This is something that i do a fair bit, i love the taste of smoked salmon, mussels, mackerel all seafood, its so yummy.
The other day i went out on the Eden wharf to catch some fish that day i put a little bit of burly in the water to attract the fish, i started catching lots of slimy mackerel`s heaps of them it was like they were suicidal, anyway i ended up getting about half a bucket full, some of these i will use for bait on the beach for the bigger salmon and Tailor as they just love fresh mackerel, i wanted to smoke the bigger ones, cause i thought they might be really nice to eat as they are very oily and have lots of omega 3 fatty acids in them, the bigger ones are to hard to put on the hook unless you chop them up in small pieces.
The fishing report, well i never got any salmon or mackerel but i did get a few trevallies which i will put in the smoker.
There is a fair bit to do when smoking the fish but its well worth the effort.
I use a small Weber BBQ that i picked up for $10 at a garage sale, this Weber has vents in the lid and also in the base, this is great for controlling the air flow as you don`t want any flame in the smoker.
Here is the recipe for the brine solution,
* 4 cups water
* 1/4 cup salt
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 crushed garlic cloves
Mix all the brine ingredients and place your fish in a plastic or glass container
(non metal), cover and put in the refrigerator for 8 hours, this does about 20 average fillets of fish, if your doing salmon which are larger and thicker leave them in for about 12 hours.
When the fish is in brine solution the moister is slowly taken out and infused with salt so its important not to leave the fish in the brine to long as the fish will be rather salty.
Time to take the fish out of the brine and dry it out until it has a sticky film
over it, which is called pellicle, i do this by placing the fish on some newspaper skin side down other wise it gets stuck to the paper, you can use wire racks as well, 2 to 3 hours is needed for drying, you may need to place a fan near them, don’t worry about the fish to much as the salt will protect it.
Once your fish is dry and sticky its ready to be smoked, i will be HOT smoking the fish as this is faster than slow smoking which takes about 2 days, besides any smoked fish around this house gets eaten rather fast, even though slow smoking is preserved better than just plain cooked fish.
Getting the heat, coals, and smoke just right smoking the fish takes about 30 minuets , how i get the smoker to smoking stage, i light the fire with some dry hard wood get the thing going really hot with some nice coals not to much though, then i add some hard wood saw dust,
Then put the lid on with the vent holes half open
I then put the fish skin side down on the wire racks and put the lid back on
Check back again in 15 minuets make sure there’s not flame if there is shut the vent on the lid.
A big DANGER don`t use chip board in your smoker or treated wood…
Wood you can use,
Hard Wood ( Australian Eucalyptus’s )
Alder
fruit or nut wood
Hickory
Oak
The Result
Hope every one enjoys because i do 
If you want to save some money when you go on holiday and you love fishing Merimbula, Pambula and Eden on the south coast is the place for you and your family, you might also think about taking holidays in the off season, if you can, this way you will save allot of money, on accommodation, rental, even food, i know this because i live in Eden New South Wales, and you will love the fact that you and your family can be at peace without loads of people taking your favorite fishing spots, you will even be able to get a parking spot fairly quickly.
Eden has a fishing competition on 7th-14th March each year $22000 prize money this year 2009 more information at http://www.edenfishingclub.org.au
Not just that but fish seem to bite very well this time of year.
Food is expensive while eating out you may want to consider doing a BBQ depending how long you stay for, as there is many BBQ spots available in these areas.
while traveling around the south coast there is many other cheap things you can do for fun, there is a place called Nethercote falls it is a great swimming hole, also great for rock climbing here is a video.
Nethercote is about 15km east of Pambula, it is a bit of a walk to the water hole but its well worth it i should know i am bit lazy hehe, but i really love swimming and diving.
Bush walking although that’s not my thing, but you may like it, there is
also a movie theater in Merimbula, and Bilo in Eden seems the cheapest
food shopping around, Foodworks also supports the community and schools and everyday they have many great specials but Woolworths that is located in Merimbula is in my opinion a rip off.
Eden pizza offers $12 pizzas on Monday and Tuesdays night that is located at 156 imlay road Eden at this price though they only offer pick up.
Well i was at a friends farm the other day here in country NSW and i had to ask her what sort of dog is that “me feeling stupid” she replied its an Australian shepherd now this was kinda new to me as i have never heard of one, so i had to look this up and find out more about these lovely dogs.
Great working dogs for the farm.
They came from the united states working on ranches and herding stock,
they were induced here in Australia around 1949, also good for Australian condition’s, work very hard always looking for a job, are rather easy to train and are very loyal.
