Australia Part 2

On the move in australia 1

Click here for a map of Australian Walkabout.

I awake to bells ringing all around - surely it's not Christmas already? No, of course not, it's only late November, we're in the Border Ranges National Park, and the noise is made by bell miners tinking away: apparently these birds can occur in colonies of up to 300 - not sure that's how many there are here, but they certainly make a din. It's just one example of Australia's extreme nature, whether it's the weather, variety of birds, unique animals, distances between towns and so on.

Ed: The Bell Miner or Bell Birds are known for their distinctive calls. Their habitat is Eucalypt forests, woodlands, and gullies that are near waterways. Their diet is mainly fruit, nectar, and insects. Breeding season is usually Spring or Summer which is when they lay 2-3 spotted eggs.

So where have the 4 months gone since we left Bundaberg in July? In brief: 6 weeks sailing up the east coast to Townsville; a month spent in Townsville getting the boat ready to leave it for the cyclone season and in acquiring a campervan; 6 weeks travelling south in the van including a stay with friends in Brisbane and a short trip to New Zealand for visa renewal.

Our first day back on the ocean reminded us of the vigilance required for coastal sailing. A combination of sun in the eyes and a poor photocopied chart (American, therefore quite legal) caused a narrow miss with rocks off Bustard Head. Our nerves recovered in beautiful Pancake Creek (which not only lived up to its name for tranquillity but also afforded lovely sunsets) where Jim ate raw oysters from the rocks, and we both enjoyed an estuary cod caught and cooked to perfection by Jim. A walk up to the lighthouse and just beyond rewarded us with a stunning view south over Jenny Lind Creek and the beach stretching south. Our next anchorage at Cape Capricorn was equally memorable. The couple minding the renovated lighthouse keepers cottages took us under their wings: after collecting mud crabs from their pots we walked to "Yellow Patch" (a big dune of brightly coloured sand), returning over the sands at low tide where thousands of tiny blue soldier crabs scuttled to avoid our tread. That night we dined on the freshly cooked crabs, followed by a good Aussie roast lamb (described jokingly by our hosts as a proper lamb, not like a New Zealand one that has been mucked about with!). Delicious!

We gradually made our way north, island-hopping, enjoying new sights - wild black pigs marching over the sands to root on the hillside on South Percy Island, seeing humpback whales as we sailed to Middle Percy Island, where I found a long-sought nautilus shell. Our friends Jack and Margery Lydiate (originally from UK but long resident in Australia) joined us for a very enjoyable visit to the Whitsunday Islands, which lived up to its reputation and we saw whales, turtles, dolphins, rays, coral, sea eagles and managed to catch a spotted mackeral for Margery's Birthday dinner.

Ed: The Whitsunday Islands, are remnants of a coastal range, which was submerged when sea levels rose at the end of the ice age and now form the largest offshore island chain on the Australian east coast. They are similar in many ways to the Caribbean islands - mostly rocky, with many lovely beaches, bordered by extensive coral reefs. Of course, the seasons are reversed. but as in the Caribbean the Trade winds blow at a steady 15-20 knots. The danger of cyclones is even greater than of hurricanes in the Caribbean and the cyclone season lasts from early November till April. The tides can reach 15 feet or more, and consequently yacht skippers must be aware of the state of the tide when anchoring, as grounding would be disastrous on coral. These tides also cause strong currents in the narrower passages between island, making progress difficult.

Cape Bowling Green proved to be another magical spot. We anchored just behind the long sand spit where we wandered, not another soul in sight, watching birds and collecting shells. At dawn the next day as we prepared to leave we saw another novel sight - turtles mating!

Our approach to Townsville was a little fraught: calls to the various port authorities about space in both Ross Creek and the Ross River were met with laughter and mention of years' waiting lists for moorings, the marina was full due to a billfish tournament, the marina on Magnetic Island was only for locals talk - oh well we'll just have to anchor somewhere round Magnetic Island. However my talk of letters at the post office from the family must have struck a chord..the marina called back - yes they had found a space for a small yacht! So, the Breakwater Marina became our home for a month, the long-term yachties and friendly staff helping to make it a congenial place to stay. We especially enjoyed the Sunday street markets, the local art gallery, cinema, and walking along the nearby Strand with its water features, restaurants, and big TV screening in the park of the local Cowboys rugby league team who narrowly missed winning the national cup.

