Lianne
We departed South White Cliffs, and on the recommendation of those on board for the previous night’s drinks, we headed to Kingfisher Bay. It was any easy run North and as we approached to drop anchor, there were a few boats already positioned in the prime spots close to the wharf, so we opted for a little further down the beach. As we arrived around 1, we headed into Kingfisher Bay Resort for a pub lunch and a drink.
As the beach at Kingfisher has an exceptionally low rise and we were in the middle of spring tides (big tidal range) we did have to keep checking TT (The Tender) to make sure we wouldn’t be swimming to get back into it! And after dragging it up the beach we are realising why so many of the heavier tenders have beach wheels attached. Sitting at the Sunset bar, with another leisurely drink we watched the 4WDs loaded up with camping gear, line up and then drive along the jetty to board the car ferry to take them back to the mainland. An explore up the beach in TT gave me a couple of great photo opportunities with an old jetty, now in ruins whilst Stuart explored the beach.
After a quiet night on board, we motored up the coast of Fraser Island, enjoying not having to be on sandbar watch and the changing scenery. We soon discovered we would know be on whale watch, as a juvenile humpback surfaced 50ft from us, heading the other direction without a care in the world.
Fraser island must be fantastic to explore by car/4WD if the coastline is any indication. The scenery is constantly changing as is the fauna and flora. Arch Cliff was our next anchorage and there was just us and one other boat, “Spirit of The Wind”, which was anchored about 500m away. Obviously this area was named after the soaring cliffs of various coloured sands, which that night protected us nicely from the winds. As we watched yet another great sunset, you could hear the soft breaking of the waves on the beach….. and see the occasional 4WD lights racing down the beach to get a good fishing spot.
On the move again, and this time crossing Hervey Bay to head into Bundaberg. We started off earlier than Spirit of The Wind, but as she is a cat, halfway there she overtook us, and we were happy for her to lead the way into Port Bundy. A radio call between the two boats a little later did reveal that she had one motor running the entire trip whilst we had finally got a proper sail in with no engine! Port Bundaberg entrance is clearly marked with 10 channel markers due to the large ships coming in for the sugar mills, immediately after the entrance there is a break wall, where a marina once was and approx. a mile further in Port Bundaberg marina, where we are booked for two nights.
The fuel wharf here can only take one boat at a time, so whilst we waited for Spirit of the Wind to refuel, we carefully watched the depth reading ….0.1m to 0.3m below our keel was a little too close for our liking but knowing it was a mud bottom helped a little (a mud bottom if you touch will not damage the boat). Fuelled up and into a pen – A bit of a walk to amenities but nice and deep – we had 0.9m under the keel! As this marina is 20km from town, we grabbed a cab and headed to the shops to reprovision, passing by the famous Bundaberg distillery home of Bundaberg Rum. We did not stop , honestly we did not. Stuart, (my rum loving hubby), wants to do the “blend your own rum” tour and it only operates Friday and Saturday. Today is Tuesday and we are leaving Thursday – so we are hoping days line up correctly for the trip back home later in the year.
After a very long hot shower, we headed to the marina café for dinner. The booking was originally for 4 (Pyrenees and Spirit of The Wind), it increased to 7 as another cat “Wind Cheetah” joined us and halfway through became 9 as the table beside ours “Cat-man-do” decided to join their table to the end of ours. We had a great night, good food, nice wine, lots of story telling and picked up some good tips as all had done the trip before. As we all departed sundowners were organised for tomorrow night.
I had an assignment due for my photography course so the day in port was spent with me trying to do intricate macro photography on a moving boat (unfortunately a pen does not mean its still!) and Stuart doing the chores. First up, off to his favourite shop, the chandlery to get a part for our water pump that had decided to split in half whilst we were off Arch Cliff. Luckily, we have a salt water pump, that has exactly the same part so we had dismantled that pump and used that so we still had running fresh water. Then a few loads of laundry and of course helping wife decide which photo to submit minutes before we headed for Sundowners and to get advice on Lady Musgrave Island.
