Tag: Maps

Calamities in Queensland

There are times living on the boat when I think it’s going to break me. We’ve had some calamities in Queensland that have almost put me off living on a boat. While it may look from afar as if we’re always enjoying tropical cocktails while swimming with dolphins, which would be a fun combination, it’s not always fun or easy.

It’s Rough Sometimes

In our first year living on Sava, we made many mistakes and had a lot of rough days. We got past that beginner’s hump. Now, we love our new boat, and living aboard is our life, so we take the bad with the good. But even after six years, there are times when we have almost had enough. Since our not so fun sail from New Zealand, we’ve had a few calamities in Queensland, Australia.

Getting Stuck on Mooring Balls

Some of the anchorages in Queensland have mooring balls. We haven’t used the moorings either because we don’t know who owns them or how to get permission, or they are not rated for our boat’s weight. When you’re anchoring near moorings, you need to leave room so you don’t swing into the boats on balls or swing into the balls or their lines. We haven’t always succeeded in avoiding the moorings.

sailboats anchored in Brisbane
Some sailboats anchored in Brisbane River

Twice we tangled around the moorings, and it wasn’t easy to get off!

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Highlights of the Hinterlands

Over 85% of Australia’s population lives within 50KM of the coast. The area beyond is called hinterland. In the three months since landing in Queensland, Australia, we’ve driven into the hinterlands and explored a few times. These are our highlights of the hinterlands.

Driving to the Hinterlands

Getting to the hinterlands has been easy, as they aren’t far from the big cities and the coast, and on well traveled roads. By now, we’re used to driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car. Australia has plenty of highways leading between cities and into the hinterlands. The main concern is driving at night because kangaroos come out of nowhere.

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Cruising From Gold Coast to Brisbane

After a week enjoying the fun activities in Gold Coast, we started sailing north. We’re trying to get to the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef where it’s warm even in the winter. The East Coast of Australia is ideal cruising grounds. We only need to sail a couple hours between stops because there are so many nice anchorages. Cruising from Gold Coast to Brisbane is about choosing which beautiful anchorage to stop in and for how long. Here’s where we went.

Leaving Gold Coast

The first leg of the trip, leaving Gold Coast, was the trickiest part. Depths are shallow in the inlet, and you’ve got to take care with shifting sands and tides. A superyacht which was also docked at Southport Yacht Club when we were there went aground in the area just north of the marina.

Sunday afternoon is a busy time to be in the Gold Coast Broadwater, and that’s exactly when we left the marina. The bay was full of pleasure boats, other yachts, jet skis, tour boats, and fishing craft. We were behind the wheel the entire time navigating all the obstacles.

sand bar, pelicans, Gold Coast
Sand bar in the Gold Coast Broadwater

Once we got several miles outside of Gold Coast, the traffic eased significantly. Later that first day, we had to navigate underneath electric wires crossing the bay between the mainland and Stradbroke Island, which was a little nervewracking. We don’t often have to navigate under wires, but we did it!

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