Wheels and Rods at East Coast Park

I cannot exactly remember how we ended up at East Coast Prawning but it could be the school holidays and availability of dad's car that made us want to try something new.

There was one pole fishing pond and two prawning ponds: one is a seawater pond with flower crabs, lobsters, and tiger prawns, and another is a freshwater pond with 'big head'prawns. So what is pole fishing? It's fishing with a pole instead of a rod and reel. The line is tied on to the tip of the pole. The fish in the pond were huge, which tempted me to put down $25 for six poles. Children were provided with cool eyewear to protect them from careless hooks. We soon found out, however, that the fish in the pond were often too large for the pole and line to hold, and although bites were frequent, the brief fights often ended up with the lines snapping. After about an hour and a half, we snapped our last line, with nothing to show for the experience. However, the experience itself was enjoyable, and the look on the faces of the children when the fish bite was priceless. Overall, it was worth trying something new, but once is enough for now. Perhaps bagging a large fish might have been enough to coax me to come back, but it didn't happen today. Next time, prawning perhaps? I saw how calm and cool those 'prawners' were while we were there. They sat on their chairs, reading books while those who were fishing displayed a very interesting combination of excitement and frustration as the fish snapped and let go off the hooks. Now on hindsight, I really do wonder what those 'prawners' were thinking as they see the 'fishermen' jumping around.

Upon stepping out of the pond fishing areas, we strolled a little before deciding to go cycling. At the bicycle kiosk, a unique cycling contraption caught our eye. It had a box-like carriage with a flat canopy, four wheels, enabling two persons to cycle side by side. It was steered using a wheel, and had a front overhanging bench to place the young ones. We decided to give it a go.

 The kids loved it! There was a cow bell that the kids rang to alert other riders sharing the path, but most of the time, people were passing us instead of us passing them. The contraption was mighty slow, even with two adults huffing and puffing away. Looking at it from a positive point of view, it was good exercise, and within half an hour we could feel a burning sensation in our bums and thighs. We booked it for 2 hours, but within an hour and a half, we were tired enough to return it. Of course, the kids enjoyed the scenic ride. They became the best friends and chatted happily away, with their arms around each other. It was a sweet sight to behold, even from the back. It was an enjoyable hour while it lasted! Would I do it again? Yes! I was forced to sit back and slow down, none of the rushing and housework. Most importantly, we were together as a family and that matters the most.