Just over a month ago I got a telephone call from my friend Jerome telling me he was coming over to see me and that he wanted to go fishing with me. Oh Ok not a problem. Jerome is the man I wrote about in my august blog when I visited him in Normandy.

Monday the 16th of December we met at the Gold Coast airport, as he was coming from Singapore with Scoot airlines. (A new budget airline company using new planes and providing great service) As I was on my motorcycle, Jerome followed me in the Holden hire car to our first destination at the restaurant / cafeteria which he had previously owned (1989) at Surfers Paradise. Time to catch up lasted two hours which was rewarded with a $50 parking fine. A brief conversation with the parking attendants turned out to be a waste of time. The old story never fails; give someone a uniform with a few badges and they turn into dictators. The guy in charge even said: Well mate, welcome to Australia !

The following day we left for Rainbow Beach, just north of the Sunshine coast. We fed the mosquitos and sand flies there bloody meal while coming to grips with how to set up the tent by the headlight of the car. The large tent had been packed away for 4 years and was a bit of a puzzle how to set it up, but in the end we got it right.

Wednesday 19/12/13

Fish

After visiting the local tackle shop, buying bait and some other gear we set of for an area just north of town, called Inskip Point which is to departure point for the ferry to Fraser Island. Now before we start, fishing is not my thing really. I like fish, but rather watch them in my aquarium or at times one bought in the supermarket. The thought about getting a sharp hook in my mouth I find a bit off-putting, however after purchasing a nice telescopic rod and a reel I gave it a shot. We found a nice beach and the end of a bay where seawater was swirling around. We had agreed only to have a very light breakfast and to set out to catch tonight's meal. And so we did, 25 in all. Not very large but altogether it made a good meal and even was able to give part of it away to other campers.

An interesting note for today.

Jerome and I were discussing the possible wildlife dangers in Australia, mainly the presence of sharks and crocodiles. In the 70’s crocodiles where hunted in Qld and the Northern Territory almost to extinction and in north Queensland crocodile were rare. Later in the seventies they became a protected species. Today things are very different. When crocodiles breed the young ones build a nest further up or down the coast. As they came from the north they now move further and further south. When I lived in Cairns in the 80’s crocodiles where often sighted. Today they have moved south as far as Rockhampton or about a 1000 km south of Cairns. I mentioned to Jerome that sooner or later they would be seen in the Brisbane River. Great was my surprise today when I saw the warning signs in the picture. Crocodile are now seen at the northern end of the Sunshine coast and only a few hundred km north of Brisbane. The other sign is a warning sign for Dingo’s ; not a wolf and not a dog but something in between. They are living on nearby Fraser Island in reasonable numbers.