I got dragged into a trip up north with my old mate Roger. He was going to show me a few hidden rock fishing spots up the coast. We spent a day packing all the camping gear on the old ute, it was a lot of stuff because, as Roger put it “We’re going bush, next to the Pacific.” I also took my best friend George the rotty.
“Hey Roger, with all the lines and rods I didn’t see any bait.”
“No, Chaos, we have to go hunting for it.”
This was going to be some adventure. I was just glad I had packed some liquid supplies to get me through. Hours later we turned off the highway on to a secondary road then on to a dirt track which took us down through mangroves and sand flats.
“Stop here Chaos. We can pump for some worms on the flats.”
While Roger got the gear out, I let George off so he could stretch his legs. He ran along the sandbank into a large area of sloppy mud and was soon in trouble. I ran back to the ute and grabbed his lead then turned and waded into the mire. George couldn’t get his footing but once I got the lead on his collar I could pull him out.
“If you’re using your dog for bait, better check him for worms. I normally use a piece of old liver,” shouted a smart-mouthed Roger.
By the time the dog and I had washed off all the mud, Roger was back with enough worms to get started. We drove on until we came to a sandy spot among some tea trees.
“We can camp here. The rocks we want to fish from are just over that hill,” Roger said waving his hand in an easterly direction. “But first I want to get some grubs from those fallen logs over there.”
While I set up camp and built a fire place to cook our catch, Roger went off to collect grubs. It was around four in the afternoon before we clambered over large rocks at the base of huge cliffs. The waves were only small when we arrived at a small cove which was set back in the base of the cliffs. We baited up and were soon getting bites. Roger had thrown a heavy line in with a huge slab of meat on it.
We were getting a good feed of bream when two things happened … it suddenly got dark and the rain came down in buckets.
“Help Chaos! I need a hand. I think I’ve hooked a huge fish.”
I looked over and saw Roger digging his heels in and leaning back … but he was still sliding through the water that was now washing over the platform we were on. I jumped over and tried to help pull in what ever was on the other end. Meanwhile, George was enjoying himself leaping around barking at all the fun.
Suddenly the line went slack and out of the water coming straight towards us was a huge mouthful of teeth.
“Look out!” I yelled while back-pedalling on my bum across the platform, Roger was on his bum next to me.
“Bloody Hell, Chaos! That’s the biggest moray eel I’ve ever seen. It must be around 60 kilos you had better get George away … he thinks it’s a game.”
I called George away. Both Roger and I were up against the cliff with nowhere else to go and the eel wasn’t in a hurry to return to the water. The monster was still slithering in our direction. Then a rogue wave hit the platform. We were up to our knees in foaming water. The body of the eel hit us and I thought this is it. But the wave had rolled him around, he grabbed the piece of meat as it floated past him then slipped off the platform and disappeared into the dark water.
“That’s it I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Let’s head back to the camp. I can feel a thirst coming on.”
We sat around on camp stools using the tailgate as a table while I served.
Meat Loaf with Bacon and Eggs
Ingredients
1kg lean beef mince
½ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 onion grated
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 desert spoon each of finely chopped thyme and sage
a pinch of allspice
4 hard boiled eggs shelled
4 rashers of bacon
pepper and salt to taste Cooking
Into a bowl mix beef, bread crumbs, the uncooked eggs, onion, garlic and the herbs. Mix well. Into a greased bread tin lined with the bacon rashers, place in the meat mixture, make a hole lengthways so the eggs can be placed into the middle; cover them and place any remaining bacon on top.
Place the tin in a baking dish with water, place in a hot oven for around 10 minutes then reduce the heat and cook for about ¾ hour.
Serve cold with salad and hot mustard or chilli jam.
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