17. Mallacoota, Vic

Sunday:

We arrived in Mallacoota, which is just over the NSW border in Victoria. We never would have found this place if it wasn’t recommended to us by 3 other people in our travels. A fishing town where the river meets the ocean.

The caravan park was HUGE. We checked into Mallacoota Foreshore Camping Park, which has 663 sites. They put us right, right, right up the back. So we went for a walk around and picked a rather nice site and returned to the office to ask for a better one. (I know you are thinking that is not like me). Luckily the man used his initiative and realised that the people booked on the site booked in 2010 and had not even turned up! So we got the primest site, if that is a word. At $32 a night this was one of the cheapest van parks we had stayed at and to top it off we paid an extra $4 per day for a private mooring J Awesome!!!

We settled in setting up fully for the first time this trip since Airlie Beach. We even got our chairs out and used the new annex floor mat. We had breaky and Rhys helped Rod set up the boat trailer as we potted around. Mitchell was off ready to fish.

We took our boat around to the mooring sight, went out for a little fish and pumped yabbies. Needless to say I was in bed very early while the boys went for a night fish with Rod.

Monday:

Rod woke up early and because I went back to sleep he woke Mitchell up to go yabby hunting. They had a ball together, however not too much luck in the bait collecting.

We took the boat out fishing for a good run up “The Narrows”, a tip we got from a local holiday-er Bob. He showed Mitchell how to make potty mullet traps and showed us where to go for a fish. So up to the Narrows we went and found the most beautiful isolated spot. There was a private jetty, picnic table and fire pit. It was so sweet.

We went for a drive around to see what Mallacoota had to offer. A lovely beach, another river and a small town. Very basic needs, not touristy at all.

I decided to have a go at fishing off the jetty and caught a nice flathead! One for me.

It poured rain at night and into the early morning, nothing to ruin our plans.

Tuesday:

We went out fishing again but the tinny was playing up. Thank goodness Rod was in the boat with us. The current was quick and took us along very quickly and there are heaps of sandbars in the inlet so quite quickly you would be in only 0.5m -1m of water. So I was anchor girl as Rod swore.

We came back in so Rod could suss it all out and ended up changing the spark plugs and all went well again.

The skies had cleared too, although it hadn’t rained while we were out it was cloudy. Anyway, we went out again fishing. Rod and Mitchell were the lucky ones catching fish. I didn’t even get a bite and well Rhys, he loses interest quickly! LOL.

I ended my day again sitting on the jetty having a quiet fish and got another flathead. They are not fighting fish, they feel like little fish that nibble, like bait fish.

Wednesday:

Wednesday was the best day for fishing. The skies were clear and blue and the water was almost comparable to Whitsundays. We would have easily jumped in and had a swim but there is Pelican itch here.

On the fishing front we took the boat out for about 3-4 hours, man there was a fast pace in the current. Found the best spot! Rod caught all the fish. A trailer and 3 travellys. I went down for my usually afternoon fish on the jetty and completed my trifecta with a 3^rd flathead in a row off the jetty.

We took the boat over to the other side of the passage and beached it on the sand so Mitchell could pump yabbies again and I had a little fish. Rhys was getting itchy so Rod took him back to have a shower and returned to pick Mitchell & I up and the fish I caught.

When the three of us returned to shore Rhys was very excited telling us about an octopus he had just caught. It was sooooo cool. We tried to see if someone would cook it for us so we could try it; Rod was against it but we were keen. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anybody. L

Thursday:

After finding the best spot the day before we returned to our spot to find it was 4m deep of seaweed, which was the case almost everywhere in the inlet L We had a little fish but was painful with all the seaweed around and no bites. I dropped Rod and Rhys back to shore and took Mitchell out, just off the jetty fishing. I caught an octopus which was amazing! I also got this other really pretty fish called gurnard or something. Very pretty.

We bought the boat back in and took it out of the water. Then spent the afternoon pottering around the van, doing washing, cleaning the boat, loading it on, packing up some of the items, ready for departure.

I then had to continue with my tradition of a fish off the jetty, with coffee in hand made by Mitchell. No luck today.

Finishing off many leftovers for dinner it was nice not to have to cook. We ended the day watching a movie, well the boys watched a movie as I tried to get my photos and blog up to date!

I left with the regret of not looking around a bit more. There were many forestry tracks and rivers I could have fished in and walks along the foreshore I could have taken. But I guess the idea was to kick back and just fish and that we did!

PHOTOS: Mallacoota