Positive Fishing Letters: Embracing the beach bum life

Taking everyday as it comes

Diamond Trevalley caught last week:
before the neap tides, while we could still fish off the point.

After over a week of overcast weather we are finally fully recharged! Fridge working fine, generator has been put away, solar panels have fully charged all the big batteries, and all the camera batteries. Wahoo. We even flew the drone today since it was the first fine, clear, still day!

I’ve started writing this as the sun starts to set on our first cloudless evening.

Sun setting last week; through the only gab in the clouds
Some nights we didn't see it at all!

We had decided before leaving Derby to stay close to town, Broome, for a while to make sure we have everything we need. Not having a ’test run’ with the full camper up, and solar power working before we left, we wanted to get it right before we moved on to unknown camping spots. After our 2 weeks here at Quondond, with numerous trips back into Broome, it’s safe to say we are on our way to getting it all right!! Thankfully the sun has come out again anyway, but in the mean time we brought a new generator, to replace the one that didn’t work, and Johnno worked out a more efficient way to wire and charge the battery system. I’ve sorted and resorted and still don’t have a place for everything, so have just given up, and everything is still piled on the tables (glad we brought plenty of them, tables), and it will just get piled into the car when we move on.

Johnno gave me a hard time when I shaved my legs before Anzac weekend (knowing we had visitors coming). He said ‘You aren’t truly embracing the beach life’ haha, so I’ve stopped washing, stopped shaving, oh but Shaved my head!! So much easier with no hair!

This is the look I wanted to go with for Positive Steps final Prize giving!

The point and the beaches were pretty crowded over the long weekend, so once our friends left we just kept out of the way in our little camp for a couple of days. Then once everyone had gone back to work we went out exploring, thanks to the sun coming out!!

We drove along the bush track behind the sand dunes, from here to Barred Creek. We were hoping to find a new camp spot along the way, it will not be long now before the caravans turn up to Quondong point and want to camp right next to us in this wonderful open space we have our camp set up on. We are prepared for this, another reason we came to Quondong now, instead of later, so the thought of where to move next has been lingering. Unfortunately we didn’t find anywhere that suited with the dogs: Pup’s back leg has gotten worse, he wouldn’t be able to get down the rocks. We thought his leg would get stronger with use, but it seems to be doing the opposite. We plan to take him to the vet on next trip to Broome, and get it cut off, ops I mean looked at!!!

Camping hair: the photo that made me decide to cut it all off!
Cliffs between Quondong Point and Barred Creek

Johnno checking out new fishing spots.
Petrified Forrest; Barred Creek; WA

With the clear skies and calm days has come the cool nights and cold mornings!! Today we dug out the long pants and warm jumpers that I had packed at the back of the trailer thinking we wouldn’t need them for months yet. I’m glad I listened to Johnno and kept all the extra blankets, I wasn’t going to bring them, but we, and the dogs are using them already!!

Neaps tides make it hard fishing for Bluebone off the big Quondong Point rock, today the water never even made it to the rock. But we had a beautiful relaxing day fishing on the beach right in front of our camp. In the past we have never caught anything when fishing there, but there are a lot more fish around this year than we have seen in many years here (or maybe it’s just that we have so much more time again now?), so we thought we would give it a try. No fish, but beautiful morning playing with the dogs and feeding the Eagles.

Johnno caught a LARGE mullet (65cms!!!) in the throw net, which we filleted for the dogs lunch, and gave the carcass to the Sea Eagle, she had trouble carrying it off!!