0805hrs on the road, Auto gear
out of the shed, no low range required - beauty!
A late brunch / breakfast at Elliston overlooking the bay and BBQ picnic area
Interesting history
Again interesting Islands and we can camp on FLINDERS, check it out here -
Point Brown – blowing a gale – 40kph and
hot 40 degrees.
On my bike, Rock Pool, Squeaky Beach (Bitch) St Marys bays all weeded up and nowhere to camp out of the wind.
Cheeky buggers!
Yep! that's rubbish on the beach left of the sign,
now in the Lawries bin
St Mary's Beach - but no where to get out of the WIND. Plus on a closer look fairly well weeded up.
Rang Ben and Ying – ended up camped in
Gary’s front yard 2 doors up they have just purchased.
Magic shed / house
arrangement x 2.
Soon to have a 60' x 30’ front veranda.
Soon to have a 60' x 30’ front veranda.
BBQ at Ben and Ying’s – Lamb and Pig chops - thanks folks.
22th Nov. 0710hrs on the road, re-fueled and checked
out Foodland. Spry’s Mensware for good quality flannette shirt, load up on water at BP One.
UHF - "Graham in the van", just took it as someone else called Graham
– BUT later - on our return 6th Nov. UHF - "Graham in the van" as we approached the Streaky Bay turn off. UHF - some one calling Graham - Yeah! this is Josh your ex-Paige St neighbour, back in Lincoln with Q Mechanical, after 8 months or so in North Queensland.
Track into Scotts Beach rather ordinary and
rough.
Set up full camp and rig up fishing gear.
Drive the beach – AWSOME In AUTO! Extreme
low tide, Mexican Hat beach and the gutters look good.
Our 1st Beach walk collected this lot
Mexican Hat beach - fishing all to our selves
The beach is softer than it felt under foot - 16psi and diff. lock = drive out!!
Best part of the day - even got Sue out of the COT!
Morning walk thru the sand hills and camp site = more treasures.
No more driving on Mexican Hat beach - waiting for salmon schools to cruise thru
Behind our camp - every we camp here it quietly slides past
as wind and sun protection
Another BT arrived late afternoon – Lindsay and Di – Caloundra 20 minutes from BTi.
Fish the evening – 20kph South Easterly –
not too bad, the weed a problem but
okay. Taps and a Sting Ray which gave me a hurry up and tested my KNOT’S!! 2200hrs called it quits.
The issue's of fishing at night - not sure what you have got on until it's almost landed - then you may as well remove the hook.
Fishing between the weed patches for whiting
Took a coastal drive to Wandilla Beach, nothing really fish-able unless you use a float perhaps
And the vegetation clings on!
Check out the label closely as it's made-in the USA
Pulled the weather station, hooked up and on the road 0730hrs – breakfast and rain
water at Yalata Road House.
Nundroo and had an escort from Nundroo to Yalata RH
Two prime movers, pulling and pushing this
heavy load on a 64 wheel trailer with 100+ tons,
escorted by a pilot vehicle and police front and rear.
Rain water!
Track maintenance equipment - no expense spared
# 1, Gate opener
Pruning required
New addition to the track - 21k's from our camp site, long way to return to get water!
Left over scrap timber will come in handy one day
Combra track 1015hrs – some tree pruning
and yak to the ranger at Granites turnoff – putting in ‘NO TAKE ZONE’ signage.
Not a fish-able zone any way as all rock
Tested the AUTO = Pulled up the sand hill no sweat
in 4wd only (no diff's) and with all water tank's full
Checkout the lay of the land/beach.
Some shrubbery collected on the way. Note the tire pressure, sure makes for a smoother ride and easy over the sand hill - 26 - 30 psi
Micheal from camp 3 dropped by - quad set up complete with shade, roll out awning, esky, and baby Q - Oh! and all the fishing gear. Landed several Mullaway 20# and over the past week.
