It’s taken me a while to finish this blog. Somehow, the time just seems to get away from me! However, as we are preparing to head to south I thought I’d better finish this!
Unfortunately we didn’t get to Lady Musgrave Island when we cruised south, as the swells and winds were not conducive to us for heading offshore. But we had a few lovely days at Pancake Creek and a night anchored near the sugar refinery in Bundaberg en route to Hervey Bay. And I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to visit Lady Musgrave another time.
Gladstone
We enjoyed a couple of weeks at Gladstone – excluding the sandflies, which were ferocious – socialising with other cruisers, wining and dining, and even going to see a live recording of Q&A! And then it was time to say goodbye and start our cruise south to Hervey Bay, with first stop Pancake Creek. Here are a few photos, with captions, taken during our stay at Gladstone.
Gladstone to Pancake Creek (Sunday 1 May)
We timed our departure from Gladstone to take advantage of the outgoing tide, leaving around 0830. And we contacted Gladstone Port Control, on VHF 13, to advise them we were entering the shipping channel. It’s a hefty $1500 fine if you don’t do this!
It took us about 4 hours to reach our anchorage in Pancake Creek. We had good weather and saw a number of ships/boats during this leg of our trip, including Larcom, which we saw after leaving Graham Creek when we were coming into Gladstone. Here are some photos on our way to Pancake Creek (no captions).
Pancake Creek
Unlike a year before when we visited Pancake Creek, during our cruise from Bundaberg to Gladstone, this time it was a busier anchorage with boat traffic and no butterflies! The anchorage is very protected and a popular stopping point for boats heading north for the cruising season and there’s a lot of room.
Since we’d previously visited Bustard Head Lighthouse, we decided to take a walk to Aircraft Beach instead. However, I didn’t consider sandflies and mosquitos, and arrived on the beach completely unprotected. I was instantly attacked and since I was still itching from sandfly bites from our stay at Gladstone, we decided not to exacerbate this, so we headed back to the boat.
The current runs strong in Pancake Creek and the tender engine failed us, so we had fun rowing back to the boat! Here are some photos at Pancake Creek, and like before, the sunsets didn’t disappoint.
Pancake Creek to Bundaberg (Wednesday 4 May)
After three relaxing days on anchor in Pancake Creek, we headed south to Bundaberg. We left about 0600 and were in a convoy with other boats also leaving (one very cautiously) and as they turned left to head north, I felt a pang of jealousy that they were heading to the tropics! (As I write this blog, the temps at Hervey Bay dropped to around 8°C overnight and we bought a goose feather doona – so warm, too warm – we’ve taken it off the bed at the moment since we’re overheating!! It’ll be perfect when we go to Tasmania.
It was 10-hour cruise to Bundaberg, after taking about 30 minutes just to leave the creek, and for about 6.5 hours we were heading 53NM with no change to our direction and nothing but water to see!
It’s fair to say this was a long day for us, compared with short trips around the Whitsundays. We anchored in Burnett River, and after the first location we had chosen was a bit busy, we went a further upstream and stayed near the sugar terminal.
It was a very calm and quiet anchorage and I think the cats were happy to be out of their cabin, where they were safe and secure during our trip.
Bundaberg to Hervey Bay (Thursday 5 May)
We left Bundaberg at 0730 to time our arrival into Hervey Bay (the Great Sandy Straits Marina at Urangan) for after midday, as per the marina’s requirement.
Between Bargara and the entrance to Hervey Bay, we didn’t see much, other than a few fishing boats.
As the dark clouds disappeared, I remember the last time we were in Hervey Bay and how the ocean seemed to blend into the sky.
And we were familiar with the landmarks as we approached Urangan. We already had our berth allocation so we knew where to go and it was a very pleasant trip from Bundaberg, arriving at about 1300.
Below are just a few photos I took.
Hervey Bay (to Thursday 30 June)
We booked a berth at the marina for two months. We planned to explore Fraser Island and the northern end of the Great Sandy Straights since last year we spent two months at Hervey Bay exploring the land region.
But for much of the first month we were here, we experienced strong winds, lots of whistling through boat rigging, and heavy rains. A hint that the weather is bad is when you only manage 20 steps in a day!
Along with bad weather came lots of debris in the water, and while leaves generally don’t cause problems, you don’t know if there might be larger logs floating around and hitting one of these can cause damage. In fact, I was chatting with the owner of one catamaran and they hit a log when traversing the Great Sandy Straits and it caused significant damage to one of their propellers.
Not long after we arrived, I would hear a lot of “wolf whistles” and yelling coming from a nearby boat. It turned out one of the cruisers had a pet macaw and he was very chatty and wanting attention!
Toward the end of our visit, I tested positive to COVID! Luckily Robert remained negative during this time and could look after me, and despite being a bit tired, I’m better now.
Kingfisher Bay and Big Woody Island (early June)
The weather improved and we finally went to Kingfisher Bay (lunch at the resort). The current runs strong in this area and the evidence was visible in how our flopper stoppers were behaving. Normally they sit in the water, vertically. Check the video below to see how they were dragging back!
We also anchored at Big Woody Island in a couple of locations and while there we saw a number of dolphins and turtles. It should be noted they have great “camera detectors” but I did get some footage of a turtle!
Mystery craters and Maroondan
We hired a car and took the opportunity to visit our friends – Janine and Dale – who are having a “tree change” at Maroondan. Dale prepared a great BBQ lunch and we sat around the open fire enjoying a wonderful few hours with them. It’s great to see their social pages and photos of the changes they are making while “marooned” at Maroondan! (sorry, couldn’t help myself)
On the way, we also ticked off a bucket list item by stopping at the mystery craters (their website said it was a “bucket list tick off”!)
Where to next?
While we try to avoid schedules, we need to be at Gold Coast City Marina on Monday 8 August to have our boat lifted out of the water for maintenance. We’ll be heading south, leaving Hervey Bay on 30 June, and giving ourselves lots of time to get there. Stay tuned…
5 Responses
Those Mystery Craters are amazing! I wonder if they will ever find out how they formed.
Fabulous Pam. I was rather horrified by the stories of sand flies, I know they would eat me alive too! Eeek
As always, very entertaining and well written. YAY we got a mention. Stay sfae and keep posting.
Looks like you continue to enjoy the sea, waterway & the many beautiful places you have visited. Photos great, you will have many beautiful memories. Stay safe
It has been cold & rainy in Soldiers point.
Hi Pam & Robert, So glad your travels are continuing safely. You’re seeing so many wonderful places.
Pam I have lost your phone number. Any chance of giving us a ring one day?
Enjoy,
Robyn & Chicka