Days 107-113 - Streaky Bay (23-29 Dec)

Still at Streaky Bay - here until 3 Jan.  Really just biding our time over the Xmas/New Year holiday.  Since Boxing Day we have been invaded with kids, the park is choccas with families majority from Adelaide.  Have to be honest don't know what the attraction is that people want to drive 800kms!  I would think there are nicer places closer to home.  It is a very very popular spot all the same.  Think we are also spoilt by WAs beaches.  We had a lovely Xmas day with three other couples (also travelling orphans).  We all pitched in with food and there was plenty, so much that we had a re-run on Boxing Day.  The weather here is a bit erratic, low 40s to mid 20s probably a flow on from Cyclone Laurence.  The last few days have been in the mid 30s.  Unfortunately the ocean is too shallow to get a good swim can only wallow but at least we can cool off.  There is a firework display on the foreshore in front of the park on New Years Eve and we have been told it is the best in SA so looking forward to that.  Think I may have seen a shark.  All I could see was a fin circling in the water.  I stood and watched it for a while in case it was a dolphin but it didn't dive below or jump, just the fin circling.  It was obviously chasing fish as you could see them splashing in the water.  It was in shallow water about 70m from shore.  Makes you think twice about 'wallowing'.  There is a swimming net attached to the jetty that keeps sharks out.  There was shark caught here in 1990 weighing 1520kgs on a 24lb line.  Took 5 hours to land it.  There is a replica of it in town.  Seems such a shame to have caught it, although this was before sharks became a protected species.  There are a lot of fisherpeople here.  Some of them are just plain greedy, they come back with great hauls of fish and crabs and it makes you wonder if they really need all they catch.  Some people criticise WA for its tougher fishing laws but honestly something has to be done and good on WA for calling the tough shots. Seeing how these guys fish here is criminal.  One guy goes out everyday in a big boat and comes back with at least two crayfish and they are huge probably about 3-4kg each, they would be about 30 years old!  He has caught eight that we know off, gluttony I think.  He uses cray pots and you need a licence.  The photos are of town and the park on the foreshore.  Notice how shallow and how far out the tide goes.  See how we are packed into the park!!