Moreton Bay

Date: 26th September 2024

Location: Moreton Bay

Brisbane, the third most populous city in Oceania and halfway up the east coast of Australia, lies upriver from and sheltered by Moreton Bay.

Moreton Bay - 155km long and 40km wide

This is where we spent the last couple of weeks. Depths are shallow, lots of shifting sandbars and big ships steaming into Brisbane. But it is also a haven for wildlife and, provided you are ready to move from anchorage to anchorage as the winds shift, as they certainly will, it provides flat water sailing close to our marina (near North Lakes on the map above).

This was essential a shakedown cruise, a sea trial, after all the work we have done over the past six months but also an opportunity to chill out away from the marina.

I could take you through what we did each day but that would be a bit tedious I think so here's a few highlights (and low lights) instead.

One of the best things was finally meeting up with some other long distance cruisers. We've met plenty of people who keep their boats in the marina and take them out for a few weeks at a time, mostly along the east coast here, but very few new people who really understand what it takes to sail long distances from country to country. We did already have a passing acquaintance with Andrea and Tony on Irish Melody but this week we spent a fair bit of time with them and Frank and Nikki on Stars End II. They have all cruised extensively in South East Asia with Frank and Nikki making it as far as India before Covid forced them into a hasty retreat back to Oz. So we learned a lot from them about what next year might have in store for us. Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam etc. It all sounds most exciting. But best of all was being able to discuss visa requirements, living in different countries, fixing boats (of course) and all the other myriad aspects of our lifestyle. We cooked food for each other, we drank together, I showed them how to make soft shackles and we generally had a lovely time together.

Moreton Island, which shelters the bay from the unpredictable Pacific Ocean to the east, is famous for its Sand Hills. Our daughter Jenny tells us they are really sand dunes not sand hills but that's what everyone here calls them so that's what I'll call them. Even the big ones are only 70m or so high but they overlook the almost tropical looking blue waters of the bay - and magical in the early morning sun. 70m doesn't sound very high but for each three steps you take upwards you slide two steps down. So it makes them feel like 210m high!

The summit!

Moreton Bay sand hills with Brisbane hidden in the haze beyond.

With Tony and Andrea from Irish Melody

Much easier going down.

There are no paved roads on Moreton Island, just a few sand tracks beloved by the 4-wheel drive fanatics. And hidden in amongst the trees lie secluded camping grounds. All seeming miles away from bustling Brisbane a mere 30km away. We took the dinghy ashore on our last morning and climbed Little Sandhills. Just us and a few unidentified birds chirping away. And on the ground the tracks of nocturnal creatures highlighted by the early morning shadows.

Early morning creature tracks.

Wildlife. Anything exciting? Oh yes. Whales? Yes, we saw quite a few whales. Not sure what types they were but we had one a few boat lengths away, several breaching in the near distance and plenty of blows near the horizon. No decent pictures I'm afraid. They are even more difficult to photograph than dolphins. At least there's usually plenty of dolphins and they are on or just below the surface, often playing in our bow wave. But whales only surface every few minutes and are guaranteed to be where you are not looking for them. And anyway who wants to be looking through a lens when you could be watching them without.

No whales here. Looking down on Mehalah from the top of North Stradbroke Island.

Anything else? Of course. Dugongs. Weird looking creatures or what? These are rare mammals that spend their time munching seagrass and pretending to be mermaids. Apparently the old time sailors used to confuse these chaps with them. I'm not sure how. They must have been at sea a long time to have confused them with gorgeous women with tails. At anchor in the evening we would hear them snuffling around and on a couple of occasions we saw them close by, their backs curving out of the water. Here is someone else's video of them swimming off Moreton Island.

Fishing? The less said about that the better. It is forbidden to fish in a fair percentage of the bay as those areas are protected. Where we did fish I only caught one small bream. But walking along the beach one day we met a six year old that had just caught a 4' shark just a few yards out.

As far as the shake down was concerned it was generally a very positive experience. The new, secondhand from a breakers yard, dinghy engine ran very well, our inflatable canoe stayed inflated, the replacement main engine positive lead from the battery ensured Mehalah started better than ever. I shortened the annoying second reefing line that has always been a nuisance, the almost empty gas bottle lasted OK, I made a new snubber line as the old one had stretched over time and Gill's newly painted decks were admired by all and sundry. Only the generator played up a bit. It runs great but is leaking a bit of oil - new O ring required.

I mentioned earlier the changing winds. The currents change too as the tide wizzes in and out through numerous narrow, constantly changing channels. One evening with a strong southerly wind forecast we anchored in one of these channels. We always set an anchor alarm to tell us if our anchor is dragging. This is what a typical pattern will look like as the tides go in and out. A steady arc about the anchor location.

A nice red arc.

And this is what we saw that night. A steady arc (green circle) followed by a rapid move towards the shore (yellow shape). 

Nice purple arc followed by nasty purple line towards the shore.

