Travels with a Tick Magnet: Coffin' at the cost of Oysters!

We began the day with a walk to the Dutton Bay woolshed. A resident was gathering the roo poo from his lawn so visitors didn't track it into his house, and he invited us to walk through the revegetation area on the low dune. This avoided some boggy bits (in one of which Frances lost, but regained, her shoe last time we did this).

No dead dogs were found on this walk. This Kelpie spotted Tammy and just laid down in front of her. After being thoroughly sniffed she got up and followed us around.

This shows (most of - the roof doesn't matter) the Dutton Bay Woolshed which is being restored as part of a tourist attraction. It doesn't look any different to when we were last here, 6 years ago. The adjacent campground was getting a bit of action from caravans so I presume the owners of the areaare doing OK.

As we strolled on the jetty the large dog accompanied us. This stroll gave us good views of a stingray swimming under the jetty.

We went back traversing an area where the seaweed had washed up. I liked the three colours!

After a bit more to eat we headed to Coffin Bay to do parts of the Oyster Walk along the foreshore. We did the red bit (probably 3km return) before lunch and the yellow bit (2.5km) after.

It was showering as we went out on the morning walk so I didn't take a photo of the bunch of people sat under this shelter eating oysters. The deal is to wade out to the platform and capture oysters - presumably getting trained in shucking - and munch.

I presume the plastic owls are there to dissuade gulls and cormorants from crapping on the deck.

The walk is very good. Near the start point it goes very close to people's houses (I would be interested to see how close the houses were built to the boundary of the block) which could be very strange in Summer when the houses are fully occupied. A bit further on some nice mosaics of the usual suspects - starfish etc - had been set into the path,

I was rather surprised to see a Sacred Kingfisher still present. As we saw one on the afternoon walk, about 3km from here so I think they were different, birds they must overwinter rather than heading North,

A flower! Hakea cycloptera.

This was an attempt to get the Hakea flower and a 'nut' in the same image. At least the mulch on the ground is in focus!

We had to turn at the edge of town as the bush area there is owned by the Department of the Environment so dogs are banned. It is surprising how Council Parks are generally so much more sensible that the ideologically driven State Government gulags.

One of the new McMansions adjacent to the walk. Very architectural with a galvo kangaroo to the left of the deck.

A view across the bay.

Closer my Pelicans to thee, I guess they are aso dissuaded from the oyster munching area by the owls!

This is the scene outside the cafe from which we got some excellent crumbed whiting for lunch.

I suspect the waders are those provided for the oyster munchers. I am not sure how much they charged for the full oyster munching 'experience' (cough, splutter - I do apologise for that use of the word) but they were like unto a wild bull for the shucked items in the shop. $17.50 per dozen for opened oysters is about $7.50 more than is charged in Canberra . So they were left in the fridge.

The second stroll passed a good number of Quandong (Santalum acuminatum) bushes with very unripe fruit. As well as anything else, there were a number of very informative signs along the walk.