The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - Aussie Style

Toadfish - This guy can chomp a toe

God made this magnificent country with thousands of miles of sensational coastline, hundreds upon hundred of the most beautiful white and golden beaches, countless awesome islands, atolls and reefs with endless seas, rivers, inlets and streams. All this so man could enjoy.

But then, Mother Nature, who must have been having a bad day, came along and introduced a myriad of stingy things (deadly box jelly fish, even deadlier invisible jelly fish: the irukandji, blue octopus, stone fish, butterfly cod, dengue carrying mosquitoes and scorpions to name just a few) and for good measure all the bitey things she could think of (sea and land snakes, sand flies, sharks (lots and lots of those), crocodiles (fresh and salt water), dingoes, spiders and toad fish) just to ensure that man couldn't go swimming or wandering freely without a challenge or two or three or......

With snakes alone, there are 384 known species, 90% of those are poisonous and 25 are deadly. Australia is the only continent where venomous snakes constitute the majority of species.

However, there is a positive side: Australia has the most incredible bird, fish and animal life not to mention scenery, people and way of life, but some things are designed to keep you on your toes.  For the sake of identification, I've included some borrowed photos so you can see what I'm referring to.

Funnel web spider

The deadly Irukandji

Salt water crocodile

Highly venomous Taipan

 

Toadfish

Blue Ringed Octopus

Box Jellyfish

Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach, Hook & Hayman Islands

View from the south end of Hayman Island

 

After leaving Hamilton Island, we sailed over to Shute Harbour on the mainland where we hid out for protection against the North-westerly winds for a couple of days. No sooner had we arrived when we heard from Peter on Troutbridge that he was almost there as well. He's made brilliant time catching up - it was terrific to meet up with him again and share a few drinks and dinner aboard Calypso. When we had left him behind in Brisbane, we weren't sure if he'd be in a position to carry on northwards or simply have to give up on his cruising for good. He's now booked and will be joining us on the Indonesian Rally up to Singapore.

Airlie Beach

While there, we took a bus trip over to Airlie Beach, a small tourist town which had, surprisingly, some great supermarkets for stocking up with some of those essentials. We had a good look around the town, enjoyed some local fish and chips and then picked up some desperately needed fruit and veggies before returning.

Aboriginal rock art

In fairly gusty conditions, we left there and opted for a short trip over to Nara Inlet on Hook Island in the Whitsundays where we visited a cave site with some ancient Aboriginal rock paintings. After a one night stay, it was then another short hop up to Hayman Island. Conditions were definitely getting a bit boisterous by now but we were able to pick up a mooring buoy placed there by the Parks authorities to help to protect the nearby reefs and negating the need to drop anchor (so much easier).

That afternoon we decided to go for a bit of exercise which proved to be an extended hike around Hayman Island where we had a good many sightings of wallabies, the smaller and darker cousin to the kangaroo. I described this hike as 'extended' simply because we got so horribly lost when trying to follow the path to Cook's Lookout point and ended up, hours later, in the lavish resort and marina on the South-west corner with the sun starting to set with still a considerable distance to go to get back up to the Blue Pearl Bay on the North-west side of the island where we had left the dinghy and Calypso.

Luck was with us as we met some folks in a golf cart who, upon hearing our plight, kindly drove us to the steps leading up to the hiking trail that would take us back to our bay. This saved us at least an hour which meant that we arrived back at our dinghy (somewhat exhausted) just in time to watch the sun go down.

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Looking out to the entrance of Nara Inlet

Hiking up Hayman - that black mass behind our dinghy is a solid shoal of fish

View overlooking the Whitsundays

This is the only one that posed for us

Our anchorage

Hamilton Island, Whitsundays

Well, it's either feast or famine.   After days of too much wind, we were reduced to nothing or, if there was a tiny bit, it was either straight on the nose or right up our backsides. There are 360° for the wind to choose to come from but.... if we're going Northwest, guess where it's coming from? If we're heading Southwest, guess where it's coming from? No prizes for this competition!

We have an SSB radio net which we listen to each morning while on passage and we'd hear others further north or south with just the right amount of wind from just the right direction which can be more than somewhat frustrating when we're having to motor.

Our next stop was in the Whitsundays to spend a few of days at Hamilton Island in the hopes of having a couple of things repaired. And yes, you guessed it, beautiful winds just when we weren't going anywhere!

