Mallacoota

The gift only produced a little rain so the kids were still dry inside the tent and I'm guessing they talked themselves to sleep as we heard them for awhile as we drifted off and Shahla enjoyed her night with the bed to herself for a nice change .
Crumpets with lemon butter was Ej's and I choice of breakfast and we packed some bread and salad for lunch .
We had a quick scout around the river and campsite and over the old transport bridge just after brekky then dash and I rounded up some stray cattle that were in the campsite that might make their way to the highway not far off so we opened a gate back to the paddock with the other beasts ( hopefully the right one lol ) . Then we shut the gate even though I could see some fences in need of repair where they probably got though .
Gipsy point was the first stop before Mallacoota 'twas a nice little corner with little access for tourist activities except if you rented a b&b or lodge as there was only a wharf toilets and a small Carpark here any way ,quaint small a little smelly from the river but no fish for the hour or so we were here , just enough time for the geocache and some soft plastics to be thrown around .
Mallacoota was a big surprise for Corinna and I as we had never been there , the sheer number of houses and area in this end of Victorian wilderness .
We explored the top and bottom lake area before doing yet another cache ( a multi this one ).
The caravan park was monstrous to obviously cater for the summer and Easter crowds .
We lunched at a park playground under the BBQ area salad sangas with a warm cuppa for the adults as it wasn't overly warm.
Then onto the wharf for me for some fishing for me while the others called in to the bakery for some sweets .
The abalone trade was doing well here we seen three dive boats return with around four crates each quickly weighed papers signed and stacked into a waiting fridge van .
No bites even so we drove down to Bastion Point to see the abalone boats come in to the escape the bar which restricted the access to the sea from the lakes as the mouth was too shallow .
Dolphins abounded here playing around the arriving dive boats and the the inlet before the man made slipway .
I chatted with a older abalone diver here about Tasmanian abalone divers and the money they made , he agreed with quite a nice parcel he and his boys had made since 1964 when he started.
The npws jet boat arrived amid a pod of dolphins then we made our way back to the top lake to try fishing with some prawns and lures to no avail , pretty much the same as the bottom lake soon after and finally the wharf just before a tea of local pizza , some of the tourists fishing here were pretty amusing with local baits of all sorts being used ( chicken fillets for dusky flathead ???) not this black duck today .
It was well after 8 pm and time to make our way back to genoa and the camper .
It had been a fantastic day but I was disappointed we had fished for well over 5 hours different techniques and styles of bait and lines with hardly a bite .
The lady at the servo had also said no one was catching anything , I'm not sure but the full moon had only ended 2 days before maybe that meant something .
The night was freezing now I fired up the heater in the goldstream to take the chill off but Ej and Shahla were undaunted opting for the tent so dash had the bed to himself tonight .