Category: Travelling North – the Whitsundays and Return

We stayed in the Gladstone marina for six days whilst the very capable company that serviced our engines last year now serviced our generator! A perished hose was found to be the culprit and the rest of the generator was checked and tested and we heaved a sigh of relief that it didn’t need replacing.

We put our time in Gladstone to good use – a trip to Harvey Norman to buy a kettle that wasn’t a power guzzler (and a very nifty travel steam iron – we are now travelling in style), the obligatory trip to Bunnings to gather a few more necessities and an essential trip to Dan Murphy’s to make sure we didn’t run out of gin, whiskey and other forms of alcohol. We also tried out some of the restaurants – The Dock got the prize for their Great Aussie 100% Black Angus beef burger with tomato, beetroot slaw, lettuce, cheese, bacon, crumbed pineapple, BBQ sauce & chips followed by chocolate gelato and a loooong walk through the East Shores Parkland.

Lyndal flew back to Brisbane for a couple of days and arrived back on the Saturday with Ernest and Scott, our crew for the next leg of our trip. During our absence Edgar had supervised the servicing of the generator and endlessly washed the coal dust off the boat (the only drawback to staying in Gladstone Marina, which is attractive and well appointed), topped up the water and got the boat ready for an early departure the next morning. Back to The Dock for another hamburger, a few nightcaps and then early to bed ready for the morrow.

We got away about 6.30am. The port marine traffic, development and other activity is constant in Gladstone. We passed a number of large bulk carriers heading in, refueling and going out as we made our way out of the harbour and to the Narrows.

The Narrows is a 40km channel between the mouth of the Fitzroy and Gladstone harbour on the inside of Curtis Island.

It can be crossed at various locations at low tide and Ramsays Crossing is one of these.

John Bonar Peter Hamilton Ramsay (better known by his nickname ‘Alphabetical’ Ramsay due to the number of his Christian names) together with two partners, held the lease on Monte Christo Station, which was established on Curtis Island in the 1860s. Monte Christo was primarily a cattle station, but horses were also bred for export to India (probably for the British India Army). The crossing enabled cattle and horses to walk back and forth between the mainland and Monte Christo Station.

Steamers travelling between Gladstone and Rockhampton used The Narrows during high tide. Its a popular high-tide shortcut for boats drawing 2 metres or less. Channels are pretty well marked nevertheless we took it carefully as running aground is not an option.

We had debated whether to stay in the Narrows for the night, do a bit of fishing and relax in a smooth mooring or whether to go on to Keppel Island. On weighing things up we decided that the midges could be bad in the Narrows and we had never been to Keppel so would give it a go. A decision we would later regret!

We had decided to head for Svendsen’s Beach and take shelter there. When we arrived a number of other boats had obviously had the same idea and they were all rolling wildly. We tucked in as well as we could and – noting that a light stern anchor might be useful against swell penetrating around the point – Ernest and Scott were despatched in the dinghy to carry this out. With great bravado on their part they managed to get the anchor out but it made little difference and so we headed for shore and a long walk on something that wasn’t rocking and then adjourned to the boat, poured the rums, gins and whiskey, opened the red wine and resigned ourselves to a very rocky night. Some compensation was the sunset – which was a stunner!

It was still dark the next morning when Edgar’s voice came out of the night. “I think we should leave at daybreak” – and so we did! We left as dawn broke and it was also stunner!

Maybe we should have stayed at another anchorage on the island – we noted some boats were anchored in front of the resort – or maybe it would have made little difference. In any event we will not be visiting Keppel again without flopper stoppers!

We had planned to stay at Rosslyn Bay, Yeppoon, for a couple of nights and visit Richard Wilson, but the weather forecast said otherwise and we ended up refuelling and travelling on. We wanted to get to the Percy Islands before a northerly front came through and the crew were angling for a quiet anchorage so we headed for Island Head for the night.

We had a pleasant passage with lots of whales and a good view of the coast.

We cruised past Pearl Bay, which looked lovely but not enough shelter, and headed right up the inlet to a quiet peaceful anchorage.

