Archive for the ‘weigh anchor’ Category
They say home is where the heart is,
then my home lays here.
Cruising Nara Inlet, Sept 2003
A decade after our first visits to Nara Inlet.
It feels we are heading..
Heading….
Home……..
Somewhere over the rainbow…
This beautiful Fjord-like inlet was once the ancient home of the Ngaro people.
This sea faring Aboriginal group inhabited the Whitsunday and coastal areas of Queensland from some 7000BC till 1870.
Eventually their society was destroyed by the inhabitation of colonists and those remaining were forcibly relocated to mission settlements on Palm Island…
Stillness
The Cradle of a People…
Comfortable
There are plenty of places to explore,
from ancient art work,
and waterfalls…
Beautiful in all light
We spent long languid days,
warm with gentle rains,
a beautiful place to call home, if only for a time…
looking south out the Inlet
Nestled
Sea Eagle
August 2013 we head East from Darwin in the Northern Territory after many years away.
We look forward to rediscovering this land..
Blessed to sit and to ponder this magnificent land…
being in nature…
Home, is wherever the heart lives….
The Berkley River
The Berkeley River is nestled SW of Joseph Bonaparte Gulf on Australia’s remote north Kimberly Coast.
The nearest town is Wyndham 150kms..
There are no roads…
Berkley River Map
Intense silence fills your ears,
alone in an ancient land.
The moon fills the setting sky,
miles from civilisation,
miles from anywhere.
We are able to cruise some 12 nm (approx. 22km) up the river.
Sandstone gorges soar over head at times completely encircling us..
There is a deep presence…
We are in old, old country…
The colours are amazing..
Carved by eons on time..
The afternoon glow is blinding gold…
There is a silence within the Berkley like nothing I’ve every experienced before.
It’s soundless..
Deafening…
Alone in the wilderness..
Mystical..
We lived by the falls..
This was to be our home for the next month.
We bathed under the waterfall looking out over the hushed grandness..
We explored, we climbed the above ridge and walked deep into the quiet land, we sat…
I showered under the falls..
No crocs here..
We had all the comforts of home…
We watched the Moon dance it’s cycle in the clear, clear skies.
We lay out on chilly nights lit by the millions of sparkling stars..
We watched the sun sink, finished for the day, whilst the full moon rose in all it’s glory…
Mt Casurina
Golden hue
lush and so green
We lived in nature,
self sufficient.
Collecting water..
Baking bread…
Freshly backed in the BBQ..
We caught the odd mud crab..
Collecting fresh water..
We ate well…
Rudy’s Chilli Mud Crab..
We walked the ancient land drawn into it’s quietness.
Sandstone rock caved into the guardian souls that resided this land..
There was a feeling of being in the presence of others,
they had left their creative mark.
We sat and looked out where others had sat for millennium ..
rock art up on a ledge,
The connection was strong…
walking along the rock bar, boats no further..
Berkley Bush..
Ancient ancestor…
We came across the odd Croc, we aways aware.
We swam in fresh water pools, watched by God’s creatures..
We played, safe above the falls…
We played…
Croc…
A sunning monitor…
We were totally and lovingly wrapped in nature.
Berkley blessings….
I am deeply blessed…
I am so grateful..
Thank you…
Margaret Bay
Near the tip of Queensland there is a beautiful Bay.
Where the sand is white and the water clear.
You won’t find many people here the nearest sealed road is 141 kms away.
Clear waters of Margaret Bay
Margaret Bay Low tide
Map of Margaret Bay
A place to stop, to explore and to play.
The tides are big…lucky we have wheels.
Walking the beach at Low Tide..
The tide came up higher then expected. Rudy I’ll watch for Crocs..
A great place to give Tiata a dry out and make sure all is a’ok.
giving Tiata a dry out
Watching the clear water wash away..
Tide receding…
Further up the beach past a creek
the sands are sprinkled with Star Fish
100’s of them..
Waiting for the croc to swim away before crossing the creek.
But first you have to wait for the resident croc to head out to sea…..
Important tip: Check your tides and always keep an eye out.
Start fish everywhere going about there business
In a little part of the bay is Starfish City..
Off to see friends..
“Catch a falling star…”
The ‘Stars’ of Margaret Bay
Blue, white and green…
Tiata
Just us and nature,
A lone Jabiru..
A distant Curlew
what a special treat…
A magical sunrise
Feeding Eagles.
Christmas in the Whitsunday’s
Most of the time on the east coast it’s blowing ‘south easterlies’ and Turtle Bay is buffeted by winds.
So it’s a treat to enjoy it’s beautiful clear waters.
We spent the afternoon feeding Eagles.
We fed them all our bacon…was worth it..
What a great way to spend the day
Eagles remind us to work smarter, not harder
Eagles remind us to not allow the illusion of limitation to ground us in our flight.
Freedom
King of the birds
I needed a dip after all that..
25th Dec 2006
Christmas at Turtle Bay, Whitsunday Island.
Christmas Morning…
It was a misty start to the day, still and quiet. After sunrise most of the boats moved on to there destinations for the day, we decided to stay put.
After my morning paddle we explored the area, we followed a dry waterfall up into the rain forest we were awarded a sublime view..
Looking back at Tiata
Some morning exercise…
Solider Crabs
We climbed high into the forest..
Rudy walking the dry river course..
keep on walking..
love our morning walks..
Rudy did a great roast on the Cobber
Followed by an afternoon swim
Tending lunch..
Cooking with a view..
it was a beautiful day and after lunch we “weighed anchor” and went for a sail around the Island…
Perfect…..
Flying the spinnaker…
Clear sailing
Christmas on Tiata..
28th October 2006
We’d been anchored at Lizard Island for about 6 weeks and had recently had some cruising friends arrive. It was decided for a group sail out to The Cod Hole on the Ribbon Reef on the great Barrier Reef.
We’d woke to the stillest of mornings, the water crystal clear. Your could see people getting out on their boats and peering into the water.
It was like looking in a fish tank, magical..
Crystal Clear waters of Watson’s Bay
Anchor line curled on itself
Morning on Watson Bay
We all loaded aboard Bruce and Toni’s Catamaran, nice and big. 6 Adults and 4 kids, woohoo we were off. The morning stayed eerily still being that the winds blow most the season at 20-25 knots such a still day was like magic. We skipped across the ocean surface and was we came closer to the Cod Hole the bottom started to loom out at us, we looked at the depth finder to see that we were peering into 27 meters of water.
on route to The Cod Hole
Some of the gang
Still Water
We arrived at the scene and let out some buoys as we were in deep water.
We jumped in.
It was amazing, colourful and clear we could even see the circling reef sharks circling the outer edge.
Sarah getting in…
Hi Rudy..
Looking into deep water
Was a wonderful day of fun and laughter we returned by to Watson’s Bay with a return visit out to the ribbon reef planned.
We were treated to a divine sunset
Sun down at Lizard
28th October 2006
We had first met the Anui crew, Scott, Sarah, Seth and Fynn at Dockside before we had Tiata. We met them at the ferry stop we got talking and they invited us aboard there boat Anui. They were heading to family at Yamba for a 3 month stay. We promised them dinner on there return but by the time they returned we had moved aboard Tiata…
Anui sitting in the forground
Outside, out at Sea 