first. This involved going to a creek and using a cast net which is a small round net with weights on the edges.  It is thrown by hand in such a manner that it spreads out on the water and sinks. When pulled out again it hopefully contains fish or prawns that can be use as live bait. This was a success, and he also got a sleeper cod by the traditional rod-and-line method.

We got down to the beach where Conor and Andrew set up the rods, following which the fishing consisted largely of sitting and drinking beer, which I soon got the hang of. This was occasionally interrupted by something taking the bait on one of the lines, including a shark eating half of the sleeper cod but avoiding the hook. We did however catch one fish, and beginners luck meant I was the one who reeled it in while Conor checked out a strike on his other line.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime'. He hadn’t met me! Despite the lack of fish throwing themselves on our hooks though we had a pleasant evening as the sun started to go down. It was only when we spotted two crocodiles in the water heading towards the channel we were fishing that we made the decision to get the bait out of the water and pack up. One of the crocs looked big, and if we could see two feeding there could well be more. Actual numbers didn’t really seem important though, and we left.

I’d planned to go to the Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday. Kerry worked there at one time, and it’s only up the road so after a relaxed start, off I went.

As with many things I’ve done and seen while in Australia the photos don’t do it justice, but hopefully they can at least scratch the surface. The camera on my phone is also playing up, so not every picture comes out as intended – but I hope to go back during the week and get anything I think I’m missing, and maybe also see a few more of the talks and displays such as the crocodile feeding. The interactive bird demonstration was really good, and I got my picture taken holding a cockatoo (Max) and a parrot (Lenny).

I saw so much on my visit, but the highlight had to be the kangaroos. I’d bought a bag of food on the way in and at one point had two of them eating it out of my hand. Later a female with a joey in her pouch also came for some, but by the time I got my camera the youngster had dived for cover and you can just see his feet. It’s just unfortunate there was no one else around at the right time to take some pictures for me, but I’ve got the memory and I’ll try again when I go back.

It was an easy and enjoyable way to spend three hours, after which I nipped into town briefly to pick up another couple of presents.

Conor and Kerry’s good friends, Pete and Robyn called round for a quick drink to say goodbye as they leave Port Douglas tomorrow to be nearer to their kids and imminent grandchildren.

After that it was a quick walk on the beach before tea, the last episode of Clarkson’s Farm, and the end of another day.

Pictures show me with my catch, golf club roast and the view from it, Conor fishing for live bait, what to be aware of, a few pictures of the beach fishing, me with Max, me with Lenny, salt water crocodile, fresh water crocodile, two kangaroos I'd been feeding, kangaroo chilling-out, female kangaroo with a joey in her pouch, wallabies, emu, koala asleep in a tree, galah, swamphens, pelican, cassowary, lorikeets, sulphur-crested cockatoo, egrets, gecko, python.