Color and texture.
* Black, with or without tan points and/or white markings on the face, collar, legs, chest, underbelly. Neither white nor tan points are required. Solid black dogs are equally desirable as ones with tan and/or white.
* Red (Liver) with or without tan points and/or white markings on the face, collar, legs, chest, underbelly. Neither white nor tan points are required. Solid Red dogs are equally desirable as ones with tan and/or white.
* Blue Merle (a mottled patchwork of gray and black) with or without tan points and/or white markings on the face, collar, legs, chest, underbelly. Neither white nor tan points are required. Solid Merle dogs are equally desirable as ones with tan and/or white.
* Red Merle (a mottled patchwork of cream and liver red) with or without tan points and/or white markings on the face, collar, legs, chest, underbelly. Neither white nor tan points are required. Solid Merle dogs are equally desirable as ones with tan and/or white.
Tails are docked
In some countries the tails are docked/chopped off when born, while in most countries this type of cruelty is banned good!
Then again some breeds will be born with shorter docked tails.
Temperament is it does it bite ?
If not trained properly can chase and nip people as being a guard dog they are quite protective of there owners but if brought up around a family are very good with children, they do bark as with most dogs,
but the bark is not really obsessive.
The dog likes lots of walks and exercise and playing with the ball, should not be left bored in the backyard, loves human interaction.
Life span of the dog For a fairly average size dog in normal working condition’s with good exercise
and a good diet of fresh meat, chicken necks and dry food, is around 11-13 years.
The cost to buy one
I have listed a few places where you might be able to buy one, if your
buying the dog as a working dog it wont need to be micro chiped.
Average price is $250 USD – $650
source http://www.puppyfind.com
http://traddingpost.com.au
Home Insurance
At Australian pensioners insurance they offer a wide variety of choices, from the Home with the backyard, units, flats, or multiplex units, the Apias range of insurance will cover your needs.
The car Insurance
We know that your a more experienced driver than most young drivers on the road today, so your driving skills and habits make you less of a risk, thus reducing your total cost of comprehensive insurance, any claims are fast, after you have been with Apia you wont go with any other insurer
About the Caravan Insurance
As many pensioners will take more Holiday’s and your leisure time is important, so we make sure your fully covered, either its your caravan, motor home.
Motor home Insurance
* You’re are covered for accidental loss or damage of your motor home.
* Reasonable towing costs if or when motorhome breaks down.
* We will pay for 21 days hire of a new motor home if yours is stolen.
* Automatic cover for a boat less than 3 metres long and not otherwise insured, being towed by your motor home this is a nice bonus.
Boat Insurance, Comprehensive Boat Insurance
* Cover for loss or damage if your boat is in the water or being towed.
* Reasonable costs of removal of your boat to the nearest repairer
* Cover for loss or damage to personal effects (up to $250)
* Optional cover for loss or damage caused in sailboat racing and water skier’s legal liability
Third Party cover
This will cover you for your legal liability from the use of your boat for accidental damage to someone Else’s property or accidental death or bodily injury up to $5 million.
These Benefits are subject to Product Disclosure Statement terms and conditions.
Landlord Insurance
Through life, investment properties can become a big part of your financial security. Apia understands that as a Landlord you need a special kind of insurance to cover for things such as, rent default or even damage done to your property by tenants.
Travel Insurance
People travel all the time some people don’t worry about Travel Insurance until its to late
its a better option to get the cover you need just ion case something happens, who needs the extra stress of someone thieving your belongings or worse you get sick and you need hospital in some countries hospitals are not free.
We also cover if you decide to canel your trip for unforeseen circumstances.
all these Benefits are subject to Product Disclosure Statement terms and conditions.
I know many people don’t like to talk about this but here at Australian pensioners insurance we also offer funeral plans, this cover will protect your loved ones of the burden of paying for your funeral costs, the funeral plan could provide a lump sum payout, this normally takes about 24 hours of a claim being approved, this cover is only a few dollar a week, every one has guarantee of acceptance, no forms to fill out, or medical tests are done, you can also opt for additional cover for your loved ones if you die.
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Did you know that nearly all opals 80% come from Australia, there are some opals which are very valuable and allot that are not.
