We are cruising down the Curtis Coast of southeastern Australia.  It’s Nov. 16^th and we’re in Queensland, the second largest state with 22.5 percent of the nation’s total area, heading south to Brisbane.  The Great Barrier Reef begins here and it stretches all the way north to the Torres Straits in the Gulf of Papua.  We’ll get back up that way in a few months but, right now, we are heading south to placate our insurance company who would prefer that we be south of 26⁰30’ latitude during Cyclone Season, December 1-March 30^th.

The inner passage between the barrier reefs and the mainland that we are following is definitely an exercise in adventure.  The water is deep enough in most places – even for the 6’2” draft on Peregrina.  It’s the tides that get you into trouble here!  The difference between high and low tide can be up to 18 FEET!  If we were from Maine, this wouldn’t be such a big deal but Florida has relatively little tide change.  It’s enough to say, we weren’t used to timing our arrivals and departures according to the twice daily highs and lows - not to mention the phases of the moon or the season of the year!  Yikes!!!  Where are all those tide tables when we need them???

Luckily, the many islands, reefs and inlet creeks that dot the coast allow cruisers to daysail from one anchorage to the next.  Night sailing is rarely necessary and that’s a good thing.  We learned that lesson upon arrival in Pancake Creek a few days ago – ALMOST the hard way!

We were completing a long passage from Great Keppel Island to Pancake Creek, a distance of about 60 miles and a long 12 hour day.  It was getting dark as we entered the anchorage at low tide through a very narrow channel and we were having trouble seeing the buoys that mark the encroaching sandbar. Our chartplotter showed that the creek was not surveyed for depth so all eyes were on the depthmeter to determine how much water we had below the keel.  As the numbers dropped steadily to 5..4..3..2..1 foot and then inches, we held our breath and, at 3 inches, it was time to reverse ASAP!!!

Turns out, the starboard buoy at the entrance of the creek had “gone missing” (as the Aussie’s say) within the past day or two and we were MUCH too close to shore!  Once we got our bearings, we proceeded to the anchorage with no further problems but it was a close call.  Had we actually run aground, we would have been stranded for several hours before high tide floated us free.

Anyway, once we were settled in, Pancake Creek turned out to be a great spot for a 3-night stay.  We did a lot of hiking along the coastline and up to the beautiful Bustard Head Lighthouse (see photos) which has been in continuous service since 1868.  Here, we met Warren, the volunteer site manager (pictured above) and his wife, Marion, who invited us in for tea.  They maintain the grounds and the little Bustard Head  Lighthouse Association museum for two months every year.  The Lighthouse, itself, is operated by the Australian Coast Guard.

Warren showed us the way to a small cemetery where we checked out the tombstones of several of the former lighthouse keepers and their family members.  Surprisingly, most of the inscriptions indicated that death had been due to drowning!  You would think that proficiency in swimming would be one of the key elements in the job description, wouldn’t you?

Back down from Bustard Head, we hiked along Aviation Beach, where we took a photo of the unusual sand ball “artwork” that covered the beach.  Turns out, these sand balls, literally hundreds of thousands of them, are formed by Sand Bubbler Crabs who live on the beaches here in the tropical Indo-Pacific.  They don't roll the balls with their claws, but make them in their mouths while sifting the sand for food during low tide. When they've finished eating, they spit out these little pellets which end up forming intricate patterns all over the beach.  They can sift through the surface of an entire beach during low tide.  The pellets are then swept away with the rising water at high tide and they start all over again.     There are all sorts of weird stories about “whackos” who see images of Jesus and John Lennon in the sand but it’s really just and “eat and spit” reflex.  Paste in the link below or just Google Sand Bubbler Crabs and go to the videos)…it’s pretty cool!