During our trip from Lakes Entrance to Bermagui, we had the perfect weather conditions to anchor at Gabo Island for two nights. Many people sail by on their way to/from Eden without stopping here, often due to uncomfortable anchoring conditions. And while the island is only 14km from Mallacoota and can be accessed by boat or light aircraft, I’ve heard its’ a very expensive trip. So the the island is not accessible to many people.
With that in mind, I thought I’d share our experience exploring the island (for the second time) via a series of photos.
Approaching Gabo Island
As we approached Gabo Island on Monday May 5, we saw the familiar sight of the lighthouse, and the pink granite, which has been used in many Australian and overseas locations. We had boat neighbours for the night, and enjoyed a good chat when they passed by rowing their tender and later over the VHF radio. We agreed to catch up for dinner along the way, and we did this only a few days later at Bermagui!
Where to anchor this time?
During our first stay on Gabo Island (7 November 2023) we had a couple of ‘interesting’ anchoring experiences:
- We’d set the anchor initially, but I decided we were a bit too close to the rocks, especially with the stronger winds that were blowing at that time. With the windlass struggling to lift the anchor, we soon discovered the reason. We’d managed to pick up about 4m of extremely thick and encrusted chain.
- We moved to a different location and the following day when we raised the anchor, once again the windlass was straining. This time we snagged a lengthy cable. But I must say, it offered very good holding!
I marked these two areas on Navionics to advise others of potential hazards. As it happened, our boat neighbours on Hau Korahi had seen these and they anchored slightly to the north of us.
Our anchorage this time is shown on the following map, and we think we’re anchored in sand, but we’ll know when we’re ready to move on!
Exploring Gabo Island
After brunch on Tuesday 6 May, we took our tender over to the island to explore. We followed the well-marked track and made our way south east to the cottages, and lighthouse. It was clear that the grass had been mowed recently and the track was well-maintained.
During our walk, we passed by the monument to those drowned by the wreck of the steam ship Monumental City in May 1853. The ship was wrecked at Tullaburga Island (about 2.5NM east of Gabo Island) and 37 people lost their lives.
We also passed the caretaker’s vegie garden and chook house. There are three hens and one rooster on the island. The rooster is very protective of his harem, and charged me when I was a bit too close. I had a good laugh later, but at the time I was a bit concerned he was following me!
As we continued walking towards the lighthouse, we stopped to check out the visitors’ shed, where we found some small birds ‘trapped’ inside (but we couldn’t shoo them out) and then we noticed a few wasp nests just outside the door, so we didn’t stop for too long!
Then as we approached the caretaker’s cottage, both he and his partner were there. Caretakers work month on, month off. He’s done this for a number of years, but now he backfills when other caretakers are on leave. As they were preparing to depart the island later that week, he was very busy getting things sorted for the next shift. While there’s a small runway on the island, they get a boat to and from Mallacoota.
Gabo Island has a rugged beauty and the green grass, blue skies and ocean, and pink granite makes a stunning contrast.
Next we headed to the north east of the island, to find the cemetery. We didn’t get a chance to see it during our first visit on the island. Once again, there were stunning views of the water and what felt like a totally different area of the island, but with many trees and plants looking choked by weed.
Information for your reading pleasure
As well as the information below, you might also be interested in searching the internet for information about Gabo Island.
And here’s a tip…when searching the internet for anything, if you don’t want to see info provided by AI, just add -AI to your search criteria, e.g. gabo island things to do -AI
Returning to Poseidon
After exploring the island, we decided to take our tender along the coastline on our return to Poseidon. This provided us with a closer view of the old quarry, some birdlife, and the mainland off the northern tip of the island. The water was also very clear and we could see many areas where the bottom was covered in weed and boulders.
And as the day came to a close, we were treated to another beautiful sunset.
Leaving Gabo Island
We had two very comfortable nights anchored here. In fact, we commented that the conditions were calmer than some of our nights anchored in the Gippsland Lakes! But with the changing weather conditions, we raised our anchor made our way to Eden. Unlike during our first time anchored at Gabo, on this occasion we found a sandy area to drop the anchor and there were no surprised when we raised it!
Where to next?
We’ll be making our way to NSW waters and continuing our trip north with many stops before we reach Sydney Harbour.
8 Responses
Thank you for your wonderful story. I have sailed past over 100 times as a delivery skipper and have anchored a few times on the western side. You have re-ignited my need to go for a wander on the island now that I am cruising 🙂
I hope you enjoy exploring Gabo Island next time you are in the area.
That was a mean-looking rooster! 🐓😄
Great pics as always! Lovely place in fine weather!
Great story and pictures Pam! Loved it 🥰
Another great story! Love the pink granite, I’ll look out for it at the Melbourne town hall and GPO next time we’re there! x P and D ♥️
Thanks for the Gabo Is report. I haven’t been there but would love to go sometime, maybe by helicopter. The red granite is truly beautiful. We have a small piece of it in our Museum collection.
We are so glad that everything is going well for both of you and the boat. There is so much to explore and so little time to do it!
Pam, we are sorry we missed your birthday but somehow, I have lost your mobile no. Please give me a call when you can.