One of the all-time great movie lines inspired this series, "We’re gonna need a bigger boat!" If only my geo-wife and my bank manager would let me buy one…
One of my favourite past times is to take my little tinny out on Lake Macquarie and spend some time swimming around the sand islands, having a fish at the drop-over, or just putting around enjoying the sun with the geo-family.
The 1st May 2002 marked a big day for the lake, with the cessation of commercial fishing licences. In slightly more than a decade, the fish stocks have increased, and some of the apex predators are starting to return in more numbers to this environment. In some circles, this has caused hysteria, as every fisherman with a smartphone can now upload footage of the sharks they see. It is well known however that the Newcastle/Stockton/Port Stephens region is a nursery for sharks, and it should be no surprise that they are here in the lake too.
This series is dedicated to a range of creatures you might find in the lake if you spend enough time here. I’ve met most of them in recent years, although haven’t come face to face with the two largest… yet! We have lost the odd fish over the years to some cheeky seals though!
The caches in this series are not found at the listed coordinates. I have instead attempted to develop a lake based piece of geo-art.
We’re gonna need a bigger boat #6 – School Prawn (Metapenaeus macleayi)
Distribution - School and Eastern king prawns prawns are endemic to estuarine and coastal waters along the east coast of Australia. Juvenile prawns of both species inhabit estuaries, generally near seagrass beds. Adults are predominantly found in ocean waters, but may occur in estuaries.
Size - School prawns can grow to a total length of 13 - 16cm and king prawns to a total length of 30 cm. They are both delicious!
Characteristics - About 90 % of the prawns taken by anglers are king prawns (Penaeus plebejus), with the remainder of the catch being school prawns. King prawns have a cream to yellow body with dark brown ridges, and possess a straight rostrum with one tooth on the lower surface. School prawns are translucent with irregular brown or green spots and brown antennae, and have a rostrum with a smooth lower surface.
Take a light source and a prawn net, and get out into the shallows during the prawn run. A fun night for everyone!
Information sourced from:
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational/saltwater/sw-species/prawns
So where’s the cache? I’m feeling generous, so I will tell you it’s located at: S33.00.??? E151.38.???
A little puzzle will help you find everything you need!
B1, I7, 010, F9, H13, L2, Q6, B7, T15, T3, D12, C5, L7, J1, R7, D9, F15, H15, L12, C1, S7, L9, U15, X15, F12, J4, L3, K7, H9, Q1, T1, O13, D15, D7, L4, Q7, V9, I1, N12, R4, V12, A7, C6, G12, J7, Q4, U9, S1, L10, D11, C3, H12, Q5, V15, O14, S4, D13, K1, C7, L5, E12, L6, C2, T7, O12, W15, I4, G9, D14, L11, E7, T2, M12, V13, C4, O11, T4, V14, E9, H14, L1, K4, D10, O15, V11, E15, G15, R1, P12, V10
Be careful of muggles whilst undertaking this series please as it can be a busy area, especially on weekends and early mornings and late afternoons. This GZ should be pretty safe though.
If you are in the area, why not try and connect with some of the local area geocachers? Check out HAVOC on Facebook - the Hunter Area Victims of Caching!
Background image: Colossal Octopus by Pierre Denys de Montfort († 1820) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons