Australia Travel Story PART 2 – Eco Beach
Western Australia's 12,000-kilometer-long coastline offers a variety of ways to catch tasty fish or seafood and, of course, eat it freshly caught. After Brian Lee showed me at Cape Leveque how his ancestors used spears to find food on the coast and I was able to try this technique myself - albeit not really successfully - the next day I headed back to Broome.
From there I set off in the rental car on a one and a half hour drive south and am still in the Kimberley region. I am quite happy to be able to reflect on the experiences of the last few days while driving on the often dead straight and very well developed Great Northern Highway. But you must not be too inattentive, as a kangaroo or an emu can unexpectedly get in your way anywhere. And a wildlife accident of this kind is not to be taken lightly. It goes for miles through the outback and I am greeted here again by nature, nature, nature. Barren red sandy soils follow green grassy steppes and bushland. A wide, flat land, only towards the coast does it get a little hillier. I come across huge road trains here in the middle of the wilderness. The asphalt cowboys with their XXL steel horses are a sign that there must be civilization somewhere again. They are the lifeblood of this continent, as they are the only means of transport that can get everywhere. There are no rail connections and there is no way to reach the interior by boat.
My destination is the Eco Beach Resort, which is located a few miles off the Great Northern Highway and far from any civilisation on a picturesque stretch of coast. The area here is Yawuru Aboriginal Land, the traditional name is Yardoogarra. This is where Karl Plunkett originally made his dream of upscale, family-run and resource-saving eco-tourism come true (although a few weeks after my return to Germany the resort was taken over by the global Wyndham Hotel Group, which does not intend to change the concept). Karl discovered this beautiful area in the 1990s on a fishing trip - and fishing is also the reason why I am here. Kurt Williamson is a passionate fisherman and Aboriginal tour guide and has known this region since he was a child. At the age of seven he caught a barramundi for the first time. Together with other guests of the resort, two Australian fathers with fishing experience and their sons who are also passionate about fishing, he takes us out on the water.
What makes the west coast of Australia so fascinating for anglers that it elicits a sigh from anglers all over the world as soon as you mention it is the variety of options. And that starts with choosing the right fishing equipment. On our tour we will use rods, spears and harpoons. There is also an incredible variety of salt and freshwater fish. Often you can just stand in the shallow water on the beach and start fishing, and success will not be long in coming. However, there are places where you can expect to come across salties (saltwater crocodiles). It is therefore advisable to always pay attention to any signs - or to have an experienced guide like Kurt show you the best and safest places. Then you have a good chance of catching the "fish of a lifetime".
We first drive the boat deep into a river mouth. The banks are densely covered with mangroves and the dead trees and roots sticking out of the water make it difficult for us to fight the fish once one has taken the bait. We use the rod and wobblers as bait to mainly hunt barramundis, a species of perch that is native to fresh and salt water, likes to stay close to the beach and swims into the river mouths to spawn. This river here is dependent on the tides and Kurt explains to us that the fish only really start to bite when there is movement from the rising or falling water.
We leave the river mouth again and pass very close to a sandbank populated by pelicans. They also feed on the fish that can be found near the coast. Kurt takes us a little way out to sea, where the crystal-clear water is perfect for snorkeling and harpoon fishing. One of the boys is really lucky with the shrimp that he uses as live bait and gets a magnificent specimen of a golden trevally on the hook. He tugs hard on the line and tries to escape in all directions, but together we get him on board our boat. Later, when the two fathers are back on the boat, Kurt shows us a special spectacle. He attaches imitation squid to the lines and lets them into the water. They are dragged directly on the water surface and it doesn't take long before the water starts to boil - the fish are crazy about this imitation bait fish. Our bountiful catch is impressive and promises a delicious dinner around the campfire.
Recipe from the open fire: FISH 'N'DAMPER
Damper is a traditional Australian bread that the Aborigines baked in the hot ashes of a fire. They mainly used seeds from wild plants and wild grains as well as nuts that were ground into coarse flour. Later immigrants also adopted this method of baking - flour, salt, sugar and, from the late 19th century, baking powder were among the ingredients that could be stored and transported over long distances. The following basic recipe can be refined with herbs and spices as desired.
More information at:
www.ecobeach.com.au
www.barradictsportfishing.com.au
Ingredients:
Damper:
• 250 g flour
• 2 level teaspoons baking powder
(Please note: in Australia you can often buy flour already mixed with baking powder, so no additional raising agent is needed)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar (not necessary)
• 100 ml water (alternatively: milk)
• Sugar beet syrup (Australian original: Cocky's Joy)
• Butter
for the fish:
• 1 freshly caught fish, gutted and ready to cook
• Salt
• 2-3 stalks of lemongrass
• Lime juice
Preparation:
For the damper, knead all ingredients except syrup and butter in a bowl to form a dough. The dough should not be too wet and not too dry.
Form into a loaf of bread and bake either on the grill, in a Dutch oven or as a stick bread for about 30 minutes.
The damper is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped. To serve, cut it open, spread with butter and drizzle with syrup.
Clean the fish thoroughly and salt it inside and out. Break the lemongrass stalks and put them in the belly of the fish. Cook directly over the embers at high heat for around 30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
To serve, simply scrape off the (burnt) skin and sprinkle the fish with lime juice – done!
Enjoy it!
Your Elmar Fetscher
SEQUEL FOLLOWS…