A Holiday Away from illywhacker?
Living aboard is surely the way to
go and 12 months a year would suit us fine but families and
friends need close-up and personal attention so compromises
have to be made and the boat tucked away for a short while
as we visit more southern climes. Townsville does get hot
in Summer and therefore the best time to leave is December
to March. Cyclones are a possibility at this time so preparations
for possible wild weather must be made. Read how we do this
here .
A Latitude
Change - Townsville at 10S to Phillip Island at 39S
Arriving from Townsville we experienced a warm welcome and
cool temperatures. Phillip Island does have its hot days but
the predominant view looking south across a wild and windy
Bass Strait to Tasmania from the village of Newhaven gives
an ever present feeling that the Antarctic is not much further
south. The landscape of Phillip Island is windswept and grassy
with low rolling hills while the rugged coastline is dotted
with the famous fairy penguin rookeries and seal colonies
to reinforce this feeling. It has a wonderful raw and empty
aspect to it that sailors love.
Our cruising buddies we met in Townsville,
Tim Patkin and the late Sandy Shively on "Freebooter" kindly
put us up in their home overlooking the coast and drove us
around to the many vantage sites of their much-loved island.
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Seal Rocks boardwalk at Phillip Island |
Coastline at Nobbies Point, Phillip Isalnd |
Tasmania - 43S
As the Australian east coast becomes
more crowded with cruising yachts, a cruise to Tasmania looks
increasingly attractive. A few of our yachtie frends have
sailed south to Tasmania and loved it so much they stayed.
Some have tied up at the incredibly cheap Constitution Dock
in the center of Hobart while others have found the peaceful
anchorage of Kettering to their liking - so much so that several
have bought a house!
We stayed with our long term friends
from Pittwater, Carol and Jim Tayton who moved down there
with their 40' Jeanneau and also caught up with John and De
Degan, owners of the beautiful and well-travelled timber yacht
"Sotalia". A few days in a cliffside house at Falmouth
on the NE coast was one of the highlights of 2 relaxing and
entertaining weeks thanks to many kind people.
Tasmania is indeed a beautiful and
spectacular place - rugged coastlines, a mountainous and heavily
wooded interior and home to many native animals rarely seen
on the mainland. Our reduced web photos show little of the
true grandeur of Tassie, but perhaps they will whet your appetite
to visit some day.
For some fantastic examples of Tasmanian wilderness photography
try this site by Australian Nature photographer, Geoff
Murray.
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