Three Weeks in Australia

By Jacques and Nita Steininger - Santa Barbara, CA

This was our first trip to Australia. We sailed for a week in the Whitsunday Islands near the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and also visited Sydney, Ayers Rock and Melbourne. We loved the country. It's beautiful, modern and the people are very friendly. The only problems we can find with Australia is that they are on the wrong side of the world and they drive on the wrong side of the road!

We flew non-stop from Los Angeles to Sydney on United Airlines. Since it's a 14-hour flight, we got upgrades using frequent flyer miles. The flight was therefore comfortable and we arrived in Sydney in good shape after a fairly good night of sleep.

All prices quoted here are in Australia dollars (AU$) and are for information only (legal disclaimer, etc.). The AU$ used to be worth only $0.60 a few years ago but, by 2005, it had risen to $ 0.80 (or the US $ had sunk!). Prices are therefore now mostly comparable with US prices and a bargain for Euro tourists. In Australia, like in Europe, taxes and tip are included in all prices. You tip only for exceptional service.

We were concerned about February being in the monsoon summer season in Queensland and northern Australia but the weather turned out to be quite pleasant for most of the trip.

Sydney

We got a taxi to our hotel in downtown Sydney for about AU$ 20. The fare could be more with heavier traffic.

Sydney is a beautiful, modern and clean city with stunning architecture and good looking, friendly people.

We arrived Wednesday morning and got to our hotel, Pacific International Suites, on Kent Street, near Darling Harbor. We had found it and made reservations on the Internet. It's a reasonably priced chain of all-suites hotel (AU$ 130 - 180 depending on the day of the week) with kitchenette, microwave oven, washer and dryer, etc. Very convenient. They gave us a nice room with a view of the harbor.

The hotel offered a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet but it didn't work because their router was in the basement and we were on one of the top floors. Being in downtown Sydney however, I was able to connect with my laptop through several nearby offices. Fast and free. There are also many Internet cafes throughout the city.

The hotel is a two-minute walk to Darling Harbor, a new marina that was built for the Olympic Games in 2000. It features the Sydney Aquarium, the Maritime Museum and good seafood restaurants. The nightlife was splendid with young and old people enjoying the nice summer evenings. Thursday, we walked to Sydney Harbor and the Opera House. We then enjoyed a 2-hour harbor cruise with a great lunch buffet.

Our friend Hope arrived Friday morning and we bought all-day tickets on the Red Bus that goes all over the town. At night, we went to see a comedy show at the Sydney Opera while she got over her jet lag.

Saturday we shopped on George St. and went to the I-Max Theater to see a beautiful 3D movie called Ocean Wonders. We also went to one of the many Flight Center travel agencies to arrange our domestic flights to Hamilton Island, Ayers Rock and Melbourne.

Sunday we took a bus tour to the Blue Mountains with a stop at the Featherdale Wildlife Park where we played with kangaroos, koalas bears, snakes, etc.Except for the first day of rain, the weather was great.

Monday February 7 - Sydney to Hamilton Island

We flew from Sydney to Hamilton Island non-stop on a brand new JetStar Airbus 320 arriving at 3 PM. I had called The Moorings from Sydney to tell them of our arrival and Rebecca was waiting for us at the airport with the Moorings van.

It’s a very short ride to The Moorings base in the Hamilton Island Marina. Like most of the other Whitsunday’s islands, Hamilton Island is a luxury resort island run by the Hamilton Island Co. under lease from the Parks Department. They control everything: cleaning, safety and prices. The Moorings base, with about 14 boats, is managed by a friendly, efficient and knowledgeable staff. Sunsail is next to them with about 25 boats.

Our boat Flying Fox was ready and waiting for us. A 1998 M464, still in good shape, she has been kept in the fleet beyond the normal 5-year limit. A nice feature is an owner sign saying: "Welcome Aboard Flying Fox. This vessel is proudly owned by Tony Xxxxxx."

Another nice feature that we noticed right away is the propane-gas barbecue. This locally made barbie is very popular with all the boats in the marina. They even told us that many foreign charterers order them for shipping back home. It’s convenient and better than cooking below deck.

Still another interesting feature are electric flush toilets, due to the requirement by Queensland for macerators on all through-hull toilets. This is something that should be considered in the Caribbean to minimize the appearance of unsightly floaters in crowded harbors.

