Tag Archives | trawlers

King Island was in our wake and the waypoint to Three Hummock Island was 65nm away. At 4.45pm that afternoon our path crossed with the one that we had made on the 28/2/2009 at 12 midday. We let out a cheer and congratulations to Us!!!! Yippee!! This was the unofficial/official point that we mark as our Complete Circumnavigation of Australia. From here on we will be crossing our tracks!!!!

Friends, Dannielle and Alyn, Lets Go, had left Lake Macquarie on Boxing Day to come and help us celebrate and cruise Tasmania with us. They were on shore when we rounded the point with the caretakers of Three Hummock Island, Beverley and John and we were given a Hip Hip Hooray!!!! Also another yacht in the bay Bass Voyager, Michael and Caitlan extended their congratulations. Happy Hour was on Opal Lady and all came to celebrate with us. Danny and Beverley gave a speech and we accepted a beautiful certificate from Lets Go! We made our start and finish point Hobart as there would be more opportunity to celebrate! How wrong!! 

With winds expected to increase tomorrow we had to do a circumnavigation of Three Hummocks just to stay safe. As the westerly was due early in the morning we shifted around to the east coast and anchored in East Telegraph Bay until the predicted SE came in that afternoon, we shifted early to avoid the 30-40 knt winds. Anchored in Shark Bay, just east of the North West Cape.  Lets Go were near us but they apparently had broken sleep all night as they were watching the anchor. We sheltered here for 2 nights before heading south.

We timed the tide beautifully to enter Hunter Passage and via Bird Island then passed The Doughboys and Cape Grim close enough to see the wind farms high on the cliff. We used the notes from the RYCT Anchorage Guide 2007. Excellent source of information.

We anchored in Ann Bay for the night, whilst Lets Go continued through the night to Strahan, arriving at 12.30pm.  We entered Hells Gates at 6pm and anchored in Strahan at 7.50pm.

Strahan has all the services needed for small provisioning. It’s a lovely small fishing port that is really the tourist gateway to the Gordon River. Seaplanes take off and land right in the harbour and the large tourist catamarans depart daily for the trip to Sarah Island (where you can hear the stories of the convicts who logged the Huon Pine for shipbuilding), Hells Gates and up the Gordon River to view the magnificent World Heritage Area wilderness.

Strahan was also the 1980’s base for one of the most significant environmental campaigns in history – the successful battle to save the Franklin River.

We had a crayfish dinner with Danny and Al and spent a few days re-provisioning and preparing for our trip up the Gordon River. Quite a few stories can be told of our antics in Strahan. Ask the boys about Bananas ??? Or Danny and I about our weather briefing????

On the Sunday we arrived inshore by 8am to depart by bus for Queenstown. There we boarded the West Coast Wilderness Railway for the 35k journey that follows the route once travelled by trains carrying copper from rich Queenstown mines to the port at Strahan.

Travelling aboard original steam locomotives and coaches, we crossed high trestle bridges over river gorges thick with rainforest and stopped at restored original stations along the line. Knowledgeable local guides revealed the railway’s rich heritage throughout our journey. The faithfully reconstructed line features a unique Abt rack-and-pinion section on the 1:16 inclines and steep grades and is a testimony to the skill of pioneers who hand carved this railway from the wilderness over 100 years ago.

We enjoyed delicious refreshments aboard the train and with tickets for the Premier Carriage, indulged in fine cool-climate wines, fresh local pastries and Tasmanian cheeses accompanied by excellent cabin service. With only 8 people in first class that day we were certainly treated well, this is the second time we have done this trip First Class and it is highly recommended. Mind you we did have a few stares as we rolled off the train at Strahan and walked back around the bay with our bags in hand picking fresh blackberries on the way!! Alan and Alyn were looking forward to fresh Blackberry Pies for dessert!

We purchased our National Park Pass before leaving Strahan and it was a 5 hour trip across Macquarie Harbour and up the Gordon River 5nm to Heritage Landing, timed perfectly to arrive when the tourists boats had left. We knew we would need to depart tomorrow before 10am. We tied to the landing first and Lets Go treated us like a big fender and rafted up. We enjoyed the walk through the rainforest along the boardwalks.

