Australia

Ah, the ‘promised land’, as the boys put it. It’s the Hippie City from the 60's & 70's. Surfers, intellectuals, painters, sculptors, artists, naturalists and exotic people thronged the busy street, making for excellent people watching – just the perfect thing to do for us old farts, while the boys stuck to the big wave of the day-- again!

With Australia characterized as a modern, developed country, our remote island experiences were over, for now. This country is as large as the United States - a challenge to traverse. The boys were stoked: big lands didn't bother them. They mused animatedly on passage about the anticipation of seeing Australian surf and girls - in that order. Now that we were here in the 'land of plenty', Pete and I got geared up to adopt the languid gait and don the cheeky grins of the dusty Aussie. While the boys glued themselves to surfboards and lolled in the surf for days (months even!), Pete and me indulged in the saner delights of the country's culture -- a myriad of museums, theatres, festivals and galleries.

So with a cocky spirit in tow, we dropped the hook at Moreton Bay at Mud Island, a six-day passage from New Caledonia, then moved over in the morning to Rivergate Marina to the Customs & Quarantine Berth. A team of officials arrived donned in battle gear and looking like ghost busters. Rods and cameras poked out from a myriad of cases to film our vessel – top, inside and beneath the water - in case of bombs (?) or funny looking alien marine critters. Sadly, I had tossed my zebra skinned salon cushions overboard for fear of being arrested for carrying forbidden items aboard. The rules of this country were formidable, which belied their friendly countenance.

After clearing in, it was time to celebrate with our buddies, who had journeyed with us since Fiji: “Ocelot” and “Peregrinata” (since Panama!). Fortunately, we all were able to squeeze into the Brisbane Mooring Field. (Make your reservations ahead of time!) Located in the heart of the beautiful, clean city, Brisbane was perfect for three families with teens. The city is situated on the Brisbane River on a low-lying floodplain between Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range. The local indigenous people knew the area as Mian-jin, meaning 'place shaped as a spike'. Alongside the Mooring Field are the quiet and vast Brisbane Botanic Gardens, which house a planetarium and the "Tsuki-yama-chisen", a Japanese Garden. Every morning, Pete and I hit the peaceful trails for morning exercise and to peruse the books and sip coffee at Barnes and Nobles, just to relish a serious, well-stocked bookstore, the best we’d seen in years. The boys rented bikes, and we took turns tooting around on the wide, wooden boardwalks and river bridges to tour the big city, as Brisbane has over 27 km (16.8 mi) of bicycle pathways, mostly surrounding the Brisbane river and city centre.

Warren, thrilled to be back on land, clambered a bit too rapidly out of the dinghy one morning and accidentally crushed his fingers, when he placed them too close to the moving dock, which was attached around a piling.

Cameron, a cruising buddy from Georgetown on s/v "Salu", flew in from Costa Rica to join in on the big wave fun for the Christmas holidays. Last time they'd been together was in Panma, when the boys met Cameron in Costa Rica. Will from "Twilight" was onboard at the time.

Byron Bay is beach front, with small blocks and streets, dotted with quaint cafes that are most often filled with backpackers. More like a hippie town, leftover from the 60's era. It is also the region’s most celebrated haunt, where the northern rivers and rugged terrain meet the coast in spectacular fashion to create fantastic waves. Needless to say, we rarely saw the kids.

The Gold Coast is located 100 Km south of Brisbane and 850 Km north of Sydney. The region is surrounded by high mountains with more than 100 thousand hectares of national parks. These parks have fabulous waterfalls and wild life, and are served by 260 Km of walking trails. While the boys and their buds sat across roiling waves all day, Pete and I hit the mountain trails nearby Southport, where Scud lay at anchor across the street from a beach that stretched for miles up and down the coast.

Yamba is a beautiful seaside village, 1.5hrs south of Byron Bay. Our favorite anchorage for the entire winter, the village is blessed with an ideal climate, quasi-bohemian lifestyle and great beaches. A former fishing village, commercial prawning boats enter the mouth of the Clarence River to seek refuge at sunset, making for interesting viewing. A coastal area, fascinating beaches had good surfing waves. A rock pool was a popular gathering spot for families and the long expansive Pipis Beach was studded with surfers. Pete and I enjoyed hiking the trails in Yuraygir and Bundjalung National Parks, located nearby.

The local library provided excellent housing for our book curious natures and we spent many afternoons nestled inside its sweet corners, only to surface for fresh prawns and tea.

Did I warn you that we followed big waves and girls - in that order - around the world? Which is why, Pete and I are going around again - chasing big dreams and inland adventures. Come join us for a week of charter!

The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of 74 major islands that lie off the Queensland coast between Mackay and just north of Airlie Beach, a popular backpacker hangout. The islands are a drowned landscape – these continental islands are the tips of mountains fringed with coral. The region is surrounded by dense forest (National Parks) that is filled with hiking trails. But beware! The large Cassuary bird lurks here, although we never had the luck to see one. It can grow two meters tall, is curious and highly unpredictable, sometimes dangerous. Lucky you, if you site one.

The infamous name of the islands is based on an entry in Captain Cook’s Journal, which referred to the archipelago as Whitsunday’s Passage and was named on Whitsunday. The blue-green waterways surrounding these islands are part of a marine park and fall within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. We anchored inside of Nara Inlet at Hook Island. A beautiful waterfall trickled down a wall of slick rock into a pond below that appeared impressionistic inside a curtain of mist. Our shouts into the mist echoed off the high banks of dense forest that created a spooky scene.

We based ourselves out of Airlie Beach, seeing as it was a popular hangout for backpackers and sport enthusiasts. Kids languished by the pool in droves across a field of grass.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system and is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands that stretch for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). Resting gorgeously in the Coral Sea like several Prima Donnas, the archipelago sits off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The Reef is so large, it can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. A World Heritage Site, the Reef is also labeled as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

We anchored at several of the islands en route up the Queensland Coast: City of Cairns, Low Island, City of Cooktown, Endeavor Island and Lizard Island. Read of our personal account in diving those pristine and sometimes scary waters in our article, above left link.

At Cape Melville, we anchored at Bathurst Bay for the night, next to a large trawler that served as a supply ship for offshore fishing trawlers. They are so far away from their home ports, it costs too much time to journey back to offload their catch. At twilight, we were surprised to see a chopper beat overhead, keeping guard in the skies against smuggling, whether for drugs or human.

The Torres Straits are narrow with rough current, often contrary. Large ships use the Straits for safe passage to avoid rough sea conditions and to save time. As we sailed around the tip of Cape York, we came upon two men in a boat working a pearl farm. It was never boring in the Northern Territory, I can tell you that!

We were delighted to meet other cruisers en route to Darwin along the way. At night, we got together after dinner for fun visits and interesting conversation. The ACW (Australian Coastal Watch) boarded and checked our boat to make sure all was in good order, when we were in the Wessel Islands. In fact, they radioed us every day during our stay at the Top End.

In northern Australia, saltwater crocodiles – known as 'salties' – are a real danger. As well as living around the coast they can be found in estuaries, creeks and rivers, sometimes a long way inland. Warning signs were posted wherever a water hole or river was located. Since fatal injuries have occurred from ignoring the warning, we simply decided to avoid swimming altogether in waters we couldn't see through.

There have been numerous fatal encounters between swimmers and these large jellyfish on the northern coast. Also known as the sea wasp or 'stinger', their venomous tentacles can grow up to 3m long.

Pete and I donned a 'stinger suit'to protect us from an accidental bump against one. The box jellyfish also has a tiny, lethal relative called an irukandji, a very tiny jellyfish, smaller than a sewing thimble.