Upon arrival, Paul immediately set out to find someone who could do some stainless steel welding. No one on the island apparently but there was a chap living on a boat just up on the next island who could do the job. We needed to have a leaking joint in our water maker sorted out as well the leak in the main fuel tank. The latter involves removing the entire tank from its under-the-sole-boards position which is definitely not a five minute job – are they ever?

We were able to get the water maker pipe welded but the fuel tank proved to be another problem. We think the boat must have been built around it and cannot see any way of getting the damned thing out to have it tested. In the end, we filled it full of water, put it under a little bit of pressure and sat waiting to see what would happen. It seems to have a very slow leak of about 10 litres a day but that adds up and we certainly can't afford to lose that not to mention what it would be doing to the environment if it were pumped out of the bilge. When all else fails, bury your head in the sand and pretend the problem's not there – Paul's isolated the tank and we'll wait until we have a better safety margin of time. Right now, we need to keep going.

Next our dinghy engine let us down so we were stuck out in the bay for two days while Paul worked on it however, Engineer von Wiese mastered the task and we were finally able to get in to stroll around, make use of the islands fabulous free showers and do three weeks worth of laundry.

View from our Anchorage

Hamilton is a very popular tourist destination so it sports all the usual paraphernalia one would expect with such a spot; resort, restaurants, pubs, discotheques, souvenir shops, charter boats, water sports, etc etc. (none of which we can afford). And, unfortunately, some rather out-of-character high-rise apartment blocks.

The island is full of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos – those gorgeous parrots we have only ever seen in cages before. There were dozens of them everywhere, cheeky little (well, not so little) sods trying to steal everyone's food. I'd seen some in trees at a great distance but, this time they were right at hand. Loved it!

If anyone else is as old as I am and grew up reading Enid Blyton's Adventure Series with the four kids and Kiki the parrot, you'll know why I so loved seeing these chaps all around me.
 

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Such a gorgeous setting

Looking out over the Marina

They were wherever the food was

The Yacht Club designed like a whale's tail

Lady Musgrave Island and Lagoon

Leaving Lady Musgrave with Nelson in tow

“It was a dark and stormy night”

“It was a wildly turbulent, gusty and rainy night”

“It was a miserable, fearsome and tempestuous night”

“It was a fiercely wretched and raging night”

Oh hell, it was all those things!

Twenty miles after leaving the Great Sandy Straits and Fraser Island behind, we were out into Hervey Bay heading northwards towards the southernmost islands of the Great Barrier Reef. We started with the most perfect sailing conditions, moving along with a poled out jenny at over seven knots; sunny skies and flat waters. Yup, but all good things come to an end. Halfway through, we decided to make it an overnighter and go towards Lady Musgrave Island. No sooner were we in a 'no alternative' position than the winds turned to gale force, the rain came down in sheets and it proved thoroughly cold and miserable.

Conditions were also forcing us to move far too fast towards our destination, a tiny atoll with an extremely narrow and winding opening so we simply dropped sails and sat out the night still moving at over three knots towards our goal. 

By morning, the conditions were still hideous but we hoped for a slight break at the moment critique. The entrance was much narrower than expected with one hell of an outgoing current which always makes for difficult steering in tight conditions and, the damned thing wasn't exactly where either of our charts indicated. However, we could just make our a few marker buoys through the heavy rain and managed, with Paul standing at the bow pointing out the route, to make our way through all the bommies (coral heads), drop anchor and fall into bed with a hot cup-of-soup for brunch. Phew!

When we woke later that day, it was still howling but Paul managed about an hour of scraping - every little bit helps.  There were a couple of other boats taking refuge there and it looked like a really pretty spot if and when we could see through the intense rain.

In the end, we rested there for a couple of days.  By the third, conditions hadn't improved that much but we needed to carry on.  So, just as the sun rose on the third morning, we again braved the elements, bommies and entrance.  This time, however, we had the track in to follow which didn't stop the knees from shaking but it did give us a very welcoming guide.  No sooner had we left the pass when the clouds started to break up and, although somewhat breezy, we ended up with a beautiful day out there.

We hadn't even picked up the anchor when a seagull (naturally named Nelson) kept landing aboard and he eventually stayed with us for many hours even taking bread right from my hand.  He only finally gave up on us when we had to jibe in some fairly strong winds; guess he didn't like all the activity and noise.