Anyway we just avoided going aground and re-anchored safely in the centre of the channel for the night.

The weather was due to turn nasty again so we decided to return to the marina in time for Rose and Ian's 50th wedding anniversary. No wind to start with but after an hour a nice 15knot NE breeze kicked in and Mehalah flew westwards. Were we in a race with Irish Melody? Yes when the wind was fresher and we were faster, no as the wind dropped and their lighter boat just beat us back home.

Arty Picture 1.

Arty Picture 2.

Sailing at last and Tassie

Date: 4th September 2024

Location: Scarborough Marina, Queensland

Now that's what I call graffiti. Queensland Railway Station.

First things first. Thank you everyone for all Gill's wonderful birthday wishes. She woke up to 52 WhatsApp messages from all across the globe. Fiji, Spain, Australia, Canada, UK, K2(!) and many others. She spent the next two days trying to reply to them all. If she missed you it doesn't mean she didn't appreciate it. We particularly like Dick and Mary's message. They have just sold their sailing boat in the Caribbean and so are on Stage 2 of the Sailboat > Motorboat > Motor Home > Nursing Home decline!

Right. Lots of pictures this time. The recalcitrant generator is still not operational but at least we think the problem has been identified. A stuck exhaust valve. It's the first time I've dismantled a diesel engine so it was a bit stressful but I learned a lot so it's with J&C Autos for sorting out. It was supposed to be ready two days ago but of course it wasn't and today they are not answering the phone. A nuisance as we need to get an Uber or two buses to go and collect it.

Better news on the fridge front though. The new evaporator plate finally arrived from Italy and Bõsco the Serbian fridge guy sorted it. Result, and great to have a fridge again; the first time since Panama.

Both dinghy engines are working too. More good news.

Then there's Gilly's heart condition. Good news here too. After several ECGs, blood tests, ultrasound and 24 hours on a Holter Monitor the outcome is "do nothing". She has minor bigemini when some of the beats get out of synch. Not a problem unless it gets much worse and anyway it actually seems better now.

The other admin issues we are dealing with relate to us wanting to stay in Australia for another year. We have to report Mehalah's location every three months for up to a year. That year is coming to an end so we have to request a further year's extension (otherwise we have to import her at a cost of 15% of her value). We now have confirmation that this won't be a problem. Our own visas though are a bit more problematic and complicated. Our current one year, multiple three months maximum at a time visas expire at the end of September. We have just received bridging visas as we have to have medicals before they decide whether to grant us new visas. The new visas (19 page application) will hopefully allow us to come and go as we wish for the next 12 months - but who knows?

But the big news is. We've finally been sailing! We had 10 days out in Moreton Bay just outside the marina here. It's a bit tricky. It's shallow, the tides are quite big and the winds come from all directions. Each day we had to check the forecast and find a suitable anchorage for the next day. Very different from ocean sailing. Much more technical but good fun. And everything worked. What a joy. And it was so good to finally be out of the marina.

Soldier crabs.

Mehalah at anchor.

To be honest we were pretty fed up with working every day on the boat especially with the generator giving us so many problems, So we looked at somewhere to go for Gilly's big birthday. We were going to go to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and almost got round to booking flights when I discovered that the accommodation we liked was actually 350 kilometers away from the airport! And anyway the flights were really expensive. So we decided to go and visit Tasmania (Tassie to us now). Flights were cheap and Keith and Lynda who we had met throughout the Pacific had just bought a lovely new house there. So Tassie it was. In the middle of winter. In the winds. In the rain. Tell me again why the flights were cheap?

It's about a three hour flight down to Hobart in Tassie from Brisbane and when we arrived it was cold. For some reason we got an upgrade with more leg room. We collected a hire car and for the first time ever I took out the insurance cover. Without it I was liable to pay $5,000AU (£2,600UK) for the smallest dent or chip. Too great a risk. Off we went. A long drive north to Lanceston (or Lawn-ceston as they pronounce it here). First impressions? It's like the English countryside except there are dead wombats along the road. Green, rolling fields, lots of sheep and very few cars. Tassie's geology, unlike most of Australia, is very varied so again reminiscent of the UK. This was to be a touristy trip so we made our way to Cataract Gorge to stretch our legs after the long drive.

Roadside letter boxes. There's not much to do in Tasmania.

Roadkill. Another padimelon (small wallaby).

Cataract Gorge.

Tassie is about half the size of England but has a population of only 0.5m compared with England's 69m so there's plenty of space for everyone. Six times more sheep than people. Tasmanians refer to the the rest of Australia as "The Mainland". The national clothing is a nice warm checked flannel shirt. They grow a lot of grapes for excellent Pinot Noir wine, as well as apples, pears and soft fruit. The weather is not dissimilar to England even though England is 15 degrees closer to the pole than Tassie (it's that Gulf stream you see).

