Passage Notes: Fraser Island To The Whitsundays

Garry's Anchorage

Once we’d settled in Garry’s Anchorage on Fraser Island, it was time to do a bit of exploring. When we went to shore, we were greeted by John, a local yachtsman, who shared his of knowledge of the island.

John
John

Fraser is the world’s largest sand island stretching for 123 km.  It has rainforests, dozens of freshwater lakes, striking views, shop wrecks and a 120 km beach highway. John’s intel and nearby signs alerted us to the fact that it is also home to wild dingoes and crocodiles.

Beware of Dingoes
Beware of Dingoes

For some reason, the thought of dingoes did not frighten me, but the thought of swamp carnivores biting my leg off gave me a whole new fear to overcome.

Beware of Crocodiles
Beware of Crocodiles

We didn’t manage to see either, but my new fear led to several ‘wooden crocodile’ sightings.

Fraser Island Wooden Crocodile
Fraser Island Wooden Crocodile

The next day, at John’s recommendation, we lifted anchor and set out to Kingfisher Bay, home of a yacht friendly resort with great hiking and day facilities.

Ferry

After taking a long walk in the forest and along the beach, we enjoyed a hot shower.  We then met more local boaters who suggested we stop of at Platypus Bay before leaving Fraser Island. We sailed up there the next afternoon.

Walking Kingfisher Bay
Low Tide Kingfisher Bay

As we were entering Platypus Bay, the engine gave up, again; this time the shaft disconnected from the inverter. We lost a bit of oil (which I pumped out of the engine room) but The Captain again sorted the issue.

Beach Walk
River Walk At Kingfisher Bay

Unfortunately, we lost the day and were unable to go ashore to explore. But we did manage to get a good night’s rest in Platypus Bay and were up early the next morning to sail to Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef.

Wreck
Wreck

A few hours into our passage of windless motoring, the engine gave out once again. This time, the issue was a 12 year old coolant hose that had seen better days. The Captain worked through his process and in short order, we were making way again toward Heron Island.

Spare Landscape Fraser Island
Spare Landscape
Fraser Island

Heron Island is a coral cay in the Capricorn Group of Islands with a tourist resort and research station. Alan Lucas correctly describes the anchorage there in his cruising guide ‘Cruising The Coral Coast’ as ‘non-existent except in light to moderate southerly weather’. But that perfectly described the conditions, so we decided to enter the pass.

Stowaway
Stowaway

The Captain attempted to fire up the engine, but no joy. He turned the boat around back to open water, and once again began working his magic. This time, the culprit was a corroded relay wire to the starter. Problem sorted, we entered the pass, dropped anchor, and prepared for our first snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral Off Heron Island
Coral Off Heron Island

It was glorious; beautiful, healthy coral with a variety of fish, large and small. Unfortunately, after 20 minutes of snorkeling, the ‘waterproof ‘ camera case proved not to be. The case filled with water and the Canon G11 camera was irreparably damaged.   At least I was able to retrieve the few pictures I’d taken from the memory card. And lucky for us, The Captain still has a GoPro.

Coral Off Heron Island
Coral Off Heron Island

The following day, we set out on a 27-hour sail to Middle Percy Island and tucked in at Whites Bay for the shelter it promised from the expected strong northerlies.We managed to make our way to Whites Bay without incident and were treated to gorgeous, rugged landscapes, expansive, empty beaches, and butterflies that danced around Amandla.

Whites Bay Middle Percy
Whites Bay Middle Percy

Our friends from SY Mersoleil sailed down from nearby West Bay with two other sailboats (SY Skellum and SY Sengo) to join us. We caught up on some much needed sleep, and then headed to SY Sengo to join the other crews for a sundowner.

Whites Bay At Sunset
Whites Bay At Sunset

The next morning, we were up early and ready for a hike to ‘The Homestead’ with the crews of SY Skellum and SY Sengo. It’s about a 4 km walk from Whites Bay to The Homestead, much of it uphill, but well worth the journey.