At the base, Peter was waiting to give us our briefing because he had to catch the 5 PM ferry back to Airlie Beach on the mainland. He gave us a rundown on the peculiarities of sailing the Whitsundays.

The Whitsundays are deceptively like the British Virgin Islands. They are protected islands within easy sailing distance of each other. Most sailing is line of sight with little use for GPS. However, there are two main differences resulting from very high tides and dangerous jellyfish.

The tides are about 4 m (12 ft) at full and new moons. This means that they have to be taken into account for anchoring and for other activities. If anchoring in less than 7m (21 ft), you may end up on the dry. If you don’t put out enough chain, you may lose your anchor and drag. In addition, the high tides create currents of up to 5 knots in narrow passages, plus dangerous whirlpools that can spin a yacht around.

The large tides also make it difficult to keep a dinghy on the beach. In an ebbing tide, it can be left high and dry and heavy to drag back to the water line. In a flooding tide, the dinghy anchor may get loose.

Jellyfish are another worry. The sting of the box jellyfish or irukandji can be fatal. We rented so-called Stinger Suits from The Moorings at a special price of $5/day per person. These are lightweight wet suits made of nylon and Lycra. Actually, we enjoyed them a lot because they give you sun protection, additional flotation and evaporative cooling.

After Peter left, we walked over to the nearby Bottle Shop (Liquor Store) where we bought some beer and nice Australian wines, such as Merlots and Chardonnays for about AUid="mce_marker"0. We also went to the General Store and bought some provisions for cocktail hour and breakfast.

We enjoyed a nice cocktail hour with good Australian cheeses and Chardonnay. After that, we went to a pizza place nearby for dinner. It was pretty warm and humid but not as bad as we had feared for a summer month. It cooled off during the night and we were able to sleep well.

Tuesday February 8 - Hamilton Island to Lindeman Island

In the morning we did the boat checkout and discussed our cruising plans with Alan. The trade winds normally blow from the South. However, it turned out that the winds were now unusual, blowing from the North. So, we decided to start by sailing South to Lindeman Island. With an ebbing tide, the current would be flowing north against us but it was only 1 knot in the wide-open sound.

We left around 1:30 PM. for a pleasant 2-hour sail. The wind died down after a while and we motored the rest of the way. After rounding Lindeman Island, we left Seaforth Island to starboard and Club Med to port. Their three moorings were empty (they charge AU$ 72 per night with use of their facilities) but we went on to anchor nearby in beautiful Plantation Bay in 10 m. (30 ft) of sand.

Before 5 PM, we dutifully called The Moorings to report our location. Queensland is very careful with bareboaters. They require charter companies to keep track of their charter boats twice a day. So, every morning and evening, we had to call Mother Base and report our location and our plans for the day. They take it very seriously. If they don’t hear from you for 24 hours, they have to launch a Search and Rescue operation. One evening, we also heard the Sunsail base calling each one of their boats individually to warn them of an approaching storm. We were the only boat in Plantation bay until another small private sailboat came in. After a refreshing swim with our Stinger suits, we grilled steaks on our propane gas barbie and enjoyed a quiet night.

Wednesday February 9 - Lindeman Island to Whitehaven to Chance Bay

In the morning, we dinghied to the beach on the rising tide and took a short walk on a trail that quickly disappeared in the bushes. We were careful to tie our dinghy above the high water line, near the picnic bench and we had no problem retrieving it.

We pulled anchor at 11 AM. Our plans were to motor against the wind straight North about 8 miles to the Solway Passage and then spend the night at beautiful Whitehaven Beach. As soon as we rounded Lindeman Island, we saw the gap for the Solway Passage between Hamilton and Hasselwood islands. Going through the passage was easy but we saw exciting whirlpools on the other side.

Whitehaven beach is a popular 4-mile-long beach of white sand with many tourist activities. It’s on a North shore that is normally protected from the southerly trade winds. However, when we arrived, we found it to be quite lumpy due to the unusual North winds. We had lunch on the boat and didn’t feel like going ashore. We spend the time watching tourist boats andseaplanes landing somewhat disappointed tourists.

We called The Moorings base for advice. They suggested going back through the Solway Passage and spending the night on the lee shore at Chance Bay. We followed their advice and enjoyed a nice sail back through the passage under genoa alone. Chance Bay was an excellent suggestion. It has two beautiful sand beaches and easy snorkeling on the reef between the two. There were only four boats when we arrived but four large sailboats with tour groups came in later in the evening, anchoring far behind us.

