On The Road: Day 20 Nubeena Monday 14th February 2011 & Postscript

View across lagoon to Roaring Beach. Wedge Island in the distance

Potential squid fishing location at White Beach with Wedge Island in the distance

Hola lectores,

At last a proper summers day in Nubeena, warm mid 20's and very little breeze.

My job today was the watering, a very slow inefficient process lugging 100 metres of hose around the resort with the water at quite a low flow. It was so boring I actually mixed up some roundup and poisoned a heap of weeds out the front. It's a pity dandelions aren't a cash crop this place would make a fortune. It has 2 goats Zeus and Ella to keep the weeds down. I was watching them today they just nibble the flowers of the dandelions so they are next to bloody useless for weed control. They get tethered on ropes in a different location each day. Zeus is bloody strong and it takes a lot to hold him on the rope. If he pulls really hard it is better to grab him by the horns to control him!

Susan was on housemaid duty this morning. After we were both finished we drove to Lucky Ducks in town and had a nice coffee. On the way out they gave me a free tulip to give to my Valentine, nice touch, mind you at $4.50 for a large mug it is almost included in the price!

We drove down along 8km of gravel road to Roaring Beach. After parking we completed a walk over the soft sand hills and then up and down the beach which was very pleasant. As the tide rose over a fissure in the rocks at the east end I was able to see a school of moderate size mullet so possibly a return for some fishing. We drove back to Nubeena and had a bit more of a drive around town and then out to White Beach which is the holiday home end of Nubeena. At the end of the road we walked down a short path to the water. Big granite boulders dropping into dark deep water looked to be a prime spot for fishing especially for squid. Mind you there were some pretty big tackle grabbing kelp outcrops there as well.

We arrived back at the resort around 7. Finding tonight's communal tea cancelled I was nominated to cook tea for us. Food is in short supply in the larder so dipping into our stocks I whipped up bacon, eggs, onion, tomato and toast which while being hardly "gordon blue" was tasty. Susan is finding the disorganisation of the food supplies a bit off putting since it is easier for us to pop down the IGA and pick stuff up (with our $) which is not how it is supposed to work. It will probably be a major deciding factor in whether we stay longer or not. However if the weather stays the same as today it will be very hard to leave.

A very enjoyable day. Now to dust off the fishing gear and get into it!

Cheers Simon

POSTSCRIPT......

You can encounter some interesting sights ans sites "on the road" today's find included a pile of once loved (maybe) and now lost (definitely) footwear, an isolated cemetery, rock formations and sea critters. All this in a short stretch of 5 kms on the way to Roaring Beach, which by the way is only reached by crossing "Stinking Creek" which it does!

The cemetery was dedicated to the Stacey family, husband, wife and children; 3 of them died during childhood, the graves are decorated with crushed sea shells.

"Starfish 1" was found in various colours from grey, blue, pinkish purple and orange, I will have to research the variation in colours. Likewise the anemonies varied from light green through to plum coloured and black. "Starfish 2" was the only one of its type the underside of the "legs" are a lovely pink. Similarly there were interesting colours in the rocks on the beach and lining the cliff faces, fancying my photographic talents (limited) I snapped away hoping for a perfect shot (eat your heart out Rob!).