Sand Dunes At Whites Bay
Sand Dunes At Whites Bay

Along our way, we glimpsed goats and kangaroos as they ran/hopped by and passed very close to a snake, a few spiders, and several butterflies. Cate Radclyffe welcomed us with a refreshing pitcher of limeade upon our arrival at The Homestead.

Cate is managing a Conservation Park consisting of The Homestead and the other most used island areas. The remainder of the island is a National Park. The island has an interesting history full of pioneer spirit, sailors, mental illness, con men, lawsuits and recovery. You can read all about that here.

Cath Radclyffe
Cate Radclyffe

Cate is also the commodore of the Percy Island Yacht Club. We gladly joined in support of her island restoration efforts and her kindness to passing sailors. As members, we received a placard, a PIYC burgee, and really cool dog tags made with a machined dating back to the WWII days.

WWII Dog Tag Machine
WWII Dog Tag Machine

We didn’t manage to make it over to West Bay where boaters have been leaving their mark at the Percy Island Yacht Club since the 1950. But we were delighted when our friends Paul and Sjany of SY Skellum offered to hang our remembrance when they next sail there.

Percy Hilton- Boat View’ No 3 in the series by Jenni Kirkwood
Percy Hilton- Boat View’ No 3 in the series by Jenni Kirkwood

Our last night in Whites Bay was a little lively with strong winds shifting from north to southwest, then dissipating and being replaced by uncomfortable, rolling swell.

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On 28 May, we were up early and enjoyed a lovely sail to Curlew Island; 13 knots on the beam in calm seas under sunny skies. The butterflies led Amandla into the anchorage.

Sunset Curlew Island
Sunset Curlew Island

Our friends SY Skellum caught a large yellow-fin tuna along the way, so The Captain taught them how to make Italian Sushi and Hawaiian Poke which we enjoyed with them and the crew of SY Mersoleil that evening. Delicious.

Entering The Whitsundays
Entering The Whitsundays

On 29 May, we set off for a 20 hour sail to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays. We arrived on 30 May and will spend a bit of time in this area provisioning food, fuel, a waterproof camera and spare parts. Weather and boat maintenance permitting, we may even get in a bit of snorkeling in. We will have intermittent internet during our time in this area so response to comments may be delayed.

Provisioning Spare Parts
Spare Parts

 

Submitted for The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Spare

61 comments Passage Notes: Fraser Island To The Whitsundays

Ladybuggz says:

Wonderful!! <3 T.

? Teresa ?

Amazing post, Lisa. Loved all your photos. Well done to The Captain for overcoming all the ‘niggly hiccups’,and keeping your boat in working order. He’s a problem solver of note. 🙂 I laughed about your wooden crocodiles. I have the same phenomenon here, with dead palm leaf alligators. 😀 Love the photo of Cate. She looks like such a strong and enthusiastic lady.

??? Your ‘dead leaf palm alligators’ had me roaring Sylvia. Glad to know I am not alone in my fear of false carnivores. May we never be too close to the real thing. You totally nailed Cate’s personality. She had all the attributes of a pioneer woman. The Captain seems to have resolved the engine issues for now. Thank you so much for your kind compliments on the photos.

The locals sure look rugged but friendly! Seems that dingos filled the same niche that bears do here in North America. Wooden crocs and real ones would have me running too! I can just see you pumping out oil ! What a shame about your camera!! Glad you were able to salvage some photos!

Totally cool.What a beautiful area and it seems quite unspoiled–how nice. The coral was fantastic–hope you get to see more like it. Sorry about your camera. GoPro is actually a decent camera. Hope you are having fun. As always terrific pics!

The Captain loves his GoPro but I like to frame a shot so am less of a fan. Ordered another Canon and picking it up today. Hurts the wallet, but we’ve got plenty of snorkeling ahead this season …and who knows when we will be back this way again?!? We’ll have a few more days on the reef before we head northward. And there should be much more underwater fun in Indonesia. Thanks for the compliments on the snaps ?

themofman says:

Lisa, I’m loving your expose in the first issue of On Your Doorstep Magazine!

Nice one!

? Thank you Allan! I hope to see an article by you there soon ?

Traveller at heart says:

Lovely shots.

Sorry to hear of the glitches.

Hope the crew, the Captain and you are having a great time.

