SMOKY BAY

I forgot to put this photo in the first post.  This is a very special bracelet made for me before we left by Aiden and Hunter to remind me of them while we are away.  

TUESDAY, APRIL 29                                SMOKY BAY

The wind was still blowing very strongly in the morning but the rain seemed to have cleared.  It is lovely being able to stay inside out of the wind but still be able to see the sea.  

The wind stayed with us all day, but we did manage a long walk, pretty much all the way around the town.  We walked through the industrial area where all the oyster sheds are, and to the boat ramp. 

It was hard to find a spot out of the wind, but the sun was out so sitting outside with a book was the afternoon’s activity.  

The sunset was quite beautiful as there were only a few clouds in the sky.  I think it might have been a partial eclipse tonight. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30                       SMOKY BAY

During the night, the wind dropped right away, so the morning was right for fishing.  The sea was very flat and the sun was out – perfect. 

While Alan was out fishing, Millie and I had a very long walk all the way to the little headland to the right of the shack.  The tide was out and we only saw one other person on the beach so it was quite beautiful.  Millie enjoyed her walk, there was a lot of scrubby bush along the way and she did a lot of running around in there – probably chasing rabbits.  She also chased the seagulls so she got plenty of exercise.  

As we walked along, there were lots of shells and seaweed, but I saw one large complete shell that looked beautiful.  I thought I would take it back and leave it at the shack.  As I picked it up and turned it over, there was a pop and a little crab retreated into the shell.  

The fishing boats seemed to be mainly just off the headland so hopefully there were some fish being caught.  

Alan had managed to find a couple of unsuspecting whiting to jump on to his line, so it was whiting for dinner.

THURSDAY, MAY 1                            SMOKY BAY

The morning was nice and sunny again, a little bit of wind but nothing much so Alan went out again to bother the fish.  

Millie and I walked again to the point, a bit more difficult today in the increasing head wind. As we got back, Alan did as well as it was becoming a little choppy out on the water.  He had a sizeable catch this time, 14 good sized whiting.  He also brought to the surface a number of large blue swimmer crabs but they dropped off as he pulled them in, not having any net with him.

After lunch the weather started to turn really nasty, with strong winds and rain setting in.  We were confined to quarters for the afternoon, all 3 of us in the camper.  Everything outside was wet and there was nowhere dry for Millie outside.  The afternoon was spent playing computer games and reading. For the quilting readers, I have managed to do a bit of sewing. 

During the night the wind got stronger, and the camper was really being blown around.  The rain kept up for much of the night and we couldn’t open any of the windows as it was blowing in.  However, we were very cosy in the camper and Millie was even allowed to sleep inside.

FRIDAY, MAY 2                               SMOKY BAY

In the morning it was still windy, with some showers, but the sun came out at times.  

The wind and showers continued for most of the afternoon, but we did manage a short walk to the Community Club to have a look at what time they opened and whether meals were available. They were, so that  was us for dinner. There were quite a few there, mostly locals and some people from the caravan park so we were told.  You need to be local to get prompt service from the bar, otherwise you wait. Home again to watch the finish of the football, unfortunately not a great result for Carlton. Another windy, showery night with Millie sleeping inside again.    

SATURDAY, MAY 3                            SMOKY BAY

In the morning, the wind had dropped again so Alan went out to try and catch some more fish, we were leaving the next morning and hopefully would have some fish to take with us. Millie and I walked to the point again and found a few interesting things on the way. 

The large shell seemed to be some sort of mussel, but some ladies I met walking told me that it is the shell that the razor fish grows in.  Razor fish are used for bait and have become quite scarce here now.  The shell grows upright in the water and the fish inside is quite small.  A very large shell for a very small fish.  The ladies were collecting some sort of reeds for weaving into baskets.  That would be interesting to see how they turned out.

Alan came back with a few squid for the freezer.  One of the locals came to have a look what we had.

It was hard to leave this beautiful place.