The Black opal which is only found in Lightning Ridge New South Wales is the most valuable. Anyone can mine for opal all you need is a 1. A steel picket or wooden post(at least 75mm thick) 2. Trenches(1metre long and 150mm deep) 3. “Possession notice” displayed 4. Claim must be square in shape and may not exceed 50 x 50 metres 5. A MINERAL CLAIM More information about this can be found here http://www.wj.com.au/mining/claim.html This is something that, id like to do myself one of these days. |
| The types of opal | |
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Black opal is most valuable, it is very rare to find, even more rare than diamonds, black opal has blue and green color, sometimes red which makes it very valuable, black opal is technically a form of dark opal, where the background color is black, rather than brown all forms are black opal. |
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Boulder opal is second most valuable, its is found in iron stone mainly only mined with in large open cut mines, blue or sapphire color is the prominent color although can show sign of red color which again increases the value, Boulder opal is mainly found in Queensland in outback towns like Quilpie and Winton. |
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Light opal can vary from grey to clear, but most common gem grade is white, milky opal, semi opaque white, as with all opals, all the colors of the rainbow may show, due to the light background color, the flash may not show as strong as with some other opal types, Coober Pedy Australia is the main source of light opal. |
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Crystal opal is a form of light or black opal where the background color is transparent, Andamooka in South Australia is the place to find some of the best crystal opals, fossils that contain opal in them as well. |
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Matrix Opal The term matrix opal is used where the opal is intimately diffused in rock which it was formed, Andamooka matrix opal is a porous opal from Andamooka, South Australia, which might be treated to enhance the colour by depositing black carbon by chemical treatment in the pore spaces in the stone. |
| How is a opal made or formed
During the Cretaceous period of time 65 – 140 million years ago Southern Australia was covered by sea, this is when opal started to form from a gel like silica or very fine sand that ( this is what silicon chips for computers is made from ) and over time trapped in pockets and crevices over millions of years under hard packed sandy rocks. Opal is allot different than most gem stones as they are not a crystal but more like a silica glass, potch a common opal that is mostly used for inserts for table tops, guitars, ashtrays and cheap jewelry, sometimes you might find good or rare opal under or in the potch, potch is a very common opal, some people find great veins of this where black opal is located. Where can you find Opals ? Opal is found in lots of places in Australia South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Coober Pedy in South Australia. Opal found here is white to light color, houses and the local pubs here are mostly underground dwellings. Lightning Ridge in central New South Wales, Lightning Ridge mines the best quality rare black opal in the world. In addition to opal, Lightning Ridge you can find fossil opal, many people come here to mine for opals. Queensland , a town called Quilpie and Winton in the north is where boulder opal is found, it is not as rare as black opal, but its still valuable, most of the opal here is mined in traditional underground mines, Queensland boulder opal is also mined using bulldozers to open cut through the mine field, it is not a very nice place to visit, but if your after opals then who cares what the location looks like. |
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Major Australian car hire suppliers, prices, type of vehicles compare various companies and certain requirements they may require.
* Budget Rentacar
* Hertz Car Rental
* Europcar Car Hire
* Avis Car Rental
* Thrifty Car Hire
* Crownrentals
For people Under Age and renting a car
In Australia most car rental companies will rent a vehicle to drivers aged between 21-24 years old, but their is a catch for the under age driver, the driver might invariably levy an extra surcharge, the extra cost is to cover the cost of insurance, the other thing to consider is younger drivers will only be able to rent smaller type vehicles, although this is not always the case, its best to check the overall costs and added costs, most car rental companies are varied with there prices.
Hire a car for one way usage
May people in Australia only want to rent a car for one way travel, companies offer to pick the car or van up from one location then drop it off or sometimes people might drive that vehicle to that location, often this type of rent attracts a surcharge or fee this covers the cost to return the vehicle or car, try to avoid renting a vehicle this way as it does often cost extra.
Petrol or Gas stations
One thing you will need to fuel for the car you hire and not all petrol stations charge the same amount for fuel, and another thing to think about is that petrol stations put their prices up other the weekend so buying your fuel is cheaper on Monday, one other thing is that you get more petrol in your tank in the mornings as the fuel is colder this is a know fact.
Road rules in Australia
The rules are different in every part of the world, but if you use common sense you should be fine, remember though police are on the roads always looking for you to do something silly, so just be aware, if you need to scratch up on some of the road rules read here and learn more, this site www.ntc.gov.au help out, also remember that each state in Australia has slightly different road rules.
Road conditions throughout Australia
Most roads are very good in Australia although they are not as wide as in the United States of America, when driving at night many Australia animals wonder on the road, bigger animals like kangaroos or wombats can destroy your car if you hit them, so if your driving in the bush area or national parks please slow down, and keep a good eye out.