Thank you for your support and kind compliments. Hoping that the engine glitches are now behind us, but we are learning to expect the unexpected ?

Your crocodile sighting scares made me chuckle as I went on my walk today. I could have sworn…

? May we never get to close to the real thing ?

Hihihi, there is one again! 😮

??

Glad to know there is still some unbleached coral to see. 🙂

Dina says:

😀

We hear that the bleaching occurs further north. We are heading to Hook Reef near the Whitsundays for a few days of snorkeling and hop to find healthy coral there. Horrible what is happening to the reef in general ?

Astonished and thrilled to see the vibrant corals. I am loving all these windows on that part of the world.

Thank you for sailing along with me virtually! Hoping to see more healthy coral I Hook Reef tomorrow. But we’ve heard that the bleaching gets bad a bit further north. Tragic.

Debbie says:

Great you enjoyed the magic of Fraser Island Lisa – though you really need to be there more than a few days to really see its beauty. wonderful about the coral also – I can only say that you were very lucky, as the lastest scientific reports that have come out show the reef has sustained significant damage – some say up to 85% has been lost to bleaching. our policitians dont seem to care, but its become an election issue. Again. great photos, I laughed to see your locals – typical Fraser Island locals. hope you didnt see any cane toad invasions – when i was there, they were rampant. Happy sailing, may the wind always be at your sails. 🙂

Totally wish we’d had more time on Fraser Island. Missed out on the 4WD trip and swimming in those glorious fresh water lakes. Happily missed the toads ?. But glad we got to meet some colorful locals. the engine would have cooperated and we weren’t in such a rush to get to Darwin, we’d have certainly stayed longer. Really, I wish we had another year or two in Australia. We are heading out to Hook Reef tomorrow which I’ve heard still has some nice coral. But the percent of coral that has been damaged is mind blowing; tragically so! Thank you for your kind words on the photos ?

Amazing journey that you are on, Lisa. It sounds like you have seen and experienced so much in the last month, in such a short space of time. Good on all of you for working out the boat problems. It sounds like there were quite a few of them, but good to know everyone pulls together and stays as a team

Those woooden crocodiles look so lifelike. I think they really are there so you will keep an eye out for the real ones 😀 That looks like quite a bit of a snake you saw there at Whites Bay. I hope that didn’t scare you. Whenever I go hiking in Australian bushland, I always, always fear snakes.

Happy resting and here’s to hoping for some snorkeling time. Sorry to hear about the Canon camera and my heart aches for it. But I’m guessing the next camera will be just as good. That sunset photo – stunning, stunning, stunning. You are giving me a run for my money big time…and Mr Wobbles is cheekily encouraging you on instead of me 😀

I wish we had more time Mabel. A couple more years on Australia would suit me just fine, but I’m a gal with a goal, so I’ve got to keep going. The only thing I won’t miss about Australia is all the scary animals/fish/reptiles/bugs. I hear the crocs and snakes get worse as we head northward so I may not leave the boat :-). We’ve secured our spare parts (and new camera – yay) and are headed back to the Reef tomorrow – hopefully without further incident. Thank you as always for your visit and kind words. And thanks to Mr Wobbles for his continued encouragement ??

You

lexklein says:

Well, you’ve had an eventful time recently! I laughed out loud at the wooden crocodile, and I adored all the boat and water photos, but my favorite of all must be your stowaway. I love his matching legs, beak, and eyes. Is it nerve-wracking to have the engine continue to break down? Obviously, the Captain has some mechanical talents, but what happens if the engine dies far out at sea and he can’t fix it? Are my deep-sea ocean terrors showing?!

Glad we share a sense of humor ?. As far as engine failures are concerned, I find them more scary close to shore than in the open ocean. Failures when entering a tricky pass with big, swirling currents and reefs that we can run aground on are the scariest, but so far, knock on wood, we’ve been lucky so far. Glad you liked out little stowaway. We had a cockatoo on board yesterday that was a real treat. Even tamer than the seagull.

Crikey, the Captain must have fixed most of the engine by now! Hope the spare parts make his obvious skills unnecessary. Everything else – just wonderful. Loved following your adventures.

