Jumpin Pin

There were lots of oyster catchers, terns and other seabirds, and tracks left by the kangaroos. It was far too hot a day for the little critters to be on the beach.

The further down the beach we walked the more extensive the sand dunes became, until we felt as though we were walking through the Sahara Dessert. It would have been fun to have had something to slide down the dunes on (sand tobogganing). We finally reached Jumpin Pin which is where Stradbroke Island broke apart years ago to form North and South Stradbroke Islands.

Eventually we crossed over to the other side of the island and cooled off in the river. As we were following the shoreline back to the anchorage we saw wallabies nestled in the shade of the Paperback Trees framing the water. When we looked down Tipplers Passage we realized just how far we had walked. We had a long way to walk to get back to the boat and we were already really hot, very tired, badly sunburned and covered with sandfly bites.

After several hours we came to a campground that had a shower and we took advantage of the cool fresh water to rinse off. Unfortunately the water was not fit to drink so we remained thirsty.

Gord left our mark in the sand, amongst the kangaroo tracks

After several more hours we came to the Southport Yacht Club where we stopped in search of water. There were no facilities except a large picnic area where at least 20 wallabies were obliviously grazing. Kookaburras were perched on the tables so we decided that this would be a great spot to rest a while. The wallabies let me happily snap their pics.

Feb 14

We were a bit stiff from our overdone walkabout the day before so we just took a short stroll down the beach to visit some more wallabies and check out the campground. There are 45 kinds of wallabies and kangaroos so I am going to make it my project to learn what many of these look like. Somebody from one of the cruise boats left a bag of "wallaby food" on a picnic table and it wasn't long before we had a friendly Swamp Wallaby eating it out of our hands!

Feb 15, 2006

We took the dinghy to Couray Cove Resort, an exclusive new housing development on a spiderweb of canals where each house had a boat dock. The area was almost entirely empty of boats though. The resort was definitely not yachtie friendly as there were signs everywhere prohibiting overnight and transient boats.

Sand Dunes

We continued along the road which took us to the surf beach on the other side of the island. Here a boardwalk traversed the huge sand dunes to protect the fragile environment. The immense stretch of beach was nearly deserted but there was a life guard on duty.

We walked back to the resort making way for the shuttle train to c lamber by us empty of passengers.

We also spotted a huge Goanna (Lace Monitor) as it scurried across the road.
 

Jacob's Well
Feb 16, 2006
We left early to take advantage of the flood tide to get through the very narrow part of the passage through Main Channel that is full of sand shoals. We cautiously crept through, keeping an exact course through the marks and watching our depth on the chart. However, we bumped the bottom but managed to slither through the silt and finally reached our destination at Jacob's Well.

Macleay Island

Feb 18
After an early departure, we again attentively and anxiously thread our way through the channel beacons, our destination only about 10 miles up the channel. We arrived at an anchorage surrounded by a group of populated islands, all bordered by mangroves. I was immediately concerned that we would be plagued with more mosquitoes and sand flies. It was hard to find a spot to set the anchor as the area was full of locally moored boats. We finally got settled in but were constantly awash by the parade of water taxies and ferries that came through the area ever 10 minutes or so, day and night. But we enjoyed hearing the squawks of the cockatoos once again as they rivaled for their preferred perch on the tallest nearby tree.

Feb 19
Took at tour around the area marked on the charts as a Turtle and Dugong breeding ground beside Lamb Island but the water was so murky it was impossible to see any signs of movement other than fish jumping out of the water all around. Unfortunately the reduced visibility caused us to run the prop into some rock as we could not see how shallow the water was until it was too late.

Then we took a journey to the other side of the anchorage, Macleay Island, one of the 4 nearby locations where the ferry stops. The island is home for a substantial residential area set amongst dense trees, mostly mangroves and a few patches of beach. It was a blistering hot day but we managed to walk up the hill to find a grocery store and bought a few provisions. We decided to delay further hiking for a cooler day.

Feb 20
We checked out Russell Island, a large populated area with limited services, and had a milkshake at a the cafe. On our walk through the quiet neighborhood we met several locals feeding the vast number of birds, which included Curlews, Kookaburras, Parrots, Cockatoos, Myna birds and Magpies. On the dinghy ride back to the boat we did see a glimpse of a turtle, likely a loggerhead.

Ferry to Mainland

Feb 24

Since our food supply was much diminished, we organized ourselves to rise early, take the dinghy ashore, lock it to a tree, and catch the ferry to Redland Bay. It cost us $5.80 each one way. From Redland Bay we caught a bus to Cleveland where we heard there was a good chandlery. Since the best grocery stores were in Victoria Point, we bought an all-day bus pass so we could make a stop for provisions on the way back to Redland. That cost $7.80 for us both.

Cleveland is  a moderate sized center and had a huge shopping mall with most everything the average person could want. However, yachties are not average and our requests for items like a replacement for my Sony camera indicator, parts for our Radar, a replacement head for our autohelm, watermaker filters, and the list goes on..... were directed to the next town, which was out of our bus  pass zone. So we decided to make that trip another day. We did a lot of walking that day, including a stroll along a boardwalk through the Black Swamp Mangroves, where we saw a variety of birds, mostly Ibis.

