Mr & Miss Planet Inn Backpacker Contest!

We are very fortunate to meet so many nice people in our Industry and particularly so many attractive ones.

A lot of you will no doubt remember me waffling on in a drunken stupor at our bar that I have often thought we should shoot a Planet Inn calendar.

Why?

Politically correct answer: Because we all appreciate beauty!

Now of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we can all be beautiful on the inside, blah, blah, blah.

So it’s up to you guys – here’s the deal. Over the course of this year, let’s say by August 31^st, I would like you to submit a photo of your entry for the calendar. Yes OK we’ll have blokes as well as girls just to keep everyone happy. A panel of judges will then agree on the best shots.

No – better still… I have an idea! My website guru, Peter Butler, will probably shoot me for the logistics of this, but we shall let you guys, the former guests of Planet Inn, vote on the best ones to be included on the calendar.

I will then organize for the calendar to be printed and it will be available by mail order through the website for a minimal price to cover expenses plus a donation to a worthwhile charity.

The Rules: (There has to be a couple!)

1. Anyone can submit a photo but the person in the photo has to agree to the use of their image, so we will need their email address to verify this.

2. The person in the photo must have stayed at Planet Inn/formerly Club Red or Redbackpackers.

3. The person should be alone in the photo. Otherwise we would need you to obtain permissions from the other people in the picture.

4. Preference would probably be given to an image that depicts an Australian background or something typically Australian, so as to make the calendar more nostalgic, though of course if the photo is good enough, that might not have to apply.

5. Preference would be given to pictures of smiling (or pouting) people in bikinis or beachwear (or even lingerie), though again a classy shot with a nice dress, hiking gear etc might be just as appealing.

6. We will set up a gallery on the website so you can all keep track of the entries.

7. Contestants who feature on the calendar will receive a promotional pack including gift vouchers, souvenir items that can be mailed overseas, free Club Red Membership and of course a free calendar. (Total value will exceed $200). Entrants who don’t quite make it to the calendar will also receive a mystery consolation prize!

8. Images can be emailed or posted to us or posted on our facebook site and may be edited for resizing purposes.

9. Contestants may be from any of the 13 years for which we have now traded but entries for this competition will close at midnight on August 31^st, 2009.

Note that if we are flooded with entries, we may feature multiple photographs or even produce an accompanying booklet.

Let’s have some fun!

To see the latest entrants, go to our Gallery pages : Miss Backpacker of 2009
and Mr Backpacker of 2009.

 

Catching Crayfish

Although I have been scuba diving for over three years now and have qualified to the level of PADI Recue Diver, I have only recently experienced the joy of diving for crayfish.
Some of my friends have been engaging in this ‘cat and mouse’ game for a while now, while I have always preferred to leave marine life undisturbed, and instead take copious amounts of photographs with which I can bore anyone willing to look at them for hours on end!
Recently though, I took the plunge (excuse the pun) at Rottnest Island and in the company of the infamous “Welshie” and my girlfriend Jo, we went hunting for our dinner.
The event was a Dive Club trip organized by Neil Clarke at Perth Dive Locker and he provided the loops. I provided the venue at Planet Inn and our versatile Chef, Mel was primed ready to cook up a feast.
I have to report that it is amazingly difficult! The little rock lobsters just don’t want to be caught and will not co-operate very much.
They hide under ledges and they always have an escape route planned. When you see their antennae poking out, you have to dive down close and poke your head under the ledge. Then you ever so carefully slide a long rod past the cray as he appears to be weighing you up. On the end of your rod is a spring loaded loop which you open up so that it’s larger than him.
If you are lucky, as you bring the loop forwards towards his tail, he will panic and walk backwards into your loop which you quickly close around him. It may sound easy enough but these things are lightning fast and very adept at sidestepping the loop.

Out of about four that I tried to catch, I succeeded only once – on the first attempt, and what a thrilling moment that was.
Between us we caught five crays that day, though one was deemed to be undersize and was thrown back. By the way, you need a “Rock Lobster Licence” from the Fisheries Department and there are stringent rules so as to protect the species from over-fishing.
I can highly recommend them cooked with garlic and lemon! Ask Mel for the special recipe.
 If you want to have a go at cray diving, just experience a trial dive or actually complete a “Learn to Dive” Course, please contact our staff at Planet Inn who will help you with all the necessary information and book it for you.
Tonaldo the “Inn Man”
23rd March, 2009