Ahoy Anabel! Hopefully our engine troubles are behind us. With spares (and a new camera) now in hand, we are heading back to the reef tomorrow. Thanks for hanging out with us here.

I once mistook a log for a crocodile on The Amazon – easily done. Interesting place. Hope the Captain is okay now. Boats need so much work don’t they? If it’s nearly always the engine, if not it’s a mysterious leak or the bilge pump. Looking forward to further stories.

You were in the Amazon?!? How cool is that?

It is true what they say about sailing the world … ‘getting to repair your boat in many exotic locations’ ?. The Captain has managed to repair just about everything on this boat at least once. Bit hopefully we are sorted for awhile. Heading back to the reef tomorrow spare parts and new camera in hand.thanks for sailing along with us.

I’m glad that you didn’t come across a real croc… just the wooden ones would have been fine by me too. I’m glad to read the the coral is healthy; I’ve been reading a lot about the sick and dying beds that scientists are finding. Gorgeous pictures as usual! I hope you can get a replacement for your underwater camera soon!

? May we only have wooden crocs in our future. With spare parts and a new camera in hand, we are heading over to Hook Reef for a few more days of snorkeling tomorrow. I hear the coral is severely bleached further north which in a real tragedy.

I just read an article that the conservative Australian government refused to allow a scientific publication to mention anything about the negative effects of climate change on the reefs… apparently they were worried that it would effect the tourist trade. Sad.

That is awful. Do you have a link to the article?

Hi Lisa, you and the captain have been through a lot of events in a very short period of time, and fortunately the captain resolved the technical issues very fast and together you resolved all the other issues to finally enjoy the paradises you have visited. My jaw is dropping with all these photos and the narrative is equally fascinating. Meeting these locals, learning about their places and simply being there, sounds like a dream.
Pity that your waterproof camera let you down…at least you saved the photos and acquired a new one. Not only you, but all your followers would have been upset to miss the pictures you make along the way.
Stay the course and enjoy your journey. Don’t worry about not having internet to respond to comments. We will be here waiting for you. Hugs and safe travels..

Happily drowning in Lucile love. Thank you for your kindness, support and friendship. We have our spares and new underwater camera and are heading back out to the Reef tomorrow. Fingers crossed we leave engine failure in our wake!

Very interesting, so fascinating… 🙂

Thank you very kindly Drake ?

Liesbet says:

Great experiences – except for the engine trouble, of course – and beautiful surroundings and images, Lisa. You two are sure moving fast. I hope you are reserving enough time to decompress and immerse yourselves in the scenes and activities. The bird life looks amazing as well, especially your recent visit of the cockatoos! I hope the engine is fixed for the time being! I’d like to write “forever”, but us sailors all know that an always perfectly purring engine would be a fairy tale that would make the sailing life way too easy. 🙂 Enjoy the trip around to Darwin and I am looking forward to your photo shoot of the Whitsundays! xx

We are definitely moving faster than I’d like, but we’ve got to be in Darwin by July 7, so it is what it is. Admittedly, I am a bit stressed, but we have a few relaxing days ahead of us (engine cooperating) so life is good. Really, I wish I had a couple of years to sail here but I am a girl with a goal and have got to keep moving. We keep on talking about how much we need a Wirie. Do you ship to Darwin?

Liesbet says:

Aaaah, those deadlines while sailing. You gotta love them! 🙂 Cheers to the working engine and your goals. We ship The Wirie everywhere in the world, so yes, Darwin would work as well. Not cheap to ship there, though… 🙁 Maybe you have any US visitors coming your way?

? May have to wait until Singapore …unless you want to hand deliver it ?

badfish says:

Reading you is like riding a roller coaster. I thought that driftwood looked more like an arm and hand than a crocodile. But I harbor the same fear of crocs…I wouldn’t be sleeping on no beach where there was a sign warning about them. More engine issues!! Get a horse. Love all your shots…still miss the wall paintings and graffiti, though. Dog tag maker…cool!