Chance Bay was absolutely calm in striking contrast to Whitehaven beach and we were very happy about our decision to move there. Normally, it’s a dangerous anchorage because the winds are known to change during the night and create hazardous conditions, hence its name.In the evening, the forecast was for rainstorms and winds up to 25 knots. However, we spent another delightful night with just a few rain showers.

Thursday February 10 - Chance Bay to Hamilton Island Base

In the morning, we took the dinghy to the beach for snorkeling. This far south, there wasn’t any coral but we saw interesting schools of fish. The water was delightful, especially with our body suits. While snorkeling, we watched a small seaplane land on the water and propel itself to the beach for a dry landing.

Our dinghy was beautiful 10-ft semi-rigid aluminum Naiad. It is fully carpeted on the bottom and on the two seats for protection from the hot aluminum. All safety equipment is nicely stowed aboard. The 4-HP outboard engine however was erratic and we called the base to ask if we could stop by and exchange it. They said: "No problem. Call us when you’re outside the marina".

We took off from peaceful Chance Bay and immediately got into heavy seas and winds up to 30-35 knots. We motored through the Fitzalan Passage on the backside of Hamilton Island, admiring sailing school enthusiasts doing heavy weather training.

When we arrived at the marina, Darryl and Peter met us at the entrance and helped us dock to a side tie. We debated on our options for the night with the staff. They suggested Nara or Macona Bays on Hook Island, which are well-protected deep bays on the lee shore. However, this required a 2-hour crossing in open waters with heavy seas. This did not appeal to our crew and they asked if we could stay in the marina instead. They agreed and also made minor repairs on the boat.

It continued to blow all afternoon. In the evening, we went for dinner at Romano’s, an Italian restaurant on the water recommended by The Moorings staff.

Friday February 11

The Great Barrier Reef and Cid Harbor Friday was an exciting day. I woke up early and found out that the wind had completely died down during the night. It looked like a glorious day. I walked over to the main pier and made reservations for the FantaSea trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It's an 8-hour day trip on a high-speed catamaran to the Reefworld pontoon on Hardy Reef. The regular rate is AU$ 165 but we got the senior rate of only AU$ 130.We left at 8:30 AM and very much enjoyed it. Other people have used the seaplane or helicopter rides to the reef but we feel that the boat trip is better value for the money. We spent more time on the reef and it included a nice lunch plus coffee and goodies on the way back.

When we got to the pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef, we took a 20-minute submarine ride, as an introduction to the reef. However, we felt it could be skipped in favor of more free snorkeling. We then did some free snorkeling on our own near the pontoon. It was a little crowded in the water but not too bad.

We had lunch on the boat and got ready for our 1 PM optional snorkel tour with marine biologist Angela.

This snorkeling run was the highlight of the trip. Angela took us in a launch to a separate platform about ¼ of a mile up current from the main pontoon. While we drifted back with the current she commented and dove down to point out interesting fish and coral features. We were a group of six snorkelers and used two ring floaters to keep us as a group. We saw beautiful coral, giant clams, turtles and many fish, especially Sargent Major fish attracted by the food she gave them. We wore our stinger suits for snorkeling, even though jellyfish are rare that far from the coast. We found these suits to be quite comfortable, for protection from the sun, added flotation for swimming and evaporative cooling once out of the water.

The whole trip was well organized; leaving and returning right on time, with excellent and friendly service. The snorkeling at the reef was made safe with ropes strung across the snorkeling area so that even beginners felt safe in the current and surge of open seas.

We returned by 4:30 PM and by 5PM, we were off on our boat. We motored toward Sawmill Bay in Cid harborwhich The Moorings staff had recommended for the night. Apparently, the 4 PM curfew time for charter boats is flexible and they didn’t mind our leaving that late, maybe because they trusted us! However, Darryl, the base manager asked us to call him on the radio to confirm our arrival. It was a short, pleasant run - less than an hour - with the wind and current pushing us.

We anchored in 10 m (30 ft) of water in the large bay and let out all our chain (60 m or 180ft) since there was plenty of swing room. There were only four other boats there with plenty of space in between each.

Saturday February 12 - Cid Harbor to Langford Island and Butterfly Bay

I woke up early and, seeing the nice weather, decided to pull up anchor right away and sail North to Langford Island that had been recommended by a previous charterer for snorkeling.