Next day, a further 13nm upstream we tied to the old timbers of Warners Landing. We stayed here for 3 nights, took the tinny up as far as we could go, passing through several sets of rapids all with lines dragging in the water. The Gordon River is well known for it’s reflections and it did not disappoint. Danny and Al followed in their tender and we had a beautiful picnic lunch at the junction of the Gordon and Franklin Rivers.

The fishing payed off and we caught several trout as well as a 5lb and 3lb one, Alan also caught a 9lb Atlantic Salmon, he was very happy. 

The weather window to head south was opening up for the next weekend, so we reluctantly headed back down the river and anchored at St Ledgers Point. Early next morning we ventured off in the tinny to explore the forgotten settlement of East Pillinger. Here we looked around the remains of the old town and its equipment, including the remains of riveted steam boilers and the skeleton of some brick kilns that supplied not only Pillinger but also Strahan and Queenstown. 

On our way back we enjoyed catching small Australian Salmon off the point!

Back to Opal Lady housekeeping and maintenance, since leaving the power lead connection on the wharf at Currie Hbr we have experienced a low battery alarm in the pilothouse at somewhere around 4am each morning, very annoying. I turned the genset on and it stopped! By using our Battery Tester we figured out the Electronics battery was dead! Before we left Strahan Alan bought a new one from the service station and installed it. Problem sorted!

King Island was in our wake and the waypoint to Three Hummock Island was 65nm away. At 4.45pm that afternoon our path crossed with the one that we had made on the 28/2/2009 at 12 midday. We let out a cheer and congratulations to Us!!!! Yippee!! This wa…

The sun rose over the glassy seas as we had the leads of the harbour insight. We had been seeing bright lights along the North West Coast all night and realised very quickly they were the lights of the cray boats that worked out of Currie Harbour. We followed the 3 sets of leads into the tiny harbour past the rocks and through the numerous moorings to the wharf that was empty, except for one lone trawler.

Note: The 3 sets of leads to guide us through the dangerous rocks in the small harbour, not a harbour to enter except in calm weather, and definitely not one to anchor in!

One of the locals met us and suggested we move to the other side of the wharf and tie well in as the trawlers would be back soon! This was the best advice!

                      
Above: The wharf in Currie Harbour taken from the lighthouse
Before midday they started arriving and the dock was soon full of cray boats, utes on the wharf, and the refrigerated small truck ready and waiting to take the crays. A small number of the fishing trawlers dived for Abalone and set their pots for King Crab.

A short explanation on the unloading of the Cray Boats!

The boats came in, some had been out only a few hours some had been out a few days, it all depends on where/how far away, they have set their pots. When they arrive at the wharf the wholesaler/buyer has their packers board the boats.

The cray boats’ crew unload the crays from the boats holding tanks into tubs that are passed up on the deck to the packers. The packers then swiftly tuck the flapping crayfish into their tubs and secure a lid on top with a few cable ties.

As they are packing they are also quality control, inspecting the crayfish for broken or missing legs or holes in their shells being the most common problem caused by the menacing Octopus. These are then discarded to one side for the fisherman to eat as they are not a sale-able item!!One of the fisherman retold the story of his recent loss of 200kg of crays to Octopus in the last 2 weeks.

The crates are then passed up on the dock to the waiting Wholesaler with the refrigerated truck, doors open with a set of scales at the door. The cray boat owner and the wholesaler view and record the weight of each crate as the workers pass the loaded crates into the truck. Each crate weighs approximately 38 – 45kg! Each boat brings in between 700kg – 900kg each time they return!!! Each craypot has a quota of 105kg per season! Most boats have 50-60 pots! The wholesaler was paying the fisherman $70 per Kg when we were there, and they were retailing for $95 per kg.

Above: Alan holding  a 4+ kg Cray. . . .No!! he had to be given back, but whilst we were there we enjoyed several legless Crayfish!

                                                Above: Celebrating everything King Island!!
From the dock they are driven the short distance to the shed on the end of the wharf, it contains large ponds of ocean water with the temperature lowered considerably to restrict their movement. Here the crayfish are unloaded and they stay until the next plane is arranged to take them direct to Melbourne. They are then reloaded into the tubs and transported to the airport, flown to Melbourne, unpacked into more ponds until the auction/sale. They are mostly sold to overseas buyers!