No snapper
1330 hrs on site, just over 3 hours with the tree pruning and yakking with the ranger, and all set up by 1630 hrs and soon on
the beach – we fished the left hand side of the hole, as Micheal and his mates
had the main part of the hole covered. But the good new’s is, they are leaving
TOMORROW!!
Need I say it again - 'BEST PART OF THE DAY!!
Our camp before the troops arrived!
My office view for the next 5 days
Checked out our neighbours camp site - Yep! spud's now grow on trees, all good and soon used. Along with a tea towel, numerous tie wraps, a couple of sinkers, and some good bait some still frozen and salted pillies.
Action stations!!
On the beach fishing around 1700hrs and by pure fluke a call from Chook – NISSAN engine blown, just past Penong – you have to be kidding!!
Update on the Nissan - History - Chook had a new head installed etc. On the strip down, it was found the valve tolerance to tight, thus jammed and sheared off rocker arm. It's 'All Heads Australia's' problem to fix!!
Update on the Nissan - History - Chook had a new head installed etc. On the strip down, it was found the valve tolerance to tight, thus jammed and sheared off rocker arm. It's 'All Heads Australia's' problem to fix!!
Suggested drop the trailer and QUADS that Ashley was towing, and have Ashley drag the van in. Quads taken back to Lincoln by Darren's mate who was returning to Lincoln – good timing.
RAA useless - say no more!! – The intrepid travelers arrived
2030 hrs after an event full and long day, with an 0400 hrs start when the lawn sprinklers went off at the Elliston picnic area where they had camped the night.
2030 hrs after an event full and long day, with an 0400 hrs start when the lawn sprinklers went off at the Elliston picnic area where they had camped the night.
for the intrepid travellers. By the way this is Sue's serving, complete with the bone. Sure makes you hungry walking the sand hills and beach!
Our 1st Mullaway - return to the briny to grow much bigger
Thirsty work walking the sand hills and beach with all your gear. Chook and Teresa's new addition to the family - PARIS
Early start with a SMALL 6# salmon landed,
nothing else. Chook had a strike later in the morning and blew it – set the
hook without the bait runner disengaged, with the ensusing bird nest’s = bugger, Sue heard the line ‘crack’ 50
mtr’s away.
Wind blew us off the beach late in the
afty.
Fresh Salmon and salad for tea
Ashley has had time to get set up properly
Sue's action station!
sorry - But light as a feather!
Sue's artistic talents emerging in the early AM
Found this desiccated monster Mullaway head
and bone in the sand dunes
Early on the beach – 0500 hrs coffee, and on
the beach by 0545 hrs – hole weeded up but fishable.
Chook surfaced about
0730 hrs – a bit weary! Ashley much later.
Breakfast then back into it, the hole
weeding up worse.
Afternoon fish no joy.
Pig chops, mash and salad.
Dramatic
Then the evening fish, brine pilchards 2 taps and gone, small squid and landed a 10# Salmon, not using the bait runner. Very light touches and let him take it then set the hook, with a massive leap, then 3 more before beaching, with a struggle in the back wash with the drag adjusted a fraction at a time to slow him down. Wind Chill in the low teens, and the hole weeding up still.
An evening by catch, another released Mullaway
Later - the contents of the Salmon
Chook had a strike = BIRD STRIKE!
Soon released
Paris getting her nose into every thing and chewed thru her rope
0515 hrs 6.1degrees and 10 knots South Easterly.
On the beach 0545hrs, and man my rod!!
All quite with a few fumbles, then the big fumble and we are ON!
0815hrs – Holy Mullaway it’s a MONSTER in the wave, very light drag and taking a bit of line – BUT DO NOT AJUST THE DRAG!! A good 10 minutes of intense action and the Mullaway is in the death zone, and my # 1 gaffer was ready with sock's, boot’s off and jean’s rolled up. Heave the Mullaway onto the wave and the he’s up behind Sue and then the Gaff is INSITU!!
Sue took 20 minutes to stop shaking!!
On testing my reel drag it was set at 8.5 lbs give or take, (direct line pull) any more drag may have pulled the HOOK.