We got there before 8 AM. the first boat, and tied up to a Parks mooring. It was still low tide and the sand bar was fully exposed. It was magical, with turtles swimming around us and beautiful big jellyfish floating by in the current.

After breakfast, we took the dinghy to the sand bar and snorkeled for a while. We were disappointed however because the water was murky due to the recent Northerlies. We spoke to a friendly British couple who suggested to try snorkeling at Maureen’s Cove, on the top end of Hook Island.

It was a good suggestion. We got there by 1 PM and got another Parks mooring. Several tour boats came in after us with loads of divers and snorkelers. Maureen’s Cove is beautiful and has great snorkeling. However, after we finished our lunch and afternoon siesta, it was already 2:30 PM. We had planned to spend the night on a mooring at Butterfly Bay, a nearby, well-protected anchorage with Parks moorings.

In order to beat the 3 PM shuffle, we rushed to the bay and got an anchorage near the snorkeling area. The 3 PM shuffle results from the Parks policy of allowing a boat to stay on amooring for free, but only for two hours between 7 AM and 5 PM. Therefore if you get a mooring by 3 PM, you can stay for free all night. In fact, there was no need to rush, as there were plenty of moorings available in what is still their low season.

After tying up to the mooring, we went snorkeling along the western shore of the bay but were somewhat disappointed again. The bay was like a lake and we enjoyed a good night of sleep.

Sunday February 13 - Butterfly Bay to Hook Passage and Cid Harbor

Sunday was a great day for snorkeling and sailing. We left Butterfly Bay at 8:30 AM and went back to Maureen’s Cove. We were well rewarded with a world-class coral garden and ideal snorkeling conditions. The coral was varied and in excellent condition. There was little current and hardly any wind. Best of all, we were all alone in that beautiful cove on a Sunday morning.

We left at 11 AM and enjoyed some nice sailing around the northern point of Hook Island and Pinnacle Point. We were planning to stop for lunch in Cateran Bay on Border Island but the weather started deteriorating rapidly. Seeing dark storm clouds coming toward us, we quickly downed the sails and battened the hatches. Just in time. We got a downpour with winds of 25-30 knots.

After the storm passed, we decided it was too late for Border Island. We motored toward Hook Passage, between Hook and Whitsunday islands. We got one of the private mooring at Hook Island Resort and called on the radio to ask permission to stay for an hour or so. The lady said OK and come ashore; we’ll have lunch ready for you. But we had already preparedlunch and stayed on the boat.

After lunch, we hoisted the sails again and enjoyed a nice sail back toward Cid Harbor. We arrived by 5 PM and anchored again in familiar Sawmill Bay. There were more boats this time before of the heavy weather forecast. But we enjoyed a nice night with only one brief rain shower.

Monday February 14 - Back to Hamilton Island Base

We left at 6 PM because one of our crew had to catch the 9:45 AM plane back to Sydney and the US of A. As we emerged from the protection of the Hunt Channel, we encountered some heavy seas with 2m (6ft) waves and another brief but intense rain shower. It got better as we got under the lee of Henning Island and inside the Dent Passage. We arrived at the marina at 7:15 AM before the base staff arrived and docked to the same end tie at The Moorings dock.

Mutiny on Board!

The weather forecast was for gale force winds. So, we had a mutiny on board with my wife insisting on staying in the marina for our last day. The Captain was easily convinced and we decided to spend Valentine’s day visiting and enjoying the resort facilities.

After doing our email at the Internet center, we rented a buggy for the rest of the day (AU$ 60). These are little golf carts like the ones on Catalina Island. Everybody on the island uses them. With the golf cart, we did the tour of the resort, which takes about 5 minutes. We enjoyed beautiful views over the Fitzalan and Whitsunday passages, where we had recently sailed.

We went to the resort restaurant for lunch and, in the afternoon, enjoyed a swim in their main pool. We had our final cocktail hour on the boat with the wind gusting to 35-40 knots. After a good night sleep, in spite of the wind and rain, we got off the boat for our early morning flight.

In Australia, it seems that anywhere you go you have to go through Sydney Airport (like Atlanta in the South!). From Hamilton Island, we had to fly back to Sydney, where we spent the night at the same Pacific International Hotel, after enjoying another delightful seafood dinner at Nick’s in Darling Harbor. To go to Melbourne, again we had to fly through Sydney.

