Fletcher Creek, March

As we headed south, driving an inland road towards Charter's Towers (a nice town an hour in from the coast), we discovered Fletcher Creek, a roadside camping area on a beautiful creek. A man told us people camp for months on it's banks, catching crayfish and relaxing. He had been coming there for years with his wife and was now there waiting for his daughter to arrive so they could sprinkle his wife's ashes at the river, where she'd wanted them. On a lighter note, he advised us to buy meaty bites dog food with rice, to bait our crayfish traps.

We picked a spot upstream from everyone, near a couple with a jack russel terrier named Mitzi who barked at us ferociously until she decided we were ok. We stayed for 2 nights and had a great time.

Our traps caught dozens of crayfish each time. We threw most of them back but cooked up a few. The girls were dramatic and teary the first time we cooked them, begging for the crustacean's lives. They felt a little better about it when Kevin said he'd just cook the boys.

We cooked about ten and made the girls try them (not without a fight). Kyra maintains she does not like them, but Mercedes loves them! The next day she helped Kevin pop a few into the boiling water on the fire. She said to him 'They're gonna be lookin' down at you and cursin' you.' Kevin said, 'what about you? You're cooking them too.' She replied 'Yeah, but I'm just a little kid.' You've got to love the logic.

Both girls loved to check the traps, pulling them out of the river first thing in the morning and throughout the day by a long rope and tossing them back. They got good at picking the crayfish up without getting pinched. They even created games with them, naming some, and sorting the small ones out from the big ones to protect them, catching the escapees, and then setting them all free to the river.

I taught the girls how to build a small fire. Kyra was especially enthusiastic and spent many hours with the project. We had a few great campfires in the evenings and enjoyed the quiet. The camp site doesn't look like much in the photo but this stop was a highlight of our travels. It's interesting what moments stick with you as you move on.