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by Bryce Corbett

You can accuse Clive Palmer of being many things (just ask the Federal Court), but shrinking violet is not one of them.

Until now.

The rambunctious sometime politician and businessman – who now gleefully describes himself as a "retiree from the Gold Coast" – has been on a concerted belt-tightening exercise of late, dropping a whopping 47 kilograms since quitting politics in July.

During a regular catch-up with one of Rear Window's trusty operatives, Palmer proudly revealed that in the past seven months he has slimmed down from 153kg to a svelte 106kg (all things being relative).

While he hasn't given up his appetite for legal action, especially liquidators chasing the $300 million in debts from the collapse of his Queensland Nickel refinery, it appears he has eased up on the fish and chips.

His companies, Styx Coal and Fairway Coal, are planning to build a new coal mine on his cattle property in Rockhamption. This is the same property FTI Consulting tried – and failed – to sell last year in the aftermath of the Queensland Nickel collapse.

But it's nothing to do with him now, he says.

"It's being done by one of our companies. I'm not into coal, I'm retired," he said. "I'm looking forward to playing bowls on the Gold Coast. I've been offered membership at a couple of bowls clubs."

But don't expect the newly sporty Palmer to be joined on the bowling green by his nephew, the former QNI managing director Clive Mensink.

More "incredible disappearing man" than "shrinking man", Mensink – who left Australia when the proverbial hit the fan after the collapse of QNI – is on the brink of breaking all known human records for overseas travel.

Liquidators have tried and failed to contact Mensink, who, according to Palmer, was last seen on a cruise somewhere between Helsinki and St Petersburg.

Palmer says now he has heard only "intermittently" from his nephew.

"I think he's enjoying himself somewhere," he told us. "I don't know what he's doing really. He'd always planned to go away for a year.

"FTI never served him with the document when they were supposed to. They decided they wanted him around. He waited around for a month or so and when he left Australia they tried to serve him. Big deal."

With Palmer expected to return to the witness box next month over the QNI collapse, don't expect Clive jnr to join him any time soon.

Our tip to liquidators: scour the cabins of the UK's Mundy Cruising's latest offering – the "world's longest cruise" of all seven continents in 357 days. Book it, Danno.