We visited the Tourist Info Center and obtained information for Mom & Dad's upcoming visit to Brisbane. After lunch we caught the bus back to Victoria Point, prepared to do some serious grocery shopping. However, after a stop to search for some electronics at Dick Smiths and another detour to K-Mart for miscellaneous items, we arrived at the supermarket just as it was closing and it was only 5 pm. Oh well, there was 4 other groceries in town, so we lugged our already heavy packs through the city, only to find each store in succession closed. Defeated, we headed back to the ferry dock to return to the boat. We were planning to leave for a remote anchorage the following day so, without any provisions, I was going to have to be very creative in meal planning.

A Spectacular Nightly Ritual

While waiting for the ferry we noticed  a large black streak in the sky emerging from the horizon and traveling in our direction. As it got closer we realized that the trail was thousands of flying foxes (bats). The wide black stripe eventually covered the sky from horizon to horizon with fluttering black shapes, their screeching piercing the stillness of dusk.

We were told by the ferry operator that this is a nightly ritual that goes on for at least 45 minutes every night as thousands of bats migrate from the Black Swamp to the outer islands.

North Stradbroke Island

Feb 26

Moved the boat a short distance to an anchorage on North Stradbroke Island. We anchored in shallow water in front of a sandy beach amongst  a large group of weekenders getting in the last bit of partying before hading home. We were surprised to see the ferry that we had taken yesterday anchored in the bay, full of partiers and complete with a couple of topless girls. Before long there was the usual mass exodus and we were left entirely alone in the bay.

Hiking Around the Sand Mines

We had a peaceful night and the following morn investigated the shoreline and went bushwhacking down a sandy road. There were some kangaroo and guoana tracks and signs indicating that the area had been rehabilitated in 1987. Lots of birds, a few varieties we had not seen before and everywhere the smell of the camphor trees permeated the air. We walked a very long way when the trail dumped us onto a highway which was the road to the Mineral Sand Mine where they excavate for titanium and other materials used to make a wide range of products including confectionery, toothpaste, sunscreens, ceramics, plastics, computer screens and racing bikes and even smart technologies such as pacemakers and wildlife tracking devices. We learned all this because just as we were lamenting the fact that we had a long way to walk back, a local in a 4x4 stopped and informed us that we were not supposed to be on the lease land and offered to drive us back through the bush. We jumped at the invitation, learned a little about the area and were back at the boat in no time!

The Spring tides in the area were huge which made for great Beachcombing. The tideline was teaming with little Blue Crab, looking like armies marching by the thousands across the sand, then suddenly completely disappearing into tiny holes. 

We were relaxing on Ascension, bobbing gently in the glassy waters when we noticed 2 Dugongs swimming around the boat, actually we only saw Dugong noses as they broke the surface for a quick gasp of air. They remained in the vicinity until spooked by the lifting of an anchor chain on a catamaran that had come into the anchorage the night before. There are believed to be 600-700 dugongs living in the shallow waters of Moreton Bay so we hope that we will have more encounters.

March 1, 2006

Heavy relentless rain kept us onboard for the past several days but today there are gale force wind warnings being issued for the next 5 days! An ugly depression, expected to deliver 35+ knots of wind made us examine our options as the location was only moderately protected from SE winds, but the holding excellent. Instead of moving to a more protected location where we ran the risk of insufficient depths or a less reliable holding (like mud, and our Danforth does not do well in mud). Since we were alone in the anchorage we also did not have the worry of anyone else dragging down on us. We decided it would be uncomfortable with wind against current, but we should just hunker down here. Within a few hours several other local boats joined us in the anchorage, confirming our decision.

That night the wind blew to 40 knots. It was bouncy but we felt secure and, according to our GPS and anchor alarm, did not move. The following morning, as we watched the other boats leave, we contemplated doing the same. However, the tide was against us. The more protected anchorage was shallow and we were already at low tide so decided to stay put for another night.

This proved to be a huge mistake. The wind and waves built rapidly by dusk and soon we were battling 50 knots sustained winds but the worst part was the sea conditions which made the anchorage untenable with the wind blowing one direction and the current and seas another. We were up all night on anchor watch, having to motor into the anchor and constantly change the position of our snubber to eliminate it chafing through. That night a 17 meter wave hit the other side of Stradbroke Island...luckily we weren't anchored on that side!

The following morning we got an opportunity in a lull to hightail it out of the anchorage. It was a challenge beating into the wind and current but with full throttle we clawed our way up the river and back to the anchorage at MacLeay Island. Aftermath of the storm presented itself with boats  strewn on the shoreline, having broken loose of their moorings.

We anchored near the spot we were before but further into the channel where it was deeper. We discovered that the fuel container in the dinghy had been dumped upside down and the contents mixed with an overabundance of seawater that was sloshing around inside the dinghy. We had no other gas so were very grateful when a local (ex Canadian) rowed by the boat and offered to drive us to the Service Station. Gord had a great experience during this escapade and learned about the area and was even invited to the man's home. People here are so friendly!

We took another trip by ferry to Redland Bay, then a bus to Cleveland, where we boarded a train to Manly. We wanted to check out the area as a home base for Mom and Dad's visit. We chose Many because it was 30 minutes from Brisbane but away from the huge noisy city. Also we had heard that the anchorage in the Brisbane River was rolly and uncomfortable. We were able to get a slip at the East Coast Marina and spent several hours checking out potential accommodations for the folks.

March 9

In order to secure our slip at Manly we had to forego our plans to visit Peel Island. After waiting another day for the weather to settle, we left the protection of the Broadwater and sailed to Manly Harbour, timing the tides and entering the Marina with 6 inches to share under our keel at high tide.

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