With the hauling out of the boat at Rosshaven Marine we moved into our newly acquired Toyota Hiace Campervan whose 5.3m length leaves us feeling a little cramped at times after 11m of boat. Our introduction to terrestrial fauna occurred immediately at our first (commercial campground). We thought we had our own toilet and shower block, but soon discovered we were sharing it with a family of 4 green tree frogs who lived in the toilet cistern. The moving up and down of the ballcock didn't seem to trouble them. They emerged at dusk to go hunting: our check next morning found only 3. Consternation! Had one perished in the night? No, it was under the rim of the toilet bowl, unfazed (even enjoying?) the flushing!

Since then we have mostly stopped in National Parks which are cheaper than commercial campgrounds and feature particular landforms, vegetation or fauna. Jim developed a fascination for the strangler figs which are found in rainforests, whilst I became very excited by the sightings of "skippies" particularly if a joey could be spotted in a pouch. Our identification of wallabies or kangaroos (there are many different species) has been limited to "there's a small/large skippy"! At Alligator Creek we saw both as well as 2 snakes (they could have been keelbacks) and at Eungella "platypuses" abounded.

Leaving our van in Hervey Bay we decided to take a 2-day 4WD guided tour of Fraser Island, which was excellent. This is the largest sand island in the world and, in spite of the pressure of visitors, remains a wonderful place. The high point for us, in many senses, was the view from the top of Indian Head: the sea was so clear we were able to watch a large shoal of black fish being chased first by a dolphin, then a shark, other dolphins surfing, a large turtle, a stingray, whilst overhead an osprey soared. Whew!

On next to Bunya Mountains National Park where the Burtons Well Campground afforded another new experience. Jim lit a wood fire to heat the donkey boiler and then transferred the hot water to a canvas bag on a hoist for a novel, and welcome, hot shower. Colourful birds abounded there - crimson rosellas, king parrots, blue wrens to mention a few.

At the main campground at Dandabah we also saw a Satin Bower bird and his bower, lots of small skippies, catbirds (with their strange mewing calls). Not so enchanting was the 2.5m eastern brown snake that, in the heat of the day, slithered across the open grass to take shelter in the female showerblock (luckily no-one was in there): at the approach of the ranger with sack and tongs it quickly exited into the bush. A very pleasant interlude followed in Brisbane when we parked our van in the garden of Doris and Erwin Scholten (ex sailing yacht "Moonwalker") and spent some time with them and their 6 year old son Alexander. We were able to play at being grandparents taking Alexander to and from school, and minding him whilst his parents were at work.

From Brisbane we flew to Auckland and had a very enjoyable week staying with Amy Dike whom we had met there the year before. The city, full of young people from the University downtown, tourists, business people, harbour-related personnel and sailors is a vibrant, cosmopolitan place. With its diversity of cultures we were able to experience the Hindu Festival of Diwali as well as a tour guided by a Maori to explore the history from a different viewpoint. On our return to Brisbane another chum met sailing, Marie Chardome of "Spirit of Ireland" joined us there for a day.

On the road again - this time to Lamington National Park where we were thrilled to see two Southern Angle-headed Dragons, an Alberts' Lyrebird, and a land mullet (large black lizard, the largest skink in the world).

So, is everything rosey in Australia? Well, of course not. In particular the insects are a problem. At the moment a plague of locusts is ruining crops in New South Wales: thankfully we have not come across them ourselves. We had been savaged by sand flies and mosquitoes many times, resulting in varying degrees of itchiness. More recently, ticks have found us attractive, and Jim still has a noticeable lump after a bite about a month ago. And the flies range from mere irritation to painful bites. But the good far outweighs the bad. After limited availability across the Pacific, there is tasty meat (no BSE here), vegetables and fruit in abundance - the avocados and mangos top favourite at the moment. The people are friendly, helpful, and talk almost the same language! Above all we have enjoyed "The Great Outdoors' here: waking to the sound of birdsong or rollers crashing on the beach nearby; the soulful call of a dingo across the mountain ranges; sitting dreaming over the glowing embers of a dying campfire when a silent grey form appears from behind a bush and lollops past to graze quietly within feet...ah magic!