THURSDAY 2 AUGUST     HONEYMOON BAY

A fairly early start, so M and John could go out fishing with Les. I went down to see them off. Les’ old faithful dog was down there, looking forlorn and miserable, obviously not happy at being left behind by tourist groups. I persuaded him to take her too. They reported she behaved very well. I made a dog happy for the day!

John caught two bluebone, and Les gave him a small one he caught. M didn’t catch anything. Rather expensive fish! But John enjoyed the time, even though it was hot out on the sea in the open boat with no shade. They got the bare four hours promised for the trip – rather less actually out where the fish could be caught. Les was anxious to return to working on his old truck.

I helped John and M clean, fillet and divide the fish between us. Now we had fish for tea – and enough for two or three nights.

The fishing party next door to us left this morning, after a prolonged pack up. So much gear! They left behind two full drums of rubbish, plus some more left out in cartons, which the crows and then the camp dogs proceeded to strew around. Two couples with camper trailers who had also been not far from us, also left – to go camp at Kalumburu. They were waiting for stuff to repair broken shock absorbers, to be flown in on the mail plane. They did not like it out here, they said. I could see why! They also left a lot of rubbish, which the crows also attacked.

The two Bushtracker caravan men, who had a boat, came in this afternoon with a heap of red emperor and fingermark. They must have had at least thirty red emperor. They gave Les some whole fish, plus all the fish heads, for soup, after the rest had been filleted. They both had sizeable freezers in their vans, that they were hoping to fill whilst here.

Now that the fishing party, with its freezers, had gone, Les did not run the camp generator at all at night. The caravan people had solar panels for power. The silence was lovely.