Report Number 5

Didn't leave Port Stephens on Monday, it dawned bright and sunny - much more like the Port Stephens we had come to see, so we headed off to explore it. Passed through Soldiers Point at 10.30, which we felt was a bit early to moor for the night. Wandered around the very extensive waterways until afternoon when we found ourselves in Fame Cove not far from the jumping off point for Myall Lakes. Stopped and studied maps and decided to go up the Myall River on Tuesday. Took dinghy for a trip up a small river (very small!!) and then went for a bit of a walk around the foreshores. Great place to stop at a well- protected public mooring with not a house for miles.

Onwards! Tuesday brought another beautiful morning, so off we went to Tea Gardens where we bought fuel (at $1.75/litre - cheapest in the Port, everywhere else is $1.99) and entered the Myall River. Day proved to be very long as we wound our way up the river with depths varying from 0.7 to 2.2 metres. This is scary because our boat (MV Jess, known affectionately as Jess) needs around 1 to 1.1 metres of water. However, we didn't run aground but the need to watch the depth finder continuously meant that I didn't get a chance to really appreciate the magic of the whole area, with its fantastic scenery of wetlands, river flats and occasional rainforest type growth, but Karen managed to photograph every tree so I will be able to enjoy it all later! Birds were everywhere all the time, especially on trees which had fallen into the water. There were a lot of trees which were leaning over the water and many that had completed the falling process. This made life exciting as dodging them took us out into shallower parts of the water way. Stopped for the night just before entering Myall Lake itself. Unfortunately, the public moorings didn't have any rope on them, so we dropped anchor - another great experience! The bottom of the river is covered with a very thick weed growth which totally confused our poor depth finder, which fluctated rapidly in a random way between 0 and 10 metres and everything in between! However, all went well and we had a magic night's sleep in total darkness (moon was quite new) and silence and stillness.

Up on Wednesday and off to the lake. Oh, no! Water was again a bit scarce in the lake, so we turned around and headed back towards home. Still enjoying the wonder of it all - the whole area seems to be from the dim distant past ages with its own completely natural eco system.

Our boating readers would have appreciated the thrill of skillfull navigation through shallow waters, especially when, after passing a navigation marker and lining up the next one, to find when half way to it that it stood up and flew away! Went back to Nelson Bay without further incident, moored, shopped for provisions and went out for dinner. BUT THEN! A combination of Westerly winds and Northerly seas caused poor old Jess to bounce and pitch and roll excessivey, so much so that we were both up at 12.30 to have a decaf and then retry sleeping. Had looked up the weather forecast on the internet and found that Thursday was going to be wonderful for our next leg.

Out of bed at 5.20 and on way at 5.43 in pitch darkness. Ran aground, (as one does!) but finally found the channel and headed out to sea into a rising sun. Then, as others before us have found, it became clear that the forecast was wrong. We proceeded to travel for the next five or so hours through lumpy water like Sydney Harbour on Australia Day, or, for those who haven't been there, like a washing machine. Arrived Forster/Tuncurry at 1.20 where the Costal Patrol were very friendly and helpful, getting us a mooring in the port on the Tuncurry side at the fishing co-op with our own jetty (one of the few positive side efects of the decline in the coastal fishing industry). At this stage we plan to stay here for a couple of days because the forecast is for unpleasant off shore weather for a while (why do we believe them?). And as of Saturday night we are very glad that we stayed - it has been REALLY windy and rough, but we are snug in Jess after enjoying exploring Forster and Tuncurry.

Cheers,

Karen and Warwick