There was a gentle breeze blowing so the midges were not a problem and, after a long day, we retired for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Next morning we left for the Percy Group of Islands and in particular for White’s Beach at Middle Percy. It was a very still morning and there were a lot of turtles cruising around in the calm waters

We had a good run with lots too see and some company on the way.
In what seemed a remarkably short time we saw the Percy Islands in the distance. The Percy Islands lie 122 kilometres south east of Mackay and are part of the Northumberland Group. They were surveyed by Matthew Flinders in 1802 and named after Hugh Percy, the second Duke of Northumberland. There are three islands in the Percy Group. Only the 2000 ha Middle Percy is inhabited and the others are National Parks, two of the oldest in Queensland. White’s Beach was all it promised to be. We were one of the first to arrive so anchored in a sheltered spot on the eastern end of the beach

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Whites Beach is named after the White family who in 1921 emigrated from Canada via New Zealand and managed to make a living from sheep. They cleared the land by ring-barking trees to make paddocks for 2,000 head of sheep, a few cattle and horses.

We spent two nights at White’s Beach exploring the rocks and gullies, swimming each day and doing a bit of (unsuccessful) fishing.

We couldn’t help noticing the large number of goats on the island. In 1874 HM Schooner Pearl was given the mission of leaving goats and planting coconuts and other edible fruits from the Brisbane Botanical Gardens in order to provide food stocks for passing vessels plying the Queensland coast.

European settlement was actually established two years later, in 1876, and the goats utilised by the island residents to provide themselves and visitors meat, milk and skins for over 130 years. In 2011 the National Parks decided they could best manage the Island and against the wishes of the majority of main users of the Island – the cruising public. Changes include designating 83% of the previous land holding to national park status. That means the inhabitants are no longer able to manage the goats and other introduced animals including Rusa Deer and cane toads, and the rangers have yet to do any control.

Edgar and Ernest climbed the cliff face for some spectacular views

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A favourable weather forecast for the next leg of the trip saw us heading out once more but definitely a place we will return to.

We sailed round the Island and passed Rescue Bay and West Bay but didn’t go ashore so missed seeing the “settlement” developed by an eccentric Englishman, Andrew Martin who left his family back in England to sail around the world. He found Middle Percy Island, declared it paradise and stayed there for the next forty years. He planted coconuts and built an A-frame shed on the beach for visitors to use. The island became legendary amongst yachties as a wonderful anchorage with a hospitable, if somewhat unconventional, host. Andrew, who became known as “Lord Percy”, offered goat’s meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey and bread and meals at the homestead, an energetic 1.5km uphill walk from the beach.

Andrew became mentally ill and in 1996 set sail for England convinced that his country needed rescuing from the ills of the world. He returned a number of years later a disenchanted man suffering from schizophrenia and having been cheated out of his lease by a conman.

His younger cousin, Cathryn Radcliffe, who some years before had come out from England to see where her strange relative lived and stayed in Queensland, managed to get the lease back several years after he died. She is still living there on the 117Ha of Conservation Park granted to her for 20 years from 2012 to ensure ongoing maintenance and to protect the unique Cultural Heritage and Nature Conservation values of the Island. The famous A-frame on the beach is still there, festooned with hundreds and hundreds of bits of timber, flotsam and jetsam with yacht names and dates.

The next morning saw us up bright and early and heading for Bundaberg. We had a good run north. We passed Hervey Bay in the half light and headed out of the shelter of the Sandy Straits – a little rolly but not too bad. The only objects of interest were a couple of whales, mother and calf, which followed us for a while and a very concerned fisherman in a very speedy runabout who had crab pots strung out across our route. He was well out of sight of land and in about 15 meters of water. This is an area that supports a number of spanner or frog crabs – which are a Queensland delicacy and no doubt his target.

We arrived in Bundaberg around 2pm and after securing the boat, I headed out for a walk around the headland through the park. All lovely and serene except for several pairs of extremely aggressive plovers who attacked me with great vigor whenever I got near their nests – which seemed to be dotted all over the park. My walk consisted of dashing from clump of trees to clump of trees (and spending some time in sheltering in the toilet block hoping they would lose interest) to escape their increasingly daring swoops.

After these exertions I headed for the amenities block for a lengthy shower and then we adjourned to the Marina restaurant for drinks and dinner. After a very lengthy wait – with me becoming increasingly annoyed – our seafood marinara arrived. I don’t think I have ever seen such a magnificent dish. My fettuccine was in a cream wine sauce and piled high with fish, scallops, prawns and crab and topped with two halves of a Moreton Bay bug – well worth the wait and so large and crammed with seafood I couldn’t finish it and resorted to eating all the seafood and leaving the pasta. Ed’s was the same in a tomato-based sauce.

