Decided to go fishing today! We rented a small dinghy at a boat rental store (the guy managing it was cute) at The Pier. It cost about AUD$150+ for the whole morning, together with drinks and the necessary fishing equipment and bait. The guy then gave us a simple map of a river nearby named Trinity Inlet and pointed out some good fishing and crabbing spots. With that, I left Slug to learn how to operate the dinghy from that guy and to do the steering. He had high hopes of catching a large barramundi (seabass, in our Asian context), while I had some hopes of spotting a wild crocodile.
Driving out in the early morning
Slug and I wearing the same Australia T-shirts
We hired the dinghy from this shop
Got to navigate our way out of the pier first
Once we sailed past the moored boats at the pier, we travelled away from the sea and into Trinity Inlet. The weather was really pleasant - cooling and breezy, and the sun was not that glaring. We stopped at a random spot on the river and he started to do his fishing business while I tried to nap.
Slug with the mangrove trees in the background
Within minutes he caught a little fish which we released. We stayed at different random spots just for a brief while, because Slug would get frustrated when those cunning fishes stole the bait and sneaked away. The cute guy recommended for us to fish near the shipwrecks and boulders where fishes usually would hide and feed there.
Don't worry, this fish returned home safely
Fishing near a shipwreck (there were fishes but they were simply too tricky)
Some settlement on the other side of the river
A catalogue of fishes and details on their quality and edibility
What a lazy way to spend the morning
Fishing is a waste of time. However, somehow it seemed worthwhile relaxing in the simple and gently rocking dinghy, basking in the soft morning rays and observing the greenery and sounds of the river landscape. I was keeping my eyes peeled for crocodiles that might be resting on the sandy river banks. I never really saw one, but I suspected I did notice one just beneath the water surface (could easily make out the shape) and swimming towards our dinghy.
We travelled upwards into a tributary called Mackeys Creek, which was really silent and creepy (except for the occasional cracking and popping sounds of mangrove tree fruits). It was also getting cloudy so the whole scene appeared quite dark and ominous. No luck with the fishing, so we travelled back to Trinity Inlet (which had greater human presence).
Some of the tributaries we travelled into had really shallow river beds which made it difficult to steer the dinghy (the propeller would be stuck in the mud). Also, the motor engine were unpredictable - you had to pull the cord several times before it would run. Many times our dinghy hit a river bank and ran ashore, and while we were trying to extract it and steer it back into the water, there would be this gripping fear of wild animals and crocs dashing out from the dense foliage and towards us. I found that fear quite exciting.
At Mackeys Creek
Fishing at another ship wreck
While travelling along a small and narrow tributary, we came across a crab cage that had been set up by someone else. We hauled it up and I got a fright seeing a large fish skeleton with a gaping mouth (oh, and also three mud crabs) in it. We decided to destroy the crab cage and set the three crabs free.
Rotten fishes are a good bait for catching crabs
One of the crabs getting very aggressive towards my probing knife
We returned the dinghy at about 3+pm. We only managed to catch (and release) one fish, but I was proud that we also saved the lives of three mud crabs. We went back to the motel for a nice bath, before cruising along the streets in search of food and other modes of entertainment (not many options though, the shopping outlets were closed by 6pm).
Two cute looking birds
At their local market
Slug loves cream puffs
The shops at Cairns Central close before nighttime
Went back to the food court at Night Markets for dinner. Dinner was an expensive rice with king prawns in some cream sauce, with fruit salad. Cost AUD$15 but the prawns were fresh and succulent.
Slug found the portion too small
Had ice-cream for dessert from this ice-cream parlour that sells unique flavours like Turkish Delight, Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno (my favourite!), decorated with the chocolates and toys that they represent!
Finally got my hands on some liquor to accompany my night! Had a mini beer fest in our room, wooo!
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