When I was a child we spent the long summer holidays at Greens Beach, north of Launceston, Tasmania, at the mouth of the Tamar R. Our parents had a shack there, but to call it a holiday house would be to exaggerate a bit – it was a shack, sound and in good repair but the amenities were pretty basic.  It was furnished with old furniture from my grandparents’ place, and once we owned it, everything old and almost worn out went to the beach.  Over winter water was collected from the roof into 3 x 1000 gallon tanks which invariably ran dry after few weeks and the parents then had to pay for a load of water to see us through the final week or two. We had to watch every drop, and use it sparingly.  To this day it bothers me to see a tap running and water being wasted.

The holiday always began with a stop at the Ophir Fish Shop in Beaconsfield, with still 12 miles to go.  There everyone would be supplied with their own parcel of fish and chips, which would be just the right temperature for eating when we arrived at the beach, BUT  the car had to be unpacked before we ate, and with that wonderful aroma wafting about, we didn’t waste any time !

The fish was always flake, in other words shark – there was no other kind; well, we never had a choice anyway – and it was cheap.  Flake is mild flavoured, white when cooked, and holds together well – perfect.  In Australia today it is still popular but no longer cheap, and has been joined on the fish and chip shop menu by a wide range of other species.  But when we were growing up, there was just the one kind of ‘fish’ sold with chips, all liberally sprinkled with salt and wrapped in newspaper which lent a particular olefactory character that has gone now.  Today fish and chips come wrapped in clean fresh newsprint – its probably better for us, but it’s really not the same.