We had given George and Pip Lewis a call on the way up and they arrived the next morning to take us on a tour of Bundaberg and then back to their farm for lunch. We checked out The Hummock, which is the remnants of an ancient volcano that has left rich volcanic soil for many kilometers around. This area is so fertile that it sells for $35,000 an acre and is used for sugar cane, sweet potato and increasingly Macadamia Trees. The Hummock also has a monument to Bert Hinkler and fantastic views of the surrounding countryside – being the only mountain for many kilometers.

We then adjourned to Bargara, a very pleasant seaside town, for coffee before heading out to George and Pip’s macadamia farm for lunch.

George and Pip work the farm with their son, who lives in the main house. George and Pip live in a house cleverly constructed from three shipping containers all neatly joined together and fitted out. The ceilings are high and the floor is the timber from the shipping container sanded back and polished. They have a verandah which looks out on to a large dam – currently housing a breeding pair of black swans and three cygnets. We had lunch on the veranda with a couple of their friends and Beth Newton, who we have known for about 50 years. Altogether a very convivial occasion with lots of reminiscences.

After lunch we did a tour of their plantation and watched the grafter ply his craft. All the trees are grafted on to a strong rootstock before being planted out. I’ve always been interested in grafting and watching the way he did it was very educational. Must give it a go when we get home!

We arrived back at the Marina in time for sunset drinks on the boat with their friends and after a light meal headed for bed and an early start for Pancake Creek the next day.

We have fallen into the pattern of early to bed and early to rise so the next day saw us up bright and early and away a little after sunrise. There was a bit of a breeze and the sea was very sloppy which was a bit uncomfortable but we were soon joined by a whale mother and calf and not long after that another crab fisherman in his speedy little boat. This one was not as wild and wooly as the previous one and had his crab dilly’s clearly marked with flags.

We curved back along the coast near Round Hill and admired the endless beaches – some 20 to 30 kilometres long.

The town of Agnes Waters soon came into view. It and it’s companion town of Seventeen Seventy are popular coastal resorts up north. Agnes Waters is on the beach and is the last beach to have surf before the Barrier Reef blocks the waves. Seventeen Seventy is at the mouth of the Round Hill Creek and is very sheltered and popular with all sorts of water sports with kayaking being very popular. It was the second landing Cook made after Botany Bay in 1770, hence the name

The ocean was full of coral spawn as we rounded Bustard Head, named by Captain Cook in honour of the bustard bird a landing party shot and ate, and headed for the entrance of Pancake Creek.

All the way up we had been hearing boats on the radio advise that they had anchored at Pancake Creek and were logging off so we were relieved to see that there was still some room! We made our way right down into the creek, anchored and headed for the beach where we had a walk and a swim in beautiful warm water.

Back on the boat and it was time to try some fishing. Ed took the dinghy out and I fished from the back deck. Not a nibble. Is this the case of persistence pays off or do we just give up now!! Never mind – it was a beautiful sunset.

The next morning we went over to the sand spit beach which was really lovely. The tide was going out and there were lots of little crabs and shells. We rounded the point and the beach stretched out for at least five kilometres in front of us. We could have walked for hours but were a little concerned that our dinghy might end up high and dry so returned back to the boat.

We had had some trouble with the generator earlier, which kept cutting out, so with lots of frozen food on board we decided to head straight to Gladstone and shore power. We had already booked the boat in for a service at Gladstone so decided to bring it forward and see if we could get the problem solved.

Sadly we departed Pancake Creek – it is a great anchorage with lots of places to explore. As well as the beach walks there are walks to the restored lighthouse with lovely views down to Aircraft Beach. We had a smooth run with lots of whales quite close to the boat.

We could tell we were nearing Gladstone by the number of tankers on the skyline! Sort of like welcome swallows but larger.

On the way we had a look at Lily’s Inlet as a possible anchorage. Looked lovely and quite sheltered but you would need to go in with the tide at least half as the entrance was very shallow. They recommend you don’t swim due to the number of sharks observed in the area. Point taken!

We are now at Gladstone Marina whilst we ponder our next move!.