We hired a car for 3 days to explore the island as there wasn’t any public transport. On  our first day we dropped off the gas bottles to be filled at the local store, then proceeded south to Grassy where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch at the local club, visited the Kelp Craft store.

They drag the kelp that is washed up by the large seas and mold it into various novelties to sell to tourists. Another couple on the island use the kelp to make health potions/pills! We also visited the local Art Gallery where local artisans display their wares.

On our drive back to Currie we detoured to visit the Calcified Forest – These remains are up to 7000 years old and are all that remain of an ancient forest, revealed when the lime-laden sand, which had covered and preserved the stumps has been exposed over the years from the constant Roaring Forties storms from the Southern Ocean.

                                                        Above: Kelp on the western beaches.
Our 2nd day of touring kept us in the central lands of the Island, we had lunch at Berts Cafe at Naracoopa, a quant cafe. It is actually his home and runs the cafe on his front verandah. But the food was superb and the view looking East over the bay was awesome. Next stop I wanted to visit the Alpaca Farm and we were shown around the farm and offered tea before heading back to Currie for the tour of the lighthouse that overlooks Currie Harbour and Opal Lady berthed at the wharf. For dinner that evening we drove back to Naracoopa, and the enjoyed the view from the Nara Glen Restaurant. We made a short stop at a farm selling fresh garlic on the way. Dinner was 5*, view was priceless!

On our 3rd day we prepared ourselves with a picnic as we drove north to the King Island Dairy Co, sat and watched their DVD on history and production, and then had to drag Alan away from their tasting room, so many cheeses to taste. We filled our cooler/esky with a huge amount of cheese, cream and the most delicious yogurt.
Travelling further north we visited the Cape Wickam Light.

After reading the historic ration list, Alan was quite miffed that their Rum ration was more than his!!!

They had 1.2L each to consume a week! His current ration is a 700ml bottle when I provision!!

We weaved our way through the green pastures to Disappointment Bay (Above), boy they did it tough!! The supplies were unloaded here for the building of the Lighthouse and transported across the country side. The bay looks as if it lives up to it’s name!! They were disappointed when they realised how hard it was to make it across to the building site!
Our tummies began growling as we entered the National Park containing Penny’s Lagoon but as our luck would have, here the BBQ’s weren’t gas, every one that we had seen to date on the island had been a push button gas one. So, Plan B, enjoy some of the purchased King Island cheeses and the fresh bread that I had made that morning and our thermos of tea. We sat with our deck chairs on the banks of the beautiful Lagoon, Alan had his fly fishing rod and enjoyed having a flick around.

There comes a time in a cruisers life that you dread, a phone call from home to notify the passing of a loved one!!! Whilst we sat at the waters edge of the Penny’s Lagoon, Mum rang, and seventeen days short of my Grandmothers 98th  birthday she passed away, with my Mum by her side. She was truly blessed to have lived a full and healthy life without illness.

So with a lot a fast organising I flew out of King Island early the next day leaving Alan with Opal Lady at the wharf in Currie, King Island.

                           Above: If you look closely, you can just see Cape Wickham Lighthouse.

            Above: More visions from the air, Photo of Port Phillip Heads, Victoria from the air!
I was away for a week during which time Wayne, one of the local cray fisherman and his wife, Marg, cooked meals for Alan and generally spoilt him with morning teas, lunches and dinners!! Thank you very much Wayne and Marg for looking after us!
On my return Wayne had lent Alan a car to pick me up from the airport, and, had invited us to their home that night for a final crayfish dinner as we planned on leaving early next morning.

The larder was full of local produce, Legless Crayfish, famous King Island Beef, Cheese, Cream, Yogurt, Honey and Garlic as we made our way out through what was probably the trickiest passage to date! One of the cray boats called on the VHF radio and told us to follow him through the myriad of rocks, no wonder this was so many shipwrecks on this part of the coast!

                                             
Above: The west coast shoreline, south of Currie!

The sun rose over the glassy seas as we had the leads of the harbour insight. We had been seeing bright lights along the North West Coast all night and realised very quickly they were the lights of the cray boats that worked out of Currie Harbour. We f…