Arnold, the giant Murray River cod

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We’re in the Victorian town of Swan Hill tonight. Although the country here is flat and roads are good, the wind was strong which meant you needed to concentrate on staying on the road. Once we’d unhitched the caravan in a park we drove around town and found this Giant Murray Cod. The Murray cod of Australia is fully enshrined in aboriginal folklore and is an enigma of the ancient river system made up of the Murray, Darling and other rivers in the area. He is cunning and wise and not easily caught by those without indepth knowledge of his habits and habitat. The stock of Murray cod (Maccullochella peeli) has been sadly depleted but catches of 180lb (81kg) were once not uncommon. Because of the threat to their existence, they are now being bred and introduced back into Victorian and New South Wales waters. It is a large groper-like fish with a large mouth and broad head. It is covered in small scales and the colour varies according to its locality. Mostly they are dark olive-green to blue and grey-brown mottling and off-white on the under surfaces. It is Australia’s largest fresh water fish, reaching up to 1.8 metres (5.9 feet) long and 113.5 kgs (250.22 lb) in weight. They live for up to 30 years. Arnold was originally constructed in 1991 as a prop for the movie ‘Eight Ball’. The steel skeleton measures 15 metres (49 ft) long and is 5 metres (16 ft) high by 3 metres (10ft) wide. It cost around $35,000 to create. I’m pleased to be able to add another ‘giant’ sculpture to my list.