Warm razor fish salad

At the swimming beach of Port Lincoln there is a abundance of razor fish. Contrary to what their name suggests these are not fish. They are shells that stand up straight in the sand and if you step on them cut your feet (razor is a fitting name).  Currently there is a community project underway where volunteers collect the shells and remove them. You are allowed 25 per person per day and a group of people gather at low tide to remove their 25 each day. Tim and Hugo were with me when we came across this and we were oh so happy to lend a hand.  In about 5 minutes I picked our quota of 75 and with a box full of shells returned to the bus. Christel had taken the other kids to the pool for some serious swimming training. After lunch we cleaned the razor shells and cooked them up for diner. For the recipe of warm razor fish salad (and others) click here.

Victoria First

19/1-26/1 2015

After leaving behind our home turf it was a bit hard to decide which way to travel. Initially Collarenebri and Wilcannia where tossed around as options but the heat really killed those for us. Down south we went in search for the ocean and some cooler weather. We found both including an unusual amount of wind. 

The great ocean road is a true icon and because the children had no memories of the times we visited the 12 apostles before it seemed fitting to start with one of Australia’s true tourist highlights.  They were again as beautiful as we remembered and the parking lot in the park was our first night camping “wild”.  Lovely.

Christel had to finish off her research project in Hamilton and so we followed the coast and parked our bus next to the oval of Killarney. It was a short walk over the dunes to the beach where the waves were fun to ride boards on and we were even able to do some snorkeling. There was not much fish to catch despite our efforts and the weather had actually turned cold. Never did we think we needed coats on our travels around Australia but we soon went shopping for some in Warrnambool. During our time on the camping the kids had a great time riding their bikes around and Hugo could not stay behind. With a little help from Laura and Peter Hugo started peddling and he hasn’t looked back since.

On the 21^st we had our first birthday in the bus. Christel turned 39, which we celebrated with a hummingbird cake and a present for every one.  As a birthday outing we visited the shipwreck museum in Warrnambool which gave us more insight in the early settlers and the dangerous coastline of Victoria.  This sparked new interest in the lighthouses along the coast.  There is a nice walk to the one in Port Fairy. It was fun to climb to the top and look out over the ocean.

The time had come to leave Victoria to the West. Just before the boarder we realized that there are restrictions on what to take across. You cannot take fresh fruit or vegetables. This led to the great Australia day cook off. Parked next to the playground in Heywood we cooked up chili con carne, Tuna and leek pasta, as well as a banana cake and the biggest fruit salad our children will see in a long time.  Lessons learned for the next boarder crossing. No one complained, particularly not after tasting the banana cake. Please find recipe here.

Magical moments

Every one is still asleep when my alarm goes off at 6.45 AM

At our place this in itself is a magical moment. For the last few years the kids would find the television way before we would wake. Not so in our bus. No television and tired kids. Nice.

With some encouragement I manage to convince Laura, Jaap and Peter to join me for some morning fishing. We are at Tumby Bay on the Eyre Peninsula and the weather is in our favour. Very little wind! Which is nice if you want to take a small boat onto the ocean.

The plan is to try and catch whiting or flat head, or what ever else wants to bite. Yesterday Tim and Hugo already caught some squid while the rest was having school so now it is the others’ turn to try to hook into something.

As we head out of the harbor the sun is slowly rising and the light is beautiful. Straight to the end of the bay and out onto the ocean but not too far away from a sheltering island on the southern tip of the bay.

The anchor is dropped on a white spot and we put the burly out. Within minutes Laura and Peter are pulling in tommy rough and lots of leatherjackets. All small but fun to catch.  Jaap is trying to get more squid and he is super excited when he hooks into his first every squid. Wow, they really do make a mess of the boat! The water is so clear that you can see the squid chase the lure and then grab it followed by a big cloud of ink in the water.

We travel home with a dozen tommies and 6 squid.  What an excellent morning out. Then on the way home Laura spots a pod of dolphins. They start riding our bow and the kids are hanging over the front looking at them. Magic! You cannot ask for better. On a school day!

Back at the bus the kids have an education session on squid which Christel puts on You Tube. If you want to watch it click here.  (at the end is the bit with the dolphins)

We cooked up the squid the first night on the barbeque and the next night deep fried. The second night won hands down.

For the recipe of salt and pepper squid with garlic sauce click here.