We had well over 60nm to go to our next anchorage on Northwest Island in the available short daylight hours but in those winds, we averaged over 7,5 knots and dropped anchor in plenty of time to relax and enjoy our evening sundowner.  Unfortunately, it proved to be an extremely rolly anchorage but we were off a first hint of daylight the following morning.



Again, it was quite a distance but the winds were favourable and we managed to arrive at our next stop, Port Clinton, just as the sun was setting and a new moon appeared.

 
 

 

 This time, it was a flat calm anchorage with a beautiful setting so no complaints from the captain and crew of Calypso.








PHOTO GALLERY:

Nelson keeping watch

The anchorage at Northwest Island

Mount Flinders anchorage at Port Clinton

Sandy Straits & Fraser Island

Our next venture was to negotiate the infamous Wide Bay Bar, a sandy bar one has to cross in order to reach the Sandy Straits inside Fraser Island. Here we were really fortunate. The weather was relatively benign and, despite the fact that we went through on a fairly low tide, we managed to negotiate the “Mad Mile”, a turbulent washing machine of waters leading into the straits and into calmer waters. 

 

The coast guard services there are amazing. The sands on the bar shift constantly so the coast guard issue regular waypoints to assist in negotiating the reefs and they were spot on. They're on watch the entire time to see that all boats manage the transit safely and, I suppose, would immediately send out a rescue vessel should anyone run into difficulties. It certainly gives a sense of security but I wouldn't want to try this in stormy conditions.

Calypso - oops!

Once inside, it was so much calmer but very shallow in a number of areas. So much so that, with the shifting sand bars, despite following the recommended route, it still landed us in trouble. We touched ground on a falling tide and there we stuck, eventually lying on our side awaiting the incoming tide to lift us off again. 

According to the chart, it should have been deeper water on the starboard side and shallower on the port but it was exactly the opposite in reality. 

 

Viatrix - oops again!

I was at the helm when we grounded so felt a bi guilty but was somewhat vindicated when friends in another boat with a much shallower keel, went aground just behind us.  So, the two of us lay there feeling rather foolish but Paul used the time to his advantage and managed to finish scraping the starboard hull while it was exposed.  

Now all we need do is run aground again and flip over to expose the port hull then we'd have a nice clean bottom all round!  Getting into the water to scrape is, by advice, not an option.  The bay is home to bull and tiger sharks with the appearance of the odd croc.

 

No sooner had we re-floated than our engine died causing us to have to drop anchor in the middle of the channel. Paul had to change all the fuel filters which obviously became a tad clogged with our various fuel issues we've been having. Fun and games – no peace for the wicked.

The following night, we stopped at an anchorage near a resort which offered some nice hikes and facilities such as a swimming pool and the best hot showers we've found in a month of Sundays. What a pleasure.

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Calypso at anchor in the Sandy Straits

The various stages of the bottlebrush flower

 

& his friend

I hope this is the only croc we encounter

Mooloolaba

Upon making our way down the Brisbane River to the mouth, we spent a day anchored in Morton Bay for Paul to scrape the hull of all the growth we'd acquired during our stay up the river. After a couple of hours at this, with him still not feeling his best, he took a break announcing that it was going to need a lot more work to see it right but that was not going to happen now.

Wishing to press on, we left in the morning to head up the dredged channel towards Mooloolaba, a residential/marina area full of canals with megabuck homes and megabuck boats. The entrance to the channel into the canals is extremely shallow for a keel boat so we were forced to sit outside waiting for the incoming tide later that evening. Timing was such that we managed to get inside on a rising tide just before the sun set with still enough light to find ourselves a spot to drop the anchor that wasn't too too shallow at low tide. What a pretty spot. The canals are lined with beautiful waterfront homes each, seemingly, with their own jetties and expensive power or sail boat. 

One of our main reasons for stopping there was to meet up with an old friend and work colleague from South Africa who had moved to Australia over 25 years ago. It was great to touch sides again Neville, you have chosen a beautiful part of the world to settle in. In hindsight, we should have followed in your footsteps.

 

We also met up with some good friends of our Cooee friends and spent a pleasant evening with them at one of the many BBQ facilities Queensland offers throughout. They have also chosen to settle in Australia.

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