Australia - Bundaberg

Australia

We're here, we're here! Safe and sound and not too badly shook (a word?) up. Actually the passage was great except for a couple of 6 hour stretches.

 

We arrived at Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, as planned at 9:00 am on Nov 4/11, both Oso Blanco and ourselves. Because the marina was short of space, due to all of the "yachties" arriving from various South Pacific ports, we had to raft together on the end dock. That means Oso tied to the dock and we tied to Oso. It looked pretty neat to see the two big "Nordies" snuggled together out there. Nordhavns certainly are popular boats in this region, everybody comes down the dock to see them and ask questions. It is a good way to meet the local people and get information on what is entertaining and special in any given area while they are quizzing you about your boat. Customs clearance was a piece of cake compared to many of the other foreign ports we have attended and in no time we were free to step on land and begin our Adventures in Australia.

 

My first foray into the "outback" (which is technically a wrong statement because we are coastal) was a brisk walk over to the nearest grocery store (IGA) to pick up some fresh produce having surrendered our "stores" to the quarantine fellows. Guess what? We saw a kangaroo lounging in the shade, just off the road! The groceries are much the same as in any store in North America and the prices were pretty decent considering it was just a small outlet. We have been hearing how expensive Australia will be. So far, other than the 4 cents extra we have to pay to compete with their dollar (vs. Canadian) it is pretty much like we are used to at home. Our next day in Bundaberg had us catching the local bus and riding the 18 km into the town. The Mission - get some consistent internet connection. We are now the proud owners of a cellular wifi unit that works beautifully. Yeah!! Bundaberg is a relatively small town, it's claim to fame is the production of Bundaberg Rum. The local economy is sugar cane agriculture which fits with the production of rum perfectly.

 

We did a meet and greet with the yachting rally group, but didn't know any of these boaters, except Oso Blanco. We did catch up with John and Sheryl from Sea Mist, fellow Canadians that we have seen in various locations all over the South Pacific, and had a good visit with them.

 

Nov 6 we headed further south to the port at Urangan to see something new, as we wind our way down to the Gold Coast where we will keep the boat for most of our time here.