Tag: Photos

Port Macquarie

After years of sailing on our schedule, it’s challenging to be stuck for weeks with no progress on fixing Go. Yes, we have been stuck in worse places so we’re trying to make the best of our down time. Here’s how we’ve been having fun and staying busy in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, known in Aussie lingo as “Port”.

About Port Macquarie

A town in the Mid-North Coast region of New South Wales, Port is located almost 400km north of Sydney. Located at the mouth of the Port Hastings River, its known for beaches, koalas, and convicts, not necessarily in that order.

Port Macquarie on a map east coast Australia
Port Macquarie on a map on the east coast of Australia

The town has a population of around 50,000, many of whom are retirees. We also see a lot of young families mingling with the retirees at cafes and on the waterfront paths. This town is busy on weekends and holidays, when families and vacationers fill the caravan parks and hotels. What are they coming for?

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The Worst Wave

We’ve been through a lot in our six years living on our boat. Between Sava and Go, we’ve lost our autopilot, torn sails, and dragged anchor. Those problems pale in comparison to our latest incident. The worst wave we’ve ever been hit by crashed into the bow of our boat and smashed our forward facing windows. Our boat flooded and soaked everything with salt water, us and Domino included. We’re still drying out and we don’t know what’s next.

We Got Hit by the Worst Wave

Since returning from Tasmania, we started making our way north, hoping to get back to some of our favorite parts of Queensland and see new ones. Well, we exited a bar on a pretty calm day, heading from Camden River to Port Macquarie, when a huge wave struck our boat. It was so strong it knocked out our front salon and galley windows, spewing tons of salt water into Go. Within a second, we lived through the worst disaster we’ve experienced on board in six years.

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Tasmania Road Trip

We went to Tasmania and loved it! Tassie for short, it’s a beautiful large island surrounded by many islands south of the main island of Australia. We had less than two weeks and spent 10 days of it on our Tasmania road trip. Here’s where we went and what we loved!

Why Do a Tasmania Road Trip

Tasmania is the 26th largest island on Earth, about 1/2 the size of England and the same size as West Virginia. It is known for its diverse wildlife, natural beauty, and for having the cleanest air in the world. We also noticed Tasmania’s delicious fresh seafood and produce, extensive craft beer and wine scene, and a relaxed and fun lifestyle.

Tassie is located in the Roaring 40s, notorious to sailors for strong winds and big waves that damage ships. Now you understand why we didn’t sail. Over 26,000sq miles, Tassie’s compact size means a road trip is an ideal way to see Australia’s smallest state.

Tasmania Road Trip view farm and sky
View from the car on our Tassie road trip
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