Goolwa and the Goolwa pipi

@JudyEv (323672)
Rockingham, Australia
May 25, 2018 12:09am CST
Goolwa in South Australia is an historic river port on the Murray River. The name means ‘elbow’ in the local aboriginal dialect. We stayed with friends in nearby Adelaide and they took us to visit the town. It is a popular holiday resort and home to the PS (paddle steamer) Oscar W. On odd-numbered years the town hosts the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Goolwa is also a Cittaslow town and the first non-European town to gain Cittaslow status. I’ll do another post about that. The left-hand sign is hardly conducive to having a pleasant day on the beach but maybe the locals are tough. The right-hand sign gives information about the harvesting of the Goolwa pipi or cockle. These were once collected purely as bait but are now considered a delicacy. There are strict limits regarding their harvest and, as you can see, big penalties for those who err. Only certain sizes can be taken in certain areas and numbers are limited. The molluscs are enticed to the surface by gatherers doing the ‘cockle shuffle’. However there have been times when cockle-collecting had been banned due to the level of E. coli found in the cockles.
12 people like this
9 responses
@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
25 May 18
Cockles (as well as other bivalve) should never been eaten during the month without a "R". They are fine from September through April, this in our northern hemisphere. E.coli was common in the south of Italy during summer, because there they do not respect the rules and they eat raw mussels during hot months.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
25 May 18
We say that for oysters in France, but not cockles, I cannot imagine to eat them raw.
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@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
25 May 18
@topffer I only eat oysters raw, my husband also eat mussels, sea urchins and clams. I have seen raw cockles on some "plateau de fruits de mer". I am not a big fan of raw shellfish, except oysters that I like.
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@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
25 May 18
@topffer You need to let the cockles in clean salted water for several hours to clean the inside. Sea urchins are such a pain to open and eat, it's not something I want to try. I like scallops, a bit cooked, only a bit.
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@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
25 May 18
They should have this rules in the Philippines as well .. Over there, they get what ever they can get no matter what size of anything and sell them too ..
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
27 May 18
@JudyEv Yes.. that is exactly what is happening there .. I think if no one buys those undersized catch, fishermen will put them back into the water ...
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
Eventually the supply will dry up and there will be no more cockles. Unfortunately it is necessary to have some rules about how many you can harvest.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 18
@epiffanie They are obviously very serious about stopping illegal harvesting. That's a very hefty fine they're imposing.
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@topffer (42156)
• France
25 May 18
The left sign is not very encouraging. Seeing that horses are authorized I translate it by "Follow quickly your way, stranger, and don't turn over". And a cockle called "pipi" ? Hmm, it means wee in French, d*ck in Spanish, this one is not for me.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 May 18
Haha. Yes, I don't know where the 'pipi' came from. Names can put you off can't they?
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@topffer (42156)
• France
25 May 18
@JudyEv Pipis should ask to the PETA to advocate for changing their name.
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@valmnz (17100)
• New Zealand
26 May 18
Much of my childhood summer was spent pipi collecting! Unfortunately we have more and more scares of disease outbreaks that forbid it in most areas now.
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@valmnz (17100)
• New Zealand
27 May 18
@JudyEv I actually thought pipi was a Maori word.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 18
@valmnz It seems it is a Maori word. Maybe there a lot of Maoris living in the area. We do have quite large populations in some areas.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
So you called them pipis too? I've never heard the term before.
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@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
26 May 18
Ewww-E.coli Something to give one pause before they gather @JudyEv
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
I would be avoiding the cockles all the time I think. What if the E.coli were early in arriving or whatever?
• Eugene, Oregon
27 May 18
That beach sounds a bit hazardous, especially the snake part! Have you eaten cockles before?
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 18
Haha. Yes, I was thinking the non-Aussies' fears about Australia are only going to be reinforced by the sign. I haven't eaten cockles and I don't think I'll bother. Who knows when the E coli might be present?
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
25 May 18
I have never eaten wild clams (cockles) I always thought it would be fun to go to a clam bake though. I think that was the title of an Elvis Presley movie.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
I've never eaten clams either. At least I don't think I have.
@JohnRoberts (109865)
• Los Angeles, California
25 May 18
Snakes at the beach? There must be1000s of those cockles if a person can collect 300 daily.
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
There were certainly a lot of empty shells on the beach. They are quite small so you'd need a lot to get a decent feed.
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@josie_ (9764)
• Philippines
25 May 18
I'm more interested in what a "cockle shuffle" is. Are there similarities with the Melbourne shuffle?
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@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 May 18
I've no idea what either of the shuffles are but somehow it helps brings the cockles to the surface.
1 person likes this