? A horse is sounding pretty good about now. Our primary auto pilot and water maker broke en route to Hook Reef. We decided to delay repairs in favor of snorkeling (right choice) and address in Townsville – our next ‘big city’ stop. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find some graff there. And no worries, our recent roller coaster ride through Adventure Land is par for the course…living the dream ⛵️??⛵️?

badfish says:

Living the dream, I do get that. But, don’t you just hate it when your water maker breaks, though? I think to sail a boat, you have to have pockets deeper than the pit inside the boat. That’s the way it is for motorhomes.

Lisa reading your post is like stepping into some amazing adventure novel. It seems even hard for me to imagine it. Good for the Captain to make so many repairs. Oh the images of the coral of the reef left me sighing. We just must get back.
No platypus in platypus bay?

? Australia is beckoning you to return. No platypuses in platypus bay unfortunately but it was still a lovely little anchorage. The Captain continues to be given opportunities to evidence his mechanical know how …we lost our primary auto pilot and water-maker en route to Hook Reef but delayed repairs in favor of snorkeling (good call). We saw turtles, lobster, sharks and lots of healthy coral. We are now underway to Townsville where The Captain will work his magic and then we will again sail off into the sunset ?

So… good and bad, then! 🙂 🙂 Crocodiles give me the creeps so I’d be treading very warily. There’s always a down side to these far flung places, isn’t there? BUT I love that first stranded on a beach shot of the tree! And the two ‘humps’ in the sunset. And that dog tag machine- incredible! Have fun and take good care, sweetheart. Speeding hugs around the world to you. 🙂

Hugs received and welcome. Lucky for us, the good continues to outweigh the bad on this journey. Just finished a few days snorkeling on Hook and Bait Reefs on The GBR…a treat to make up for the breakdowns (primary auto pilot and water maker) that we suffered en route. Off to Townsville on the mainland now to get those fixed.

What a picture perfect adventure, Lisa! I hope your new camera is everything you hoped for and I can’t wait to see the next installment. 🙂

Thank you Lisa. The new camera is taking some getting used to underwater. The first day out, I didn’t have the zoom fitted correctly in the case and forgot to open the flash so the pics of sharks and turtles were less than optimal and I missed a lobster completely. The second day, the camera didn’t always capture the images that I was shooting (I think it is something to do with the autofocus but still haven’t figured it out) so I missed snapping another really cool turtle completely. But hey, I saw turtles and sharks and a lobster so life is good. I’ll download detailed camera instructions now that we have internet again. Only high level instructions were provided in the box ?

Low tide at king Fischer Bay is a wonderful “painting” of the landscape. Vast and beautiful.

The wooden crocodiles….too funny. The tricks tge mind and nature play on us.

So enjoyed this!

Peta

Thank you so much Peta! I found many posts on your site that will be useful as we head to SE Asia. Very excited.

Wow Lisa, so impressed with your high sea adventures and honestly, you make it sound so . . . . do-able! So much fun here in the arm-chair travelling with you and the ultra calm Captain who seems to have all the repair knowledge you will ever need.

Thanks for sailing along with me virtually Patti. It’s great to have your company. Thank goodness for The Captain’s repair knowledge …we’ve had a few more breakages that he has been working diligently to repair in Townsville. Hope to be sailing onward by Wednesday ⛵️

I’d so love to sail with you guys! Shieeet!

Even though we have had a lot of repairs lately Max, it is so much better than a day at the office. You are welcome to sail with us any time ⛵️

Lisa, this is an incredible travel blog posting complete with photos and details to satiate the curiosity and wonderment of the travelers soul. 🙂

? Thank you so much Marty. You are very kind to say. And it is great to see you ‘on the road’ now as well sharing your experience of North America!

Yes, those crocodile warning signs are very scary. If you did a river cruise in Kakadu you would have seen them everywhere. Dingoes are nothing compared to sign. Thanks for showing us the wonderful scenery of this area.

Ahoy from Indonesia Draco! I did manage to see several crocs in Kakadu and loved them…from a distance. Even managed to see a Dingo when we were doing a 4WD through the backroads of Litchfield. Sadly, the Dingo was too quick for me and I wasn’t able to photograph him. Thanks for hanging out with me virtually in Queensland!

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