High five's for my # 1 Gaffer!
The MULLAWAY has landed!!
Final stat’s = 40# and 1200mm or 1.2mtr.
40 minutes to fillet, wings,
and frames for the BBQ.
Quite afternoon and evening with no hook
up’s.
Beef Snitz, potato’s, tomato and onion bake.
Followed by ICE CREAM in a CONE!!
0515hrs 16 degrees and 20 knots Nor
Easterly. I am on the beach in the dark, rigged up and cast. Then Chook's chair illuminates the gloom. Chook's been on the beach since 0400 hrs –
the wind had woken him up, thus hit he the beach early.
Salmon
High 5’s all round!! Hook-up around
1045 hrs.
Final stat’s 1,240 mm and 42#.
Final stat’s 1,240 mm and 42#.
Hot in camp 40 until around 1500hrs when
the cool change hit with a vengeance, gusting at 60+ kph, and the temp dropped
20 degrees in 40 minutes.
Stiff Southerly and cold on the beach with
rain clouds, Chook and Ashley got blown off the beach. I managed to get my
internet connection and e-mails done on the windy comm’s hill. Thunder crate and shovel close to hand.
0515hrs 12 degrees, Southerly gusting @
36kph, temp still dropping to 9.6 degrees. Not fishable with the stiff
southerly – but we did, with no action early. So a full on breakfast
We all tough it out for the day!! Sue
finally got a big weed fish that morphed into a 10# Salmon. With some expert
tutoring from your truly, it was landed and released.
The new Shamiao reel has been christened and works. What a dream to reel
in a big fish were Sue’s comments.
Chook's was getting blasted by the wind,
thus lathered on the protection
Lamb chops, snags, gravey, mash and salad.
Blown off the beach early with wind chill
factor in the single digits.
Bush mouse
0550 hrs to bloody cold to fish, plus all our
reels washed and silicone sprayed, into the final packing.
on the weather scruff next year!!
All done and on the road / track 1045 hrs to 1240 hrs = 1hr 55 minutes good ride at 30 psi tire pressure, the ‘S’ bend camber slides the vehicle toward the salt bush bank thus the van rides on the HIGH side to the point of roll over, but just keep moving and the independent suspension does it's best work. How ever the corner needs to be attended to one day before we do roll the van!!
Stat’s for COMBRA TRACK = Geuse to Eyre Hwy – 39k’s, 17kph average, 13.1ltrs,$19.80, 38max, 33.8LHK – in 4WD and sand.
Some buggers busted off the dunny and laundry doors
Pass the mine site turn off I kept an eye
out for Gary – 1506 hrs mine truck approaching, so flashed my lights, he
flashed back and came on the radio – ‘where are you to going? = Smoky Bay, but
not until Thursday morning around 1000 hrs. Will camp at the rest area 16k's west of
Penong. Just happened to look out the window at 1955 hrs and a mine truck was
passing, I stated it’s Gary going pass as I was saying it he tooted twice – how
fluky is that.
Stacey modeling 3 hats
Pub meal at Streaky – Roast beef , veggies and salad for $15 ea massive meal no TEA REQUIRED!
Coles Point / Greenly Beach around 1615 hrs
– magic worth the 441 k drive, with the tail breeze = 16.6lhk. Walk on the beach to our rock for more rocking.
Series of ROCKING photo's follow - using Dramatic setting
Bike ride to Coles Point and checked out some
of the tracks, a couple of potentially good camp sites
The forecast was for a stiff northerly -
Wind started around 0200 hrs and then
it started to blow. Tough it out for an hour or so, then rolled down the hill
to the hollow and put our back to the stiff Northerly 50 kph ++, but not much better.
Coffee and on the road 0440 hrs, with only 2 roos on the dirt, otherwise
quite.
Winters Hill to watch the sun
rise, and calm as in the Bay, yet blowing 50 k's at North Shields weather station .
Set up in the shed by 0630 hrs, connected up
and unload the Troopy - got a good head start on the DAY.