Leaving Port Bundaberg on a very cold morning
Lady Musgrave Island is part of the Capricorn Cay National Park, located 51nm Northeast of Bundaberg and surrounded by coral reefs. On the Northwestern side of the island the reefs have formed a lagoon which is quite large and a lovely anchorage in the right weather conditions. The next 5 days were showing conditions to be perfect. We planned our departure for first light the next morning (Thursday) and departed into a soft sunrise, with the temperature at 7deg C (and we thought we were in Queensland). The trip was magic, cold but magic, motor sailing with both the sails up and a gentle sea. The weather gods and King Neptune were finally smiling on us!
As Lady Musgrave appeared in the distance, the marine life activity started to increase. Lots of seabirds and fish breaking the surface. A turtle appeared and some dolphins played around Pyrenees’ hull. Again, I failed to capture them, and they took off to visit the boat behind (there were quite few heading in the same direction). Camera away, chatting away and next minute a dolphin leapt right out of the water at our bow and as quickly as it had appeared it was gone! Such a great surprise and luckily, we both saw it, as I think if only one had we would not have believed the other.
Once you arrive at the Island, your journey really starts as it is another hour (for us) around the reef to the narrow entrance. Low tide had bottomed out an hour before we got there but the tide was still flowing out of the lagoon which is clearly marked. Once in, it is HUGE but littered with coral bommies, so the marriage savers (headsets) were on, and I was positioned on the bow so I could see what was around the boat and give Stuart directions to avoid the coral. One would think that with all the stress of some of our previous days, things would be smooth as by now, but no the tension coming in was high and we may not have played nice (as our home neighbour says to us) the entire time, but mostly we did! Slowly we edged in, dodging where needed and getting Rocky settled into a nice sandy patch so he or the chain would not do any damage of the coral.
It is beautiful, just as everyone said it would be, you are well off the coast, have a little sand island and this amazing lagoon. At high tide you see nothing but the island, an expanse of water and the other boats. At low tide, the reef is exposed, there is breaking waves on the outside of the reef, and coral heads protrude in areas inside the lagoon and off the end of the island. We spent three nights here. The first night there was only about fifteen boats in but by Friday night there would have been 50 but you would never know as it is so large.
Exploring the island was timed with the tides to ensure we could get TT safely in and out of the coral and to avoid the day trippers that come in on tourist ferries. A well worn path leads from the landing area, through the centre of the island. Its cool, covered by an amazing canopy of Pisona trees, and teeming with little Buff banded Rails (birds) foraging on the ground. The path forks and you can continue through the forest or head to the camping area, which takes you to to the western beach. The beach is littered with broken coral, clam shells and fallen She Oaks. Shorebirds warily watch you as you walk past but do not flee, and some areas are marked off as bird or turtle nesting areas. The water, well the colour is breathtakingly beautiful. You could have just as easily been on a beach in the Maldives or Tahiti and the colour or view would not be any better! We are truly a very lucky country.
The Lagoon is a great explore too, running around in TT, watching the Loggerhead turtles (endangered) watch you. Admiring the coral, which is so easily seen from above the water, but with finally some warmth in the air, wetsuits were on and we had a great snorkel on a few different bommies. Visibility was not great, but it was nice to get into the water and check out the tropical fish. We would have loved to have gone out to the breakers on the outer reef but it was too shallow even for TT to get through.
Social life was in full swing, with sundowners on Pyrenees with some of our dinner companions from Bundaberg and another boat all the way from Tassie with their 5 month old baby. Ten fitted snugly in the cockpit and we watched a beautiful sunset. The next night we headed to one of the catamarans and met some different boats and all the talk was where to next. Many were taking the opportunity to head to another outer reef, Fitzroy whilst the weather forecast remains calm. We have a deadline be in Yeppoon so we are heading back towards the mainland.
It amazes us how social the cruising life is, everyone has been lovely and so willing to let us pepper them with questions regarding anchorages and places to see. It is all very civilised though. It starts at 4.30pm and everyone is super punctual, if not early. You bring a small plate of nibbles, or some chips or nuts, your beverage of choice and glasses. You chat, watch the sun drop below the horizon, finish your drinks and by 6.15 you are back on your own boat or your guests have departed. Best bit – no cleaning up, except for one plate and two glasses!
