Page 249 - Mit dem Wohnwagen durch Australien

Fishing is written with large capitals here. We almost feel a bit naked without a tinny on the car roof. In the afternoon,
the caught fish are cleaned and packed into neat packages ready for the freezer. The ground behind the cleaning
tables is thickly packed with fish scales. We just disregarded one fact. Fishermen go out before sunrise. Since
some of them are already advanced in age and a bit hard of hearing, they let their alarm clock ring on high volume
and for extended periods of time. The whole campground is awake before six am. Outside is it pitch dark, same
under our duvets.

Karumba’s biggest achievement is its daily sunset over the sea, one of the very few in all of Australia. Full of
anticipation we, and everybody else, sit at the seashore in respectful distance of the water, because of the saltwater
crocodiles. Nevertheless, a lot of the spectators have a large white paper bundle on their knees full with fish and
chips to nibble accompanied by a stubby while they wait. The question then is: “ Is it already beer o’clock?” the time
honoured answer is: “It is always beer o’clock.” The sun plays its part and disappears more or less spectacular
under the horizon. A speciality which only appears in the Gulfs of Carpentaria and Mexico, I am told, are the tides.
Normally there are four tides a day. Low and high tides change in a 6 hour rhythm, making it 4 changes in a 24 hour
period. Not so here. In the Gulf of Carpentaria there are normally only 2 tides per day. The water needs approx. 16
hours to flow out and about 8 hours to flow back in. The reason for that is that the gulf is very shallow, narrow and
reaches far into the land. Only few days a year, mostly around Christmas, they have 4 tides but with very little
change in water height.

We love fish and can fully indulge. Apart from bluenose Salmon, King Salmon and Prawns, Barramundi is “the”
Australian fish. Barramundi is the aboriginal name for a large perch which can grow up to 1.8 m and become several
hundred kilos. It is related to the Nile or Victoria Perch which is known in Europe. The name Barramundi is supposed
to be protected so it can only be used for Australian perch. In Karumba has a large breeding station for Barra. Each
year several hundred thousand s of young fish are put into the surrounding freshwater lakes and rivers. Barra can
live in fresh and saltwater. The breeding fish come back to the waters they were hatched or let free. At the beginning
all the young fish are male, depending on demand; some of them later change into females. Normally the females
can only get fertilised in salt water. Through a lucky coincidence the breeding station has discovered, that it is also
possible in freshwater. During the large floods in the wet a couple of years ago, there was no more saltwater in the
river and the station had only freshwater at disposal. They already thought that a whole generation of Barra was lost.
When they cleaned out the large basins after a few months, they realised, that it was full of little fingerlings. They
achieved something which scientists all over had tried in vain for years.

END OF THE TYRE SAGA?
After the third flat we wanted to know what was going on. We went to a Cooper-Tyre specialist in Mount Isa. He
briefly looked at the sorry carcass, called an employee, shoed him and said: “Ignorant!!” Apparently Cooper puts a
metallic quality seal inside the tyres. Basically the tyres are tubeless, but because our Troopy has split rims they
need a tube. The seal slowly grinds itself into the rubber tube and lets it burst if the seal is not taken out before the
tyres are mounted which is standard procedure, says the cooper specialist. None of the various garages which
mounted our tyres new about that and left the damaging quality seals in the tyres. After some “discussions” the
position of the garage which initially mounted our tyres in Melbourne changed from: “Well, lady I have never heard
about such a thing. Did you check the tyre pressure?” Sure I did. To: „Ok we are ready to replace two tyres“. Let’s
see how this finally ends, I am working on it.

WORTH A SIN?
Actually we only wanted to get some food stuff. This time no fruit and veggies, because we will go over the border
to the Northern Territories tomorrow and the importation of most fruits and vegs are forbidden because of possible
contamination with pests. We innocently go about our business and think no evil, when Beat and I are hit almost
simultaneously by tantalising vision. Pink, brown, yellow, white, big and small Donuts, filled with marmelade,
vanillacreme, applesauce, nuts and cream, unfilled, long, thick, heart shaped, round, with a hole in the middle, with
or without shiny sugar coating were obscenely lying there and the monsters crudely gesture us closer. They shine
and glitter lure and tempt. We only wanted to peek and maybe, maybe buy one. No way. We did not reckon with the
siren song of the Lorelei of the shopping centre. “Today, special, four for only 5 AUD”. Yes, we really only want one
each.” „That will cost you much more, take the four and save. “ The magic word: save. Beat and I look at each other
and nod almost imperceptibly. How can one withstand such an offer? Not in a million years of Sundays. After all, the
economy hast o be kept going and buy local is in. So, we chose the four best ones; no small ones nota bene.
Together with a cup of tea with artificial sweetener (sensible I) and a cup of hot chocolate (Beat the gourmand) we