Australian Spearfishing Record Snapper

Snapper are still the dream fish of Sydney spearfishermen. They are rarely seen. So when this 24 pounder was speared in the the most impossible of all places between the eyes it was a memorable day for these young Sydney Sea Hunters club members. The catch made newspaper front pages at the time with the comment "the fish was probably a lot tougher than the guy who speared it". (Not true, it tasted like lobster).

Blond Kay Milburn is also in archives 17/7/2004 with a large lobster at Seal Rocks. NSW.


JH on 28.02.05 @ 07:04 PM AEST [link]

Classic Shark Pose

Guessing the true size of a shark takes cool thought. Experienced people with sharks, tend to under-estimate the length, especially with large sharks (or words to that effect) wrote a shark expert called Peter Goadby many years ago. With small sharks the reverse applies.

With that thought in mind, we reckoned this tiger shark was just under five meters in length or about 14 feet. Our safety? Always an unknown factor with single encounters like this, without food training in advance. But our group gives the shark something to think about. The delay works in our favour. Tigers take some time before deciding to feed. Unless of course, it's been watching you without your knowledge.

We were in deep water on the outside edge of the far northern GBR, about 120 feet from the surface when this big fellow came in and took a look at several of us. The picture shows the monster at the moment of turning away. A friend's bubbles rise nearby. The shark makes a nice pose from this angle, which is why we're featuring it today. Enjoy please.



JH on 28.02.05 @ 05:57 PM AEST [link]

Travelling Surf Lessons .......'for the ride of your life'

Half a million backpackers are set to visit Australia this year. Two hundred thousand of them will try surfing or diving.

Five bus companies run 'learn to surf safari' trips from Sydney to Byron Bay. Lessons, food and accomodation for five days culminating with a Friday night arrival at the bay the Kings Cross of the beach. Aussie Surf Adventures (pictured) is the leader.

Yet the scuba-snorkle demand opportunity and is so far neglected by the surf bus tours. A good opening exists for at least one bus company to offer snorkel and scuba introductions (on fine weather days) as options.

How long will Byron Bay last as the big attraction? Forever! Despite the over-priced accomodation and food offered there - it has incredible international momentum that it probably no longer deserves. Port Douglas is heading the same way. Where to next? North Stradbroke Island? Point Lookout? A far superior choice out of Brisbane. Avoid Sydney altogether. That's my tip for the future.




JH on 27.02.05 @ 10:22 AM AEST [link]

Leopard shark about to swim away .......see 'making movies - below'

This is the same shark featured below in "making Movies" with Ben and Adam. (I accidently slotted the boat picture in between).
JH on 25.02.05 @ 07:36 PM AEST [link]

Thrilling Ride ..........better dive boat idea!

Offering a softer ride than aluminium, ridged hull inflateable boats are already popular with divers. So when I spotted this high-powered monster riding surf and later (pictured here) crossing the bar into the lake and thrilling the young passengers, I thought the NSW coastal town of Merimbula had something new and unique for east coast divers.

Not so. The company involved simply offers thrilling 45 minute (approx.) rides minus the dive site service. But what a good idea for the shops to pick-up on, and a big improvement on the old aluminium thumpers. Also a great way to go snorkeling on the local shipwreck Empire Gladstone.



JH on 25.02.05 @ 10:12 AM AEST [link]

Making Movies .......leopard shark

On the far northern barrier reef, father Ben with video cam follows youngest son, Adam, now 22, with a photogenic leopard shark.

The Ben Cropp family (whose exploits appear regularly at this site) have been involved with uw documentaries for decades, producing more than 100 films for TV and the home video market.

Their favourite private 'swimming area' is this beautiful and remote Great Barrier Reef shallow sandy and coral area near Cape York - where this image was made on conventional film. Nearby are several ancient shipwreck sites with minor wreckage strewn amongst surf, and over-grown by coral.




JH on 25.02.05 @ 09:37 AM AEST [link]

Girl and a Dolphin

A beautiful combination at Coffs Harbour's Pet Porpoise Pool. Model: Kerry O'Neill of North Stradbroke Island, Qld.

JH on 25.02.05 @ 08:55 AM AEST [link]

Sharks on Film ........Roadshow Memoirs

Following an example established by surf films, I released these shark films at similar venues along the east coast. Shark Fighters did amazing business on 16mm but in that era we were all too busy having fun making new films and underwater photographs to bother with the effort involved with distribution.

In retrospect we passed up millions of dollars of potential income. It's all different today. Sharks saturated the pay TV screens. Cinema entertainment has changed.

