Pucker up!
The Marysville Trout and Salmon Ponds, a premier Victorian tourist attraction, is up and running and open for business.
After much hard work and amidst tremendous loss, Glenn, Vicki and Adrian have been busy re-building after bushfires destroyed buildings, equipment and most of their fish.
While plenty of fish are currently swimming in the crystal clear ponds - which are fed by spring water flowing from the surrounding mountain forests - supporting these folks helps them re-build stocks for the long-term future of this iconic Marysville feature.
Everything you need to catch a fish (or a whole school of them if you have no self-control, as they're not hard to catch) is provided – or you can bring your own gear if you're particularly attached to it.
There are a whole bunch of different ways to have a great, fun family day out.
Catch and Keep Fishing involves fishing (in a pond suited to your level of experience), paying for what you catch, and taking it home. (They will clean and fillet it for you for a small fee if that kind of thing makes you scream or faint.)
Or, if all that fabulous fresh air is making you hungry, you can throw your catch of the day onto a free onsite BBQ and enjoy it al fresco amidst some pretty spectacular countryside. You're welcome to BYO picnic too. There are some lovely picnic shelters to enjoy.
By the way, while the fish don't mind a bit of a kiss 'n' cuddle
Rex Hunt-style, don't throw them back afterwards unless you're fishing from the especially designated Catch and Release Pond. Give them a smooch, pay for them, and take them home. Otherwise, once caught and tossed back in, they will stress and die and that's just not nice.
For a close-up encounter, the kids (and maybe you if you're not of the squeamish variety mentioned above) might enjoy the Touch Tanks. This is where you get to try and catch the slippery little suckers with your bare hands. A word of warning – they're very quick and you might get a tad wet!
Amidst all the fun is the fact too that we're meant to be eating a couple of portions of fish a week for all those healthy Omega-3's. To get the tastebuds going, here are a few simple, sumptuous trout tips and
recipes.
If fishing's not your thing, you can simply call into the Marysville Trout and Salmon Ponds anytime and buy your fish as-fresh-as-can-be.
If you'd like to check out how the town's getting on after the bushfire disaster, see the
Tourism Website. Check out all the great things to see and do while you're in the area too.
A visit to
Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden is essential. It is probably the most mesmerising, unique, and extraordinary place I've ever had the good fortune to visit. If you go, please say hi to those highly-spirited, hard-working and creative souls, Bruno, Marlene and Andrew, for me.
Happy fishing!