After a night in Lanceston it was west to Cradle Mountain. Snow on the top and bitterly cold. So cold that Gill decided the walk round the lake required her full foul weather sailing gear. Possibly a bit over the top but she did stay dry. It's all very organised here in the National Park. We were required to sign in for an easy 7 kilometer walk around the lake though some of the longer walks are pretty hardcore. Not for us today though as visibility was poor and we had a nice warm hotel to look forward to. The Park is well known for its Wombats and we were lucky enough to spot one crossing a bridge. Here he is - particularly notable because Emma, our younger daughter, has had the nickname of Wombat since she was very young. Why? No idea!

What we saw.

What we should have seen.

Wombat

Distinctive cubic wombat poo.

Lesser spotted quoll.

The famous Tasmanian Devil.

Anyway the Cradle Mountain hotel was excellent and the food was great. For some reason we were upgraded to a room overlooking the bush rather than the car park. Not that we could see anything in the cloud. Next day we escaped before the forecast snow and ice arrived and set off on a very long day's drive to the far southwest of the island where Keith and Lynda live. This time it was nothing like England. The entire western third of Tasmania is designated wilderness. Our route skirted the eastern edge. What can I say? There are a lot of trees. Logging, hydroelectric power and salmon farming are three of the main industries here and all of them are controversial. And then there's mining too. After two hours of driving without seeing a house and only two cars we arrived at Queenstown. For a hundred years this was a gold and copper town. To be honest it's a mess. Barren hills and a lunar landscape. It's closed now and there's a bit of an alternative feel to it. But 70 years ago it must have been very remote and lawless, a real frontier town.

Anyway after a couple of stops on the way we finally made it to Surges Bay and Keith and Lynda's place on the Huan river. Wow! They spent almost a year working down the east coast of Australia and onto Tasmania before deciding this was where they wanted to be. They sold a two bedroom flat in Sydney and with the proceeds bought a three acre, river frontage, modern, three bedroom luxury house. Itiki, their 44' catamaran bobs on their mooring which you can see as you lie in bed in the morning. Absolutely stunning. They moved in two weeks ago and we were their first visitors.

Keith and Linda's back garden with Itiki at anchor.

Idyllic.

Our time with  them flew by. After a delicious roast lamb dinner we slept well. Next day we drove to Bruny Island via the ferry for Gill's actual birthday. Delicious oysters at a small shack, a climb to view the raging Southern Ocean, a birthday lunch plate of local cheeses, smoked padimelon (small wallaby), olives, another oyster each, smoked salmon, sourdough bread, biscuits and preserve, all washed down with three local taster wines. Delicious. We needed some bread which we collected from a roadside fridge once we had shooed away the instagramming Chinese tourists. Next it was down to the far southern end of the island (next stop Antarctica) to admire the old lighthouse and for Gill to take a paddle in the chilly Southern Ocean with menacing clouds approaching.

Back to Surges Bay and our final day with Keith and Linda. South again, this time on the mainland to find a walk. Well, we found the start of it. But the tide was in and after hacking through the bush for an hour we retreated and, because the sun was out, put on our swimming gear and braved the sea. We all managed to dip our shoulders in. Gill said she went for a swim but I'm not sure three strokes really constitutes a swim.

Traditional Tasmanian shirt modelled by me.

VERY chilly.

The furthest south we've ever been.

Wild coastline.

The Southern Ocean - cold!

Lighthouse at the end of the world.

Birthday lunch.

Birthday present.

And so to our final day in Tassie. A day in Hobart, the capital. The town was quite interesting though not at its best in the rain. We walked to The Royal Tasmanian Yacht Club where the famous Sydney to Hobart yacht race ends and had a coffee. But it was rather stuffy and not our sort of place. The local scallop pie though was excellent.

Mmm. Hobart's speciality. Scallop Pie.

The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

However, you can't visit Hobart without spending some time in Mona. Mona is an art gallery like you have never seen before. Buried deep beneath the sandstone it consists of four, or is it five or three levels of rooms filled with the most esoteric art works. Giant word boards, UK miner's strike re-enactment video, the inside of a brain with neurons, 62 different plaster casts of vaginas (I kid you not), a room empty bar a woman who talks rubbish in your face as you pass through, another room full of flashing images reminiscent of the screens in CERN. Wowzers. What a sensory delight! What an amazing two hours.

Back to the Victorian hotel. And amazingly we were upgraded again. Twice. This time we ended up with the bridal suite.

The following morning it was back to the airport and another short flight home to Brisbane. For some reason this time we got given free food! We left Tasmania in stormy near freezing temperatures and arrived back in Brisbane to find summer had arrived.

Update: 9th September.

The generator is fixed! We're leaving the marina on Wednesday for a couple of weeks before making another trip to Noosa for Rose and Ian's 50th wedding anniversary.

The generator - in less happy times.

And Gill has finished painting the deck. Good job Gilly.

In progress.

Sunset at Scarborough.

Gooday from Oz.