In the vegie patch

I love the vegie patch on Three Hummock Island.  It's a large plot, completely enclosed with wire fences and chicken wire roof.  The abundant produce that grows there needs to be protected from the kangaroos and many island birds.

Before John and Bev arrived in Autumn of 2009, the vegie patch had gone to seed.  One year on, under their loving care, it is now a bountiful supply of fresh fruit and vegetables.  Because of the island's temperate climate and lack of frosts, a surprising variety of foods are successfully grown there.

John and Bev keep a garden diary, with notes on what worked well and recommendations on what to do differently regarding planting schedules and the like.

Anyone who came to the island in March or April was given a never ending supply of the sweetest cherry tomatoes you're ever likely to feast on.  What wasn't consumed straight from the vine, Bev bottled as a tomato sauce for future cooking sessions.

If you're ever shipwrecked here, there's no chance you'll starve.

The larder

There is a rockpool on one of the beaches near the homestead that is referred to as The Larder.  Simply because the sealife is so abundant - it's like a larder full of food.  Local lore has it that you just put you hand in, feel around under the rocks, and pull out crayfish for dinner.

Alas, we didn't have this kind of crayfish success over Easter, but the abalone was that easy to obtain.  Maybe if you're there you could help John put one of his cray pots in the water and see what comes of it.

Oh, and did I mention surf fishing off the rocks?  Yes, we had success there too.

There's nothing like....

Tourism Australia is currently asking Australians to submit photos and captions (25 words or less) of their favourite holiday destinations in our great land.  I couldn't resist sharing an image of Three Hummock Island. 

"There's nothing like Three Hummock Island. Spectacular beaches, big blue skies, white sand, crystal clear water, rockpools aplenty and not another soul around.  Your own private haven." 

"There's nothing like breathing the cleanest air in the world from a beach like this."

What a great idea - to get all Australians to contribute to the success of our next tourism campaign.  Visit the site.  There are some wonderful photographs there.

Island hospitality

You won't receive a friendlier welcome anywhere, than the one you receive from Bev, the caretaker, upon visiting Three Hummock Island.

Put diets aside, Bev is a sublime baker.  Bev will spoil you with unexpected offerings of freshly baked bread, or in our case, the best Hot Cross Buns ever on Easter Sunday.

Four well tended hens provide the eggs for much happy baking.  Bev's wonderful cooking is done largely in the old wood stove that once resided in the homestead.  It is now in the Lodge - John and Bev's abode - and looks very much at home.

Bev and John will also spoil you with chopped barrow loads of wood at your back door, information and guidance on how to best use your time while visiting.  Bev and John have had a fascinating life together and are full of wonderful stories of their working travels around Australia.

Treasures in the sand

The paper nautilus was turning up on the beaches of the island over Easter.  I was lucky enough to find one on Home Beach, and 4 more were picked up by others.  It so happened that another guest on the island over the Easter weekend had written books on shells.  I had the chance to ask her whether there was a pattern to their movements.

The nautilus is created by the squid.  Technically, it isn't a shell, but is often categorized as one.  They are likely to be found during a full moon in summer.  It is also believed they run in 7 year cycles.  We started a little collection of our finds on the shelf in the homestead.

There are some beautiful shells to be found on the beaches.  Bev has been cataloguing her finds, identifying each one and displaying them in a wooden specimen box.

So pretty.