Australia–The Great Barrier Reef

After a very hectic crossing of 9 days the Australian coast is on the horizon. Our port of entry being in Bundaberg we stay a week at the marina to recover some sleep, running errands and planning our next sailings.

 

Queensland Region

21 May – Bundaberg

We are to 15 miles from the Australian coast, The wind is always at 35 knots with gusts of 40 knots and we move between 10 and 12 knots despite 3 Laughter in the mainsail and the little piece of genoa out that we have had for days and days... The day rises the port of Bundaberg is not far away, We're on the right track!

We go directly to the quarantine dock of the marina for entry formalities. The marina has warned the authorities and as we are a Sunday only immigration comes to meet us. The bio-security service will come the next day.

Immigration is on board and in no time we are in order. The next day two inspectors from the bio-safety service inspect TAO in every nook and cranny to check for the presence of any critters in the wood.. The freezer is checked "under the magnifying glass" because we have a lot of meat made in NZ that we had taken care to freeze with the original packaging. Fillets mignon and chicken breasts are a problem... So Philippe has an idea of "genius" by suggesting that they cook everything in front of them., They accept fortunately it would have been a waste to throw everything away.! Only the seeds we put in the bread should be removed from the boat in a locked container worthy of radioactive waste ... We are free to go ashore!

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Bundaberg

We spend a week at the marina of Bundaberg to clean the boat, go to town to buy Sim cards, shopping etc... During the barbecue evenings organized by the marina we meet the "regulars" of the marina who know the anchorages of the northern islands and some points in the coral reef. We take note of all the information as these are our next steps.

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Lady Musgrave

Here we are at the gates of the Great Barrier Reef. Lady Musgrave Pass to the northwest is narrow but protected from swell. Free safes are made available by Queensland to protect funds. None are available but with our satellite maps and polarized glasses we find an area of sand without any “coral potato” around.

With masks and snorkels we will explore the reefs at low tide, But the wind has picked up and the water is not clear enough to see anything.. Too bad for the photos! We may have better luck at Fitzroy Reef our next stop.

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Fitzroy Reef

A 25 miles further north Fitzroy Reef has no islet like Lady Musgrave, The waves break all along the reefs. The entrance to the pass is not very wide and fortunately markers indicate the channel. Philippe finds a corner of sand to drop anchor in 3m deep. Our first sunset is under the clouds it smells like rain in a short time! The next day we swim around the reefs that are easily spotted with the naked eye so the water is crystal clear. Corals are very colorful, Fish let themselves be approached, We enjoy!

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Great Keppel Island

The weather forecasts a lot of east wind we go up to the Keppel Islands off the city of Yeppoon. There are a number of 3 and are part of Queensland National Park. Great Keppel the southernmost offers several hiking trails that allow you to visit the island and access viewpoints on the archipelago.

We anchor in the northwest of the island at Butterfly Bay. Short walk through the dunes to the nearby Svendsen Bay.

Svendsen Beach

Robbie track

The hiking trail crosses a fairly dense forest. Eucalyptus trees and trees “Australian grass” border the trailhead. These endemic trees grow along the coast on poor soils. Their leaves are flammable and their trunks can resist fire.

Leeks Beach

The trail gradually climbs through a forest of eucalyptus trees and endemic trees “Australian Grass”. These trees grow along the coasts on poor soils and have the particularity of having flammable leaves and trunks that resist fire.. We are almost at the top according to the sign of encouragement painted on the pebble!

After this beautiful hike we return by the same path to the boat.

North Keppel Island

Before going to North Keppel we make a brief stop on the coast at Yeppoon to do some shopping and then head to the island which is only at 8 miles from Yeppoon.

Considine bay

The three Keppel Islands are part of Queensland National Park. We anchor in the northwest of the island other boats are already anchored. The little swell that enters us rocks us slightly unlike the monohulls which are a little more shaken!

The path starts from the beach and gradually climbs through vegetation scorched by the sun and burned by recent fires. Then we arrive on the east side of the island with the prospect of large white sandy beaches and some campsites. On the way back we descend through the forest of trees the Australian grass which have very different shapes from those we have seen so far.

We leave the islands and go up the coast. We spend two nights at the anchorage of "Perforated bay" where we find Joanne and Mark crossed at Fitzroy reef. The weather is perfect for exploring during 8 days the reefs on the east side which are little frequented because not mapped. Joanne and Mark decide to follow us they have never been there.

The map looks like a mosaic composed of reefs more or less deep. They are not far from each other which allows us to vary the pleasures. During our sailings in the Polynesian lagoons we had learned to identify the depth of each "Potato" according to the color of the water. Satellite maps help Philippe find places to anchor on a sandy bottom.

We spend our days swimming around the reefs, collect mother-of-pearls that we share with our friends who have never seen or eaten them. What a funny beast Joanne said to herself.!

We are reassured the next day they have perfectly digested!

During 8 Days we explored several reefs but we have to leave these beautiful places because wind is announced. The islands further north will be sheltered.