Fish frenzy at famous market for Good Friday feast
Alex Mitchell, Farid Farid and Holly Hales |
Hoards of seafood lovers have hit Australia’s biggest fish market to land themselves a Good Friday feast.
As punters gear up for a bumper, back-to-back long weekend period, customers poured into the renowned Sydney Fish Market with more than 50,000 expected to buy over 650 tonnes of seafood, more than the weight of a jumbo jet.
It could be the last at the current site with a new $1 billion site set for completion in the coming year.
Joli Kosapan, who works at Peter’s Fish Market, said it was her shop’s busiest day of the year.
“Very, very busy … people have been here since 3am, 4am, and the early morning was the busiest period,” she told AAP.
“The lines here are very long and we’ve got sushi, sashimi, fresh fish, hot food and an oyster bar.”
Throngs of people surveyed shops for their pick of fresh fish, including premium options such as coral trout and crab legs, priced at $70 and $90 per kilogram.
Amy James opted for a somewhat more affordable whole snapper, coming in at $30 a kilogram.
“We’ll have a nice meal as a family tonight,” she told AAP.
The lunch rush brought lengthy queues, including a 30-deep line at Peter’s hot seafood bar.
Patiently waiting in the line were Rob Henderson and his seven-year-old son.
“He wanted to come down, so here we are,” Mr Henderson told AAP.
“It’s Good Friday, it’s fresh seafood and there’s not a lot else to do … there’s not a lot of hot food at the market so it’s worth the wait.”
Outside, market-goers sat and enjoyed their feed under a glorious autumn sun, with fresh fruit and ice cream also popular purchases along with hot and cold drinks.
In Victoria, the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Good Friday Appeal was boosted by a $1 million donation from the state government.
Premier Jacinta Allan became teary when recalling her now-teenage daughter’s stay at the hospital as an infant.
“My family is like so many other Victorian families where we’ve received that very, very special care at the Royal Children’s Hospital where our daughter spent her very first Easter,” she told reporters on Friday.
“Back then it was incredibly tough and incredibly challenging.”
Regional Australia is set to capitalise with a commercial boon expected from red-hot holiday travel, with Easter and ANZAC breaks falling on back-to-back weekends.
Towns are expected to win big with accommodation, cafes and restaurants booked out ahead of time, said NAB retail customer executive Larna Manson.
“Road trips across Australia are proving to be a more cost-effective way families can enjoy some time away and make new memories without the price tag of an overseas trip,” she said.
With temperatures expected to rise around the country, beachgoers are urged to take care this long weekend.
Heavy swells along the east coast brought tragedy, with two drownings and a fisherman dead after he was swept off the rocks.
Taking advantage of the conditions, Victoria is playing host to the world’s best surfers at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach starting Friday.
On the other side of the country, Tropical Cyclone Errol is approaching the Kimberley coast of Western Australia and will generate wind and rain into the weekend.
While a sunny and dry Easter is expected across Queensland, widespread major flooding continues for southwest Queensland, northeast South Australia and northern New South Wales.
AAP