The advertising copy (here on a handbill) was a joint effort between shark victim turned shark fighter and much later a 'shark protection activist' (Rodney Fox), the Taylor's and I. It's interesting to see how our attitudes have changed since those early days when we knew less and the public knew nothing of shark species and their respective behaviour. A grey nurse to them was just as deadly as a WP. The Saumarez Reef 30 minute film showed a tiger shark and grey reef whalers for the first time, yet these advertising pictured focused on grey nurse pictures - which were more graphic.

The three, thirty-minute-each films were shot and edited by Ron Taylor on non-fading Kodachrome film stock. Considered amateur film at the time it is beautiful as archival stock today. Beginners luck.

At each screening there would be about upwards of 300 to 500 people attending - mainly because I only screened on average for one night in any town. Theatre availability was limited.

The surf film addition guaranteed extra attendances from that entertainment-starved group. It was a fun project to make then and still is to look at today. Maybe Ron T. will release them on DVD?

The Rodney Fox film showed the graphic still pictures taken by doctors after his shark bite incident, that have been widely published since. Without fail, at almost every show, a young man would 'almost faint' at the sight of the real blood on film and leave the auditorium for fresh air.

Memoirs of the road shows? The Australian Prime Minister attended our Feb 16 Canberra Theatre Centre screening - arriving by limo with a police escort. Ron and Valerie were at this travelling show. (He was booked to attend a ball, but being a keen spearfisherman squeezed-in the last hour of the movies).

The PM invited us for biscuits and tea the following morning at Parliment House. 21 months later he vanished in the sea while body surfing one morning near Portsea.

The programme ran for weeks in South Africa. Later all three films were seen on TV but only in black and white. The Surf Scene film was noteable as Ron Taylor took his 16mm Bolex camera aboard a speedboat and rode waves alongside the surfers - something very novel at the time.


JH on 24.02.05 @ 06:17 AM AEST [link]

Fish in Home Aquarium Tank

These fresh water fish look healthy in the home aquarium of a high-profile underwater photographer in Melbourne. Can you tell the shot was taken through the sides of the glass tank? Tank shot pictures have little merit in true underwater photography.....but sometimes necessary for scientific material.



JH on 23.02.05 @ 08:06 PM AEST [link]

Ocean Beach ......near Portsea. Victoria

The beach near where the Australian Prime Minister vanished while swimming in in 'a big sea', 1967

JH on 23.02.05 @ 08:00 PM AEST [link]

Tasmanian's arrive in Melbourne

JH on 23.02.05 @ 06:39 AM AEST [link]

Sailing south (after repairs from 20 meter waves)

In the distance, as seen through a window covered with salt spray, the 'Spirit' sails south to Tasmania. This ship had been forced to return to Melbourne on her previous voyage when 20 meter high waves in Bass Strait smashed front windows and had passengers fearing for their lives.

It had been a 'once in 100 year' storm that lashed Melbourne and caused considerable dammage. 36 hours later the sea was calm, as this picture shows. It's a wild strip of water down there. Hundreds of sailing ships were lost in the early days of British settlement around the islands of Flinders, King and others that seperate the mainland from Tasmania. Today the major industries are high quality milk products, (if such is possible) and the over-priced shellfish abalone, whose Mandarin Chinese name translates into "food for king".

JH on 23.02.05 @ 06:28 AM AEST [link]

Tiny Tasmania

JH on 23.02.05 @ 06:14 AM AEST [link]

Growing Your Own

JH on 21.02.05 @ 06:33 PM AEST [link]

Backyard in Tasmania

All over Australia people mow lawns around their homes. In Tasmania they plow-up the backyard to grow veges. Seen here is tomato, corn, pumpkin, silver beet, beetroot and potatoes. All quality and in organic soil too. The fruit tree's were doing well with stone fruit while the main street is just meters away. This was also the hottest day of the year....27C.

JH on 21.02.05 @ 06:13 PM AEST [link]

A SURGEONS VIEW? No! Raspberry and yoghurt dessert

Too shocking for words to describe today.....guess what?
(Check later for answer.) Actually it's a delicious dessert......peaches, yoghurt and fresh raspberry, prepared by Dr Noreen Steed at the Lifestream health clinic, Penguin. Tasmania.


JH on 21.02.05 @ 06:06 PM AEST [link]

Sheffield, Tasmania......a time-warp delight.

JH on 20.02.05 @ 02:31 PM AEST [link]

The Real Thing

A friend from the mainland says he has never, not ever, in his entire life, tasted (or even wanted to taste) this carbonated, sugared beverage. A claim few could honestly make in the western world. Only 17% sugar too?