Heading out of the lagoon, on Sunday, was much easier…just follow the track on the chart plotter and Navionics app of our route in, as you wave goodbye to new acquaintances amidst calls of “ see you further north”. Our plan today was a 5 hour run to Pancake Creek, just south of the major port of Gladstone. As we were nearing our destination after motor sailing most of the way (very light winds currently), we changed course to go to the next anchorage north, Rodds Harbour as it should be more protected from the NE swell that is running at present. It is a little further but we think it will be worth it for a calmer nights sleep.
We are now safely tucked up in Rodds, which is a very expansive harbour surrounded by native bushland and deserted beaches. From the reviews we thought it would be more scenic or have we just been spoilt by our last few days at Lady Musgrave? We were stopping for 2 nights and after some quick calculations and checking what King Neptune has planned, we are shortening it to one night and heading off at 5 am tomorrow.
Till next week or when we can….
STUART’S VIEW
Departing South White Cliffs we motor sailed to the Kingfisher Bay Resort for bar food and cocktails ashore before exploring the old timber mill wharf. Paw prints were found but hard to tell if they were dingoes or someone had brought their dog ashore. We never saw or heard one dingo whilst anchored along Fraser Island so we definitely need to come back.
Next day we motor sailed and sailed for at least an hour to our anchorage at Arch Cliffs. The passage saw some negotiating between sand bars and over areas the chart described as “shifting sands”. We are becoming quite adept at picking a route through these areas and Lianne guiding me between the Raymarine charts and the Navionics charts – apparently, she’s quite a skilled multi-tasker and perhaps that is our success factor in the navigation between shallow spots! The anchorage at Arch Cliffs was a bit unnerving as we were a few hundred metres from shore due to the very shallow bottom, so it felt like we were anchored in the middle of the ocean. That said it was a lovely and remote location. Our friends on Spirit of the Wind were our only real company but also several hundred metres away.
Bundaberg was our next port of call and saw us reprovision the boat, undertake repairs to a water pump and kick back for a day whilst we sat out a strong wind warning. More meals ashore and a few more cocktails and though we didn’t make the rum distillery this time, there is a plan for the southward return 😊
Our good run with the weather took a turn for the better with calm winds and seas predicted for the next few days so we decided to depart the marina before sunrise and make the 53 mile trip to Lady Musgrave Island. We spent the most amazing 3 days there in a setting that we found more beautiful than places like the Maldives could produce. Our arrival at Musgrave was punctuated by dolphins escorting us and one jumping off our starboard bow … fabulous !! Finding our anchorage within the coral cay was a bit stressful after negotiating a narrow entrance through the coral, Lianne guided me between coral bommies and we set the anchor. As the wind rose above the forecast 15 knots, the words of the cruising guide about not being able to reset the anchor at night in the lagoon rang in our ears as Pyrenees started to move uncomfortably as the tide overtopped the reef and exposed us to the seas generated by the winds. Lianne was up on the bow playing out some extra anchor chain and Pyrenees seemed to settle into a more comfortable motion. The winds did drop as forecast in the middle of the night and we then spent to rest of our time at this magnificent spot walking, photographing, having sundowners with our new cruising friends and our first snorkel after a month of cruising. We saw turtles, plenty of fish and birds inside the lagoon and more dolphins on the day we left.
The need for internet and my NFP board role, forced us to leave our new paradise and more light breeze and low swell saw us motorsail 46 miles to an anchorage called Rodds Harbour. Again we are anchored a long way from shore but we are getting used to that with our deep draft Pyrenees. We can see why catamarans are so popular in Queensland. The anchorage is very protected and super calm so we should get a good night’s sleep ahead of our 63-mile passage to Great Keppel Island tomorrow. So, with full phone and internet access, we’ve started marina bookings further north, I’ve downloaded and read board papers and resisted the temptation to watch a replay of State of Origin 1 just in case they work out we aren’t from around here 😉
Two On The Loose 