Port Franklin Fishing Legend Wayne Cripps

To say that Wayne Cripps has commercial fishing in his blood is an understatement, actually he probably has saltwater flowing through his veins as well. Wayne, in his mid 60s’ has been fishing his whole adult life from Port Franklin on Corner Inlet in South Gippsland.

He is the 4th generation of the Cripps family to be fishing from this location. It was his great grandfather William Cripps who emigrated from Cornwall in the UK in 1864 and was the first commercial fisherman to sail into Corner Inlet, up the Franklin River and set up camp on the banks of Bowen, as Port Franklin was originally called. There was nothing there at all when he first arrived as a true pioneer of the district. He could see the potential of the area and began the commercial fishing industry there, his heritage listed house still stands in Port Franklin. William (Bill) came from a long line of Cornish fisherman and so he could easily adapt to the different conditions here on the other side of the globe. The timber sail boats they used then would leave on the tide to make their way out of the river and into the bay. They would have to stay out for several days fishing before using the tide again to return. Once the industry began to thrive a horse drawn tramway was built to take their catch to the Bennison Railway station (no longer existing) to sell further afield. They used seaweed to keep the fish cool as they were transported by the train to Melbourne.

Tramway Street in Port Franklin is an echo of those bygone days. Local folklore tells of the Tram Operator being killed when his horse was spooked causing it to rear. The driver was thrown off and trampled by the horse. The town of Port Franklin grew to support the industry with a school and shop, none of these still exist though the small school building remains. The industry grew and eventually fishing licences were issued by the government. The fishermen regulated themselves with their catches, careful not to overfish this valuable natural resource.

Wayne grew up first attending school at Port Franklin, one of 14 in the tiny one room school building, then moved on to a newly opened Technical School in Leongatha. This suited his practical hands-on nature, but he was always destined to be a fisherman. The impressive aspect about Wayne and others is that they mastered their craft learning from knowledge handed down from generations. He has an instinctive understanding of the sea, tides and weather that can only be gleaned after a lifetime being involved with his daily lifestyle. He recalls that there was only one time when the over confidence of youth caused him trouble.

“I was too cocky,” he says, “and hit a hidden reef in calm water and lost the boat.” Luckily, he and his two crew were able to stay aboard the lopsided vessel while the local water police came to their rescue.

His fishing life has been one of constant striving to improve and adapt to changing times. He is a passionate advocate for his industry and has been a loud and vocal voice to preserve this way of life that has been quickly disappearing. In the past, Victoria had commercial fishing licences in Anderson Inlet, Corner Inlet, Gippsland Lakes, Lake Tyers, Mallacoota Inlet, Shallow Inlet, Tamboon Inlet and Port Phillip/ Western Port Bay, with 244 licences current in 1989. Today Corner Inlet is the only commercial fishing ground left with only 18 licences still current. This means that apart from deep sea fishing only 18% of fish available in Victoria is fresh caught locally and the rest is imported. The aim has been to reduce commercial fishing in favour of recreational fishing. Other states have less reductive policies.

Wayne wonders what the future holds for his and future generations in this industry. He has four sons, two who are involved in the fishing industry, one in Corner Inlet and the other deep Sea; they are the 10th generation in the Cripps family fishing dynasty. The number of restrictions and regulations are ever increasing. Wayne looks back to his father’s 70 year fishing career and all he ever had to do was renew his licence each year. He never realised how easy he had it then.

Along the way Wayne has always tried to safeguard his livelihood by diversifying. He was ever conscious of being able to provide for his wife Linda and the four boys. For 20 years Wayne and Linda operated a shop at their Port Franklin site selling fresh fish. It was extremely popular with locals and employed several staff, they also sold their catch at local farmers’ markets in the area. Their son Jake now operates the very popular Port Albert Fish and Chip Co. which is a favourite destination for people from across Gippsland. The family catch fish daily to supply the café, it can’t get any fresher than straight off the boat and into the kitchen!

A fisherman’s life I learnt is never one of idleness. When returning from a trip or if the weather is too rough to go out there are plenty of things they need to turn their hands to. They must upkeep their » jetties, keep the maintenance up on their boats and the never-ending task of repairing nets. This age old job has never changed! Seals and sharks play havoc with the nets and so a fisherman must slowly repair the holes they make. A slow hand worked skill that Wayne’s forefathers would still relate to.

Wayne is so well known all down the eastern Victorian coastline that it’s not a surprise that the CFA in Mallacoota made a mayday call to him in January 2020 after the devastating New Year’s Eve bushfires isolated and crippled the town. Wayne’s large vessel the ‘Charrissa’ was put into service laden with donated goods and more importantly fuel for the generators. Though these had been delivered they were useless without fuel and nobody else was available to deliver it. He and his volunteer crew began the trip up the coast and called into ports along the way to pick up even more donations until they were full to capacity. A flotilla of local boaties came out to unload the cargo which included lifesaving medical supplies, all manner of goods and the most needed items such as female sanitary products and toilet rolls. His unheralded actions most likely saved many lives.

“He found a Gippsland illustrator who was able to translate his vision into reality and after much hard work the first book was published.” am always amazed at the depth of talent that surrounds us, in people such as Wayne Cripps, a humble, everyday bloke with a loving family, grandkids and his wife Linda who has accompanied him on every part of his journey. The nonchalance with which he downplays his expertise and skills is a typical Aussie trait. He’s called a legend in his industry and seen as a bloody hard worker. Let’s hope that he is able to cruise through calm seas ahead for many years to come. gl

Several years ago, Wayne was hospitalised with a severe medical condition and was laid up for weeks. In his hospital bed he mused on many things and considered how his unique knowledge of the sea and its creatures could be given to others, especially children. He began thinking how he could explain the lives of the sea creatures in a simple and easy to understand manner. Thus was born, ‘Oscar the Octopus’ the first of a series of children’s books aimed at very young readers. Once recovered he spent many long nights at home down the selfpublishing rabbit hole, a journey with many twists, turns, ups and downs.

He found a Gippsland illustrator who was able to translate his vision into reality and after much hard work the first book was published. He continued this path and released seven more titles in the same vein. These books are nostalgic in their simplicity and he refers to them as ‘non-fiction’ children’s books because they impart their information in a format that children (and probably) parents can understand. Wayne was the worthy winner of the Victorian Seafood Association Promotion Award in 2024 for educating children with his books. The books are available directly from him and in several stores around the Gippsland region.

A highlight of visiting Wayne was being able to accompany him on a trip on his boat to retrieve the morning catch, a job he usually does singlehandedly every fishing day. This day he had his son Lucas as deckhand, he is also a fulltime commercial fisherman with his own boats. Easing out of Port Franklin into the calm waters of the majestic Corner Inlet was a treat, though was fully aware that it was not always this way! The weather gods favoured us as I witnessed these master fishermen ply their skills. They moved automatically from one job to another, explaining to me as they went the tasks they were performing. It’s such a pleasure to watch people so adept and skillful at their job. Wayne has such an encyclopedic knowledge of the area as he explained all about the channels, tides and wildlife, especially the fish. With the catch onboard we headed back to port, the glorious Wilson’s Promontory as our backdrop. It was truly a magical journey of discovery!

Get in touch with Wayne at waynecripps9@gmail.com