Perfect weather for lobster and abalone fishing – another reason I love south-west Victoria
Over the Christmas/New Years break, crowds of Melbourne, interstate and overseas visitors have been flocking to the small towns along the Great Ocean Road to get some (hopefully) sun, sand and surf and relaxation time. While the sun hasn’t been playing fair that much and surfers will have been disappointed, snorkeling and scuba dive conditions have been very good.
The beauty of this south-western stretch of coast is that, for every beach teeming with day-trippers, there’s always another hidden, empty spot nearby. Sometimes they are less accessible, such as this perfect dive spot close to Warrnambool (and less than 200m away from the remains of the dead whale stranded on the rocks in July), but often they are just further away from the usual tourist traps such as the 12 Apostles, Bay of Martyrs and London Bridge.
If you’re after blacklip (or less commonly, the tastier greenlip) abalone or southern rock lobster, these out-of-the-way spots are well worth checking out. A dive spot just over 400m from a tourist campervan-filled carpark near Port Campbell yielded a feast of abalone on Thursday and scuba divers reported that some of the deeper ledges held some sizeable crays.
Victoria is one of the biggest wild abalone breeding grounds in the Southern Hemisphere and the strict regulations (and heavy fines for breaking the rules) on recreational collecting have helped to maintain healthy stocks in many less-populated areas.
I won’t give away any of the better local spots but if you’re after a fresh local feed, checking out some of the dirt tracks near the coast can bring great rewards.
Posted on December 30, 2012, in fishing, Great Ocean Road, photography, sea life, tourism, Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Warrnambool and tagged abalone, Australia, coast, conservation, fishing, lobster, photography, sea life, victoria, Warrnambool, whales. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
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Hey, cool post! So inspiring. I just enjoy going fishing (and|&) outdoor stuff. Thank you for sharing.