JH on 20.02.05 @ 02:27 PM AEST [link]

Cash handler circa 1880 .........beware of bandits?

In the old days a novel way of handling cash was a single register like this, positioned high in the store. Money and receipts was sent from this point, via little screw top containers shot along piano wire back and forth to several sales counters below.

This is just a replica today but I did see the same system operating in a huge old store at Charters Towers, Queensland just a few years ago.

JH on 20.02.05 @ 02:23 PM AEST [link]

GJ Coles and Coy first store.

Now owned by a young couple from Broome, Western Australia, this post office, general store and museum was the starting point for what has become the major supermarket chain of Australia.


JH on 20.02.05 @ 02:17 PM AEST [link]

Tasmanian Rockies minus the snow.

Rarely snow capped in winter - located far to the east of Cradle Mountain area is this stunny scenery - volcanic red soil that grows highest quality fruit and veges, unpolluted air and crystal clear drinking water. Once the whole world was like this!

JH on 20.02.05 @ 02:12 PM AEST [link]

L.S.A. ......healthy breakfast mix invented by Dr FJ Steed

Dr FJ Steed is the inventor of the L.S.A. breakfast mix. He began selling it at his Coffs Harbour Lifestream about 1970, many years before it became nationally popular as LSA - 'the liver cleansing diet'.

Three-parts linseed (flaxseeds), two-parts sunflower kernels, one-part (or less) almond. These beneficial ingredients can be purchased from Coles supermarkets (and sometimes in Woolworths) and later finely ground at home via a coffee grinder, or blender. Busy people buy it already ground. Fresh has to be best. All health food stores have it, but at higher prices.

It's important the linseed is finely crushed otherwise it can't digest. Freshly ground is more beneficial too. The powdered mix is eaten with fruits, juice and perhaps a Greek-style yoghurt. Mango, peach, and paw-paw are now in season. After Easter grated apple and pear is a good winter combo.

Top this dessert-like dish with strawberries, kiwi fruit etc. Liquid flaxseed oil is good added over the fruit. Food for a millionaire, not expensive if made yourself but too expensive for restaurants to offer, so far. Enjoy before any hard work and feel how easy it is to skip lunch.



JH on 19.02.05 @ 05:48 PM AEST [link]

Organic Peaches on the tree

Tree-ripened peaches have a superior flavour to those picked commercially when still un-ripe.

JH on 19.02.05 @ 05:18 PM AEST [link]

Vegetable Pie

A treat I enjoyed was this home-baked vegetarian pie by the author of Noreen's Easy Vegetable Knowhow (A guide to delicious foods and balanced nutrition for good health) self published by Noreen Steed PhD NSc. price with postage about $25 from www.houseofsteed.com


JH on 19.02.05 @ 04:44 PM AEST [link]

Tasmanian back road .....recently widened - worse luck.

I used this road daily for almost two weeks while travelling to and from town. Not much other traffic. Fresh, clean air. The air helped me realise that most (mainland) houses over-use cleaners and cockroach poisons indcoors, plus all the other 'perfumed' cleaning products in the bathrooms. A link to asthma seems obvious.


JH on 19.02.05 @ 04:37 PM AEST [link]

Tasmania ......... north coast on a good day.

View from a hilltop near the village of Penguin. 27C was the hottest day last January 2005 the day after this picture was taken (or made).
JH on 18.02.05 @ 08:21 PM AEST [link]

Aquarium Targets

Targets for home aquariums. Some may live hours, lucky ones may last weeks or months. Usually due to human error, they won't fare too-well in the long-term. The human attitude toward all living creatures in overdue for a shake-up. It's a case of size as compared to ourselves mattering too much. Smaller-than-ourselves creatures are given less status than the larger-than-us creatures. How strange?

JH on 13.02.05 @ 11:47 AM AEST [link]

TROPICAL FISH close-ups

JH on 13.02.05 @ 11:36 AM AEST [link]

Tropical Fish (in close-up 'in the wild')

The almost-now-ancient term in the wild means of course, not in captivity. Too many creatures are in captivity just as too many are being tagged for seemingly valid research purposes.

The collecting of tropical marine fish for home aquariums has had serious visual consequences on coral reefs in northern Australia - and elsewhere. If fish can't be bred in aquariums, they should not be kept in home aquariums. But it's not that easy a problem to solve. Unfortunately.

JH on 13.02.05 @ 11:33 AM AEST [link]