Jules caught a fish early this morning, a flathead. It was a solid and very heavy fish and she even needed help to lift it out of the water onto the pier. In fact, it was so big that it didn’t quite fit on the bottom of the esky and several people walking past came to have a look and admire it.
Most of the fishermen around here would probably know the precise name of this big fish. In the Dutch language I would have referred to it as a “kanjer” (a whopper). I think that it was probably a Dusky (or Mud) Flathead, however, I didn’t think to check with my friend Logan, because I thought that a flathead was just a flathead. I have since learned that, in fact, there are more than 50 different types of flathead in Australia.
Flathead is sold in the fish and chip shops everywhere here as it is regarded as a premium fish and is very popular. It’s ideal for both deep-frying and steaming. So, Jules and Logan would have been very happy with this catch.
Jules told me that she did measure it and that it was 58cm long, which made it a “legal” catch in Queensland. Size limits applying to Dusky Flatheads here state that they must be bigger than 40cm and smaller than 75cm. Logan once caught one at Baxter’s Jetty which was 85cm and therefore too large to legally keep, so he threw it back into the river. Baxter’s Jetty is where Logan and Jules fished for about 2 years before deciding to move to the pier, where there is more space than at the jetty.
Baxter’s Jetty is an interesting structure, with a fascinating history. It’s located at the mouth of Cabbage Tree Creek, a very long creek which flows into Moreton Bay. In later posts I look forward to writing more about the history of Cabbage Tree Creek and about the prawn trawlers which access it on high tide and which use the creek as their home base.
Baxter’s Jetty, shown in the photo at the end of this story, was not the first jetty in this location. In pamphlets available from the Sandgate Museum there is mention of a timber jetty existing in 1880, which was known as Corporation Jetty. This original jetty was replaced several times over the years because of damage sustained in cyclonic weather and because of general wear and tear.
The jetty was named after John Baxter, who drowned here in 1897. He was a well-known local identity and the owner of Baxter’s Oyster Saloon, which he opened in 1861. His oysters were grown in sheds close to the mouth of the creek, which was an ideal place to grow them, as they were covered at high tide (twice a day) and stayed fresh until they were ready to be served to the customers visiting his fish café.
According to the story told in one of the booklets available from the Sandgate Museum, John drowned and his body was found early one morning by a Salvation Army captain, at the bottom of the steps leading to the jetty. Another version is that he was found by two young men who had gone fishing. It appears, and this is what a later inquest found, that after a late-night visit to the jetty he caught his foot in the steps, was unable to free himself and then drowned in the upcoming tide.
As in so many stories of this kind, it leaves us with more mystery than history. I still have so many questions. What was it that really happened, how did he get his foot caught so badly that he could not free himself? Why did someone not go and look for him when he did not come home that night?
After his death the jetty became known as Baxter’s Jetty. The Oyster Saloon has long since gone, but when I visited the jetty on a quiet afternoon, I could not help but think of poor John Baxter and the people who were present here around that time, 126 years ago. I don’t believe in ghosts, however, in the late afternoon, and feeling only a light cool breeze that did not even make a ripple in the creek, I could almost imagine hearing their voices. What were they saying? What would they have been thinking?
Standing on the jetty I noticed the mangroves in the distance and, further away, I could see the creek widening out into Moreton Bay and there was no one to disturb the peace. It would probably have looked just like this a century ago.
I loved my brief visit to Baxter’s Jetty and will forever treasure this moment in time. I can only describe it as special and serene and worth remembering forever. How wonderful it is to be alive in this magical spot in Southern Queensland.
O.P.
P.S. The ABC visits Shorncliffe Jetty in next Sunday’s post and we find out that one of our fishermen friends was once a star in a well-known and long-running sitcom on commercial TV.