Day 8
An early morning loading of swags, tents, kids wrapped in blankets, spears and woomeras, before Pelican sets sail amongst the anchored yachts and takes off into the rising trade wind.
Thoughts on Lizard turn to packing and clearing up the camp and the remainder of the return to Cape Flattery. After speaking to Ini on VHF, I race up the hill to see Pelican catapult round the corner, in front of the Resort, sending up a mare’s tail of spray behind both hulls. The crew look sheepish, grinning from ear to ear, like kids who’ve just borrowed Dad’s V8 and taken it over the ton.
The afternoon fishing trip is organised and the whole remaining team steam round the corner of Watson’s Bay in search of a place to fish. This will be the last Bama hunt from this group of islands, probably for this year. No turtles, dugong or big fish have been taken while we’ve been here – it’s important to monitor our impact on a sensitive area of the world that under threat.
This time the hunters return triumphant. A conservative box of fish slides on to the campsite table for cleaning and preparation. Des and his gorgeous shadow of a grandchild Abbey, begins to fillet, whilst Marty fires up our barbeque. Damper and salad are being made every day to supplement the protein. The damper is made from a mixture of plain and self-raising flour mixed together and water – I reckon it tastes better than the bread. I find the simple yet nutritious Bama diet fulfilling and when it’s combined with fresh seafood – delicious!
NRL Grand Final Bama supporters! Go Broncos – who bring the cup back to Queensland
Most of the camp downs dinner in record time so that they can walk over Chinaman’s Gap to the Marlin Bar and the big match. We clear dinner and join them finding the NRL Grand Final is in full swing. It ends with the Broncos winning a reliable victory over the brave Storms. It’s a good match and our Bama are delighted that Queensland takes the cup back. It takes a while for the camp to settle into sleep before our big clear out tomorrow.
