Halcyon 'Surfmaster Avoca' multiplier fishing reel

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Type: Fishing reels
Date: 1940 - 1950
Place: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Materials: Aluminium, Brass, Chrome-plated brass, Nylon
Collection: Gordon Winter collection
Accession number: 1998.0029.0005

Description

A metal multiplier fishing reel with blue nylon fishing line on the spool. One side is marked "Avoca / A Halcyon Product / Surfmaster".

About the collection

This collection of piscatoriana represents a significant period in non-Aboriginal angling and big-game-fishing in Australia . During the nineteenth century most fishing equipment was imported from England. Australian manufacture of rods and reels began in the twentieth century, with the main engineering impetus being the Second World War. Prior to this fishing was characterised by ingenuity and local adaptation. This collection includes good examples of a broad range of fishing experiences in Australia - early fly fishing, beach, river and estuary fishing, and big-game-fishing. As such it is a microcosm of the history of fishing equipment in Australia. The shark rod and reel of American western writer and keen fisherman Zane Grey are the most significant items. Grey is credited with popularising big-game-fishing in Australia following his visit in 1936. During the 1930s, prior to the netting of many beaches, the 'predatory' shark represented both a real and imagined fear that loomed large in the Australian psyche.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 5:59:44 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2025-02-19. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.