136 NEW SOUTH WALES 



with the Karuah River, Telligheny Creek, and half a score of important 

 affluents inland, with miles upon miles of beaches fit for seine fishing, 

 with an apparently unlimited endowment of the best fish, and with a 

 telegraph station within very easy distance, this noble harbour is un- 

 questionably destined to become one of the largest factors in the metro- 

 politan fish supply of the future. A considerable gang of Chinamen is 

 always located at Nelson Bay, and as soon as one lot returns to its native 

 country another takes its place. They catch their own fish here, and 

 preserve it after their own detestable fashion. At times these Chinese 

 fishermen go out seaward as far as Long Island, where they camp for 

 several weeks at a time and catch vast quantities of fish, and might, if 

 they chose, catch any quantity of crayfish (the " lobstex-s" of our fisher- 

 men). All the Broughton Island group are singularly favourable by 

 their formation for these crustaceans, and the reefs and outlying rocks 

 about Cabbage-tree and Boondelbah Islands, ofi" the entrance of Poi't 

 Stephens, and those which lie around Long Island, abound with this 

 fish ; but the distance, under the existing regime, is rather too remote 

 from market to encourage the development of this fishery. 



Some L5 miles to the north-east of Long Island are the Seal Rocks, 

 and a variety of reefs and rocky patches, all lying within a range of a 

 few miles from Sugar-loaf Point, including the " bumbora" known on 

 the charts by the name of the " Edith Breaker." This is a great country 

 for schnapper and black rock cod. Sharks, unfortunately, are rather 

 too plentiful ; but there are few fishermen who venture so far from Port 

 Stephens as the Seal Rocks, and were it not for the coasters who are 

 sometimes becalmed hereabout, and for occasional visitations of the 

 Marine Board, little would be known of these grounds. Between Sugar- 

 loaf Point and Cape Hawke, another 15 miles further north, there is 

 no lack of virgin schnapper grounds, and a few miles beyond Cape Hawke 

 is the outlet of the Wallis Lakes, — another series of rather shallow but 

 extensive lagoons, similar in general character to those which we have 

 already noticed. These lakes teem with the best of net fish, but owing 

 to their distance from market enjoy a complete immunity from all 

 sources of disturbance except the occasional net of some settler or sawyer. 



The Middle Grounds (South). — This section includes the coast between 

 Wattamolle — a small boat harbour about 5 miles to the south of Port 

 Hacking — and a rather deep indent immediately to the southward of 

 Jervis Bay, known as Wreck Bay or Bight. It comprises about the 

 same length of coast line as the northern portion of the Middle Grounds 

 section, but, with the exception of Lake Illawarra, the Shoalhaven and 

 Crookhaven Rivers, Jervis Bay, and St. George's Basin, possesses few 

 inlets or sheltered waters. This deficiency is, however, fully compen- 

 sated by the magnificent fishing-grounds of Jervis Bay and the extensive 

 banks lying toward the south-eastern corner of Shoalhaven Bight, and 

 known as Young Banks. About Stanfield Bay, to the south of the Watta- 

 molle boat harbour, some very good schnapper grounds afford fine freights 

 in the winter months, but beyond this point no line fish come to the 

 Sydney Market, the distance from Sydney being too great for the class 

 of fishing-boat employed. Lake Illawarra is fished by nets for the 

 Sydney Market with considerable success, the fish being brought to port 

 by steamer during the cool season of the year. Schnappers are said to be 

 abundant off" the Five Islands and other grounds in this neighbourhood, 