Edgar had spent weeks getting the boat ready, the new carpet had been laid, the new curtains were made and hung, Suzanne had had her bottom cleaned and been polished up until she shone. The freezers were packed with precooked meals and the fridge stocked with fresh provisions. There was lots of wine, gin, whiskey and beer on board. The family had joined us for farewell drinks and dinner. The boat was ready to go!
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t – with strong wind warnings the prospect of a repeat performance of last year kept us firmly in the marina until Sunday.

Which was probably just as well. Saturday saw us return home to a frenzy of cleaning and gardening. We were to be away for two months and had four lots of tenants in whilst we were away and house sitters were also coming to stay. Our water taxi departure time kept getting put back as we found more things to do – or seriously underestimated the time it would take to do things – until finally, with one minute to go, we caught the last water taxi off the island. Back to Woolies for last minute items and finally to bed at 11pm.

Sunday dawned and you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day – the sun shone, the water sparkled and the seas were calm. We quietly slipped away just after 8am and headed for Mooloolaba – totally exhausted but buoyed up by the thought of the lazy days ahead. It was Sunday, 27th August 2017 and we were on our way.

Our usual ham and egg toastie for breakfast on the flybridge, a chance to start on one of the many books we had brought on board, a glass of wine with a leisurely lunch and all the while watching the ships and scenery slip by until we arrived in Mooloolaba around 3.30 pm.

A walk down to the shops where we were picked up by our trusty mate, Scott, who came to dinner laden with herbs, roses, fruit and wine. He was to join us later in the trip.

At just before 6am the next day we headed out for the Sandy Straits, timing our arrival at the notorious wide bay bar for just before high tide. We were not alone as a number of boats also quietly headed out in the same direction. We were treated to a glorious sunrise to start the day.

The trip could not have been more different than last year which saw us crossing in the dark, rolling up to 30 degrees as we were broadside to the waves most of the way. This crossing had us in calm seas and we stayed close to the coast so we could watch the towns and scenery pass by. A couple of whales played near us and we finally crossed the bar and headed for Pelican Bay.

Pelican Bay is a good anchorage when the wind is in the east and has the added advantage of having a very long beach to walk on.

It is tucked in behind Inskip Point and you can watch the cars being ferried across to Fraser Island – and getting stuck in the soft sand at the entrance to the beach. It is also a very popular camping and fishing area – though we have yet to see someone catch something worthwhile!! One lady fisherman had been fishing for several hours and the only worthwhile fish was taken from her line by a swooping pelican.

We went ashore in the dinghy and walked for about an hour. It was a relief to stretch your legs after a day aboard.

The next day, after a momentary scare with the fridge water pump not working, we went ashore again and had a long walk around the Point before pulling up the anchor and setting our course for White Cliffs anchorage.

Briefly considering Garry’s Anchorage for the night, we continued on to White Cliffs, only to discover the smoke we thought was from the mainland was in fact from burning off on Fraser and White Cliffs was surrounded by smoke. Deluding ourselves that a breeze would spring up and blow it away, we decided to anchor anyway.

Into the dinghy to place the crab pots and back on the boat to witness a very spectacular smoky sunset before dinner and bed.

The next morning we awoke to a white world – no breeze and the smoke had settled on the water. Fortunately not too much ash had settled on the boat and within a couple of hours the smoke had lifted and revealed a beautiful day.

Full of hope we headed for our crab pots only to find – nothing! Our deliciously smelly chops and chicken carcass had not received a single nibble. Nothing daunted we moved the pots and returned for breakfast on the deck. Quietly reading in the sun after breakfast we had a feeling we were being observed. Standing on the shore was one of the Fraser Island dingoes that had obviously made it’s way across the mud in the hope of a handout!
I spent the day following the adventures of Bill Bryson on the Road to Little Dribbling whilst Ed studied the anchorages on the way to the Whitsundays. We spent some time looking for pictures to replace the ones on the boat, which were faded and very brown and dreary. We wanted to depict early sailing ships that were significant to Australia and finally decided on “HMS Beagle” for our cabin, “The Duyfken” for the main saloon and three prints of boats of the First Fleet by marine artist Frank Allen – HMS Sirius, the flagship for the side cabin and HMS Alexander and HMS Friendship, both convict carriers for the front cabin – mmm does that say something?

That evening as I prepared dinner, Ed braved the rather cold wind to retrieve the crab pots and do some fishing. No success in other arena so it was lamb shanks and red wine for dinner. We had decided to push on to Bundaberg the next day as Saturday looked the best day for the run to Pancake Creek.