12 - Prawn Farm

One week it was necessary to "kill time" before starting work in northern Queensland.

Most of that time we spent on a small campsite just outside Cairns, from where we started our daily trips.

I have to admit, this time we really only had to leave the tent to admire breathtaking flora and fauna.

The campsite was surrounded by a small stream, teeming with turtles, moray eels, and other creatures - strictly no swimming!

However, we could only enjoy the atmosphere in the evenings, as our new mission was to visit every waterfall and other attraction within reach.

And that's exactly what we did, they were beautiful days that we spent almost entirely in or near the picturesque streams.

Unfortunately, I couldn't break my cliff jumping record of about 6 meters (actually, I could have, but 15 meters was honestly too high for me..), but we found many other spots that invited us to jump into the wet floods, even if they weren't very high.

Yes, we also found one or two spots by the riverbank or near waterfalls.

From Cairns, we went inland for a few more days, as I really wanted to see a cassowary and a platypus.

We quickly found the perfect spot to observe wild platypuses, but the animal itself... not so much.

I sat/laid/stood hidden behind planks and bushes for nearly 2 ½ hours, hoping to catch a brief glimpse of this crazy creature.

And then: nothing! Absolutely nothing! Not even a duck swimming by..

Side note, I haven't spotted a cassowary yet, but there are at least 12 warning signs along my new route to work that indicate the presence of this bird.

Meanwhile, we have settled into the campsite in Mission Beach and have already completed the first few weeks on the farm.

Although the job is limited to the harvest, with at least four 12+ hour days a week, I should be able to save enough money to realize my journey along the East Coast.

The everyday work itself is quite simple.

On "harvest days", we have to arrive at the farm at 6 am and start by replanting.

And that means wearing at least 10-year-old, but still form-fitting wetsuits!

They are mainly supposed to protect us from hypothermia, but their most pleasant effect is actually the protection against the local mosquitos - there are really thousands of them!

Once dressed, we go directly into the trench, which is usually at least three meters deep and located near the ponds, to secure nets to the connecting pipes to the shrimp ponds before the water is turned on.

And then we stand there for at least twelve hours, in knee-deep water in the morning and waist-deep brackish water in the afternoon (sometimes it really reaches up to our necks), waiting for the nets to fill with tiger prawns.

Once that happens, the prawns are transferred to net baskets and then skillfully tied up (by the first day in the trench and the associated 624th repetition, the knot is second nature), before they are lifted out of the trench by crane to be further processed in the hall - I believe they are briefly "scalded" in boiling water, similar to a boiled egg.

Since we (and no one else) are not allowed to spend more than two consecutive days in the water (let alone wanting to), the next day we always get to sleep in and start work at 7:30 am to do all the other necessary farm work.

Mowing the lawn with a petrol strimmer, feeding prawns, stirring pH-regulating chemicals into the ponds, removing dried algae parts from the slag - there is always something to do.

Our direct supervisor Pah ("Felix") from Malaysia has been trying since day one to fill these in-between days with as many hours and tasks as possible, so that despite the rather meager hourly wage, we have no reason to complain at the end of the month.

All in all, there is really not much to complain about right now, if it weren't for the weather.

It is currently the middle of winter, although you don't notice it during the day, the temperatures can drop below 15°C at night... really cold!

Small delayed update:

Sighting:

All of a sudden, on the way home, there it was! - In all its full size and color variety.

By far the most impressive animal I have seen on this continent.

Enjoy your meal:

Decadent BBQ evenings at the campsite, where you find lost barramundis, buckets of prawns, or even a mighty mud crab on the grill, a true culinary delight.

Everyday work:

One word... exhausting! - the 7-day workweek combined with 12-hour days is starting to take its toll and it's starting to itch! The solution (for the pH level) and the soup itself, in which we spend at least 36 hours a week (often more), unfortunately leave the skin in a condition that no one would consider ideal.

Oh well, at least no rash! - at least not yet!