Ayers Rock

Change of scenery!

The next day, we flew to Ayers Rock on an aging Qantas Boeing, arriving in the middle of the afternoon heat. We stayed at the Lost Camel hotel on a special 3-day package deal we had bought Sydney. While not the most luxurious of the hotels here (all owned by the same man), our room is very conveniently located next to the pool and the commercial center. The room is compact but comfortable.

Ayers Rock (Uluru) is in the heart of the Australian continent. It was 100F (40C) in the shade during the day. When outdoors, we were told to drink at least 1 liter of water per hour.

On arrival, we bought another package deal of tours from AATKing Tours for AU$ 290 each. Like many of the Australian resorts, they have the monopoly here but are well run, friendly and reasonably priced.

The package deal included one sunset viewing of Uluru, one sunrise viewing with a cultural/nature walk and a tour to the Kata Tjuta National Park plus dinner/barbecue under the stars. We could make our own schedule.

Wednesday, the first night, we went for the sunset viewing, about 20 minutes away by bus. The colors on the rock were beautiful but there was a little of a carnival atmosphere with dozens of tour buses and hundreds of tourists, mostly from England, Germany and Japan, clicking cameras. It’s very civilized, with every bus group enjoying a picnic of good Australian wine and goodies by the side of the road.

Thursday morning, we got on the bus at 5 AM for the sunrise viewing. It was the same atmosphere as the night before but with coffee and biscuits being served.

After the sunrise viewing was over, we were bussed to the base of the Rock for a very pleasant 2-hour walk around Uluru. It’s not only a huge rock, but also an amazing mass of beautiful geological shapes and colors, aboriginal paintings and a surprising amount of vegetation and wild life, even pools of fresh water. Amazingly, there are huge amounts of water stored for ages below the surface, and correspondingly plenty of vegetation. The rock itself is composed of layers of sandstone with hematite (iron ore) that gives it its reddish color, everything being folded through geological upheavals in the most interesting shapes. In the morning, the temperature was very pleasant. The only problem was the myriad of flies that kept landing on our faces, chased away with what is called the Australian wave. It was smart to get face veils to put over our hats. We looked funny but it worked. The walking tour was excellent and we highly recommend it.

In the afternoon, we rested by the pool, reading and going for a refreshing dip once in a while. At night, we had an excellent seafood buffet (AU$ 55 equivalent to US $ 30 plus tax and tip) plus a nice bottle of Australian Chardonnay at the Winkiku restaurant at the hotel next door, Sails in the Desert.

The last day, we went for the afternoon walk at the Kata Tjuta National Park and for the BBQ dinner with kangaroo steaks.

Melbourne.

Melbourne is a beautiful and friendly city in a different way from Sydney. We stayed at another excellent Pacific International Hotel, on Exhibition Street, conveniently located between Bourke and Collins Streets, in the so-called "Paris" district. Also not far from the Australian National Tennis Center and the Rod Laver Arena.

The two main characteristics of Melbourne are the city trams that run everywhere (including a free City Tour tram) and the numerous restaurants, ethnic and gastronomic. In our short stay, we enjoyed in order seafood Croatian (Water and Grass), Lebanese (Momo’s), Vietnamese (Pho Bo/Ga) and French (Sofitel) restaurants. All were excellent.

The city can be described as made up of three concentric layers that reflect its historical development. The inner layer, the Central Business District (CBD) is modern, with high rise international architecture for multinational companies. The middle circle is old British Victorian with its old-fashioned colonial charm and the thriving Victoria Market. The outer circle is pure American suburbia with modern highways, miles and miles of one or two-story single brick housing, shopping centers and U.S. chain stores.

There were two theaters right near our hotel. We went to see the musical "Menopause" (yes!). Nita liked it a lot. I was one of the very few males in a sea of post-menopausal women. It was a very good production with parodies of popular songs of the 60’s. I actually enjoyed a few laughs.

On our way to the airport, our taxi driver told us that he was from Somalia. A good Moslem, he had two wives here, one with five children and one with four. An interesting character! He is one the many recent immigrants from Asia and the Middle East that we met throughout our trip. Most seemed well-educated, friendly and hard working.

We flew back from Melbourne, again stopping in Sydney where we had to get off the plane for a thorough security check. We left Melbourne at 1 PM on the 23rd and arrived in Santa Barbara at 1 PM on the same day, crossing back through the International Date Line.