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Manly Harbour

March 9/06

We made our way across Morton Bay and were lining up on the range marks into Manly Harbor by early afternoon, timing our arrival about 3/4 of an hour before a high Spring tide. There were areas where we only had 6 inches of clearance under the keep but we found our slip in East Coast Marina and were enjoying sundowners before long.

We found the marina quite convenient, with only a 10 minute walk to the grocery store, post office and restaurants. There is a good chandlery and a train takes 30 minutes to Brisbane.

March 12

Hurricane Larry strikes

We had only been in the Marina a few days when we got word of the cyclone that hit Innisfail, near Cairns, graded a Force 5 (same as New Orleans) and packing winds in excess of 300 km/hr. The news was devastating as so many people were left without homes, food, electricity, water or even employment. Although the area hit was quite far north from us we felt the effects from the wind and surf and were glad that we were tucked safely in the Marina.

We spent our time on the boat, Gord varnishing and continuing with boat project, and myself taking advantage of the wireless internet that was offered in the marina. I also gathered travel information, arranged for accommodation for the folks in a house just 1 km away and secured the rental of a car for the time that we would be visiting.

Mom & Dad Arrive

March 23

It was an exciting day when we drove to the airport and picked up Mom & Dad whom we had not seen since our visit in Fiji. Since the folks had just arrived from Sydney after a whirlwind tour of the city, and just before that, a Hawaiian Cruise, they spent the first day relaxing and visiting. The accommodation was superb, with all the amenities of home and with wonderful hosts, Lyn and Lloyd (pictured right) who were sailors themselves with lots of interesting stories.

We went for a short walk through the Mangroves, hoping to sight some of the interesting birds that frequent this area.  We did see some pink parrots, kookaburras and ergots on our walk through the bush.

We spent the next 9 days traveling around Queensland in our little rental car and then spending the evening visiting in the apartment while enjoying home cooked meals or BBQs.

Brisbane

Brisbane, population of 1,500,000, spreads itself around the Brisbane River system and cannot be described as either glamorous or industrial. It is a rather ordinary city highlighted by the central Botanical Gardens where several yachts were anchored including a few we knew. It looked like an uncomfortable anchorage though, as the ferry wake caused the boats to rock mercilessly so we were happy with our decision to moor at Manly.

Mom & Dad took a few trips along part of the bike path that skirted completely around the bay.

Australian Museum

We enjoyed visiting the Australian Museum that displayed native artifacts and Aboriginal culture along with indigenous flora and fauna of Australia. Of particular interest was the display of full size whale skeletons.

Panoramic View

We took a drive to Mt. Coot-tha Summit which afforded a fantastic view of the city.

On the way back to Manly we decided tp order  Pizza for dinner.