Arriving back to Brisbane after our three weeks in the UK we felt completely drained. Carol had not been well enough to come back to Shutlers from my sister’s house with us so we had commuted between Tintinhul, Lymington and seeing our sons, daughters-in-law and grandchild in London. This was compounded when Emirates Airline managed to loose one of our bags. Luckily this turned up next day and over the next week we managed to drag our bodies onto antipodean time and to enjoy the warm weather. To help with this we drove for a few hours with Stuart and Annabelle from Troubadour to the Lamington National Park. This drive was of only two hours but we were in another world. Arriving in the cool of the high ground after the humidity of Brisbane was in itself a joy but before lunch we managed a two km walk that took us to a view point from which there was absolutely no sign of man’s presence in the panorama that lay before us. The next two days were spent enjoying many km of lovely walks through tropical forest, bush and several different types of undergrowth. All with little or no sign of man. We saw our first Australian snake, an eight foot python asleep on the path in front of us, several skinks and many many noisy and exquisitely coloured birds. We also enjoyed some excellent cuisine at the lodge we stayed in.

Returning to reality we readied Nordlys for the trip south. Joined by Sydney friends Andy and Libby Greig we motored down the river with black smoke coming from our exhaust and only four knots on the speedo. Arriving some forty hours later in Coff’s harbour after some sailing but a fair amount of motoring I dived on Nordlys and spent nearly a tank of my SCUBA air getting the barnacles off the propeller and from under the keel. The waterline was filthy but the rest of the hull not too bad. All I can say in retrospect is that it was amazing that we had got four knots out of her and in future when I leave the boat in such waters I will put a black polythene bag over the prop. The coast line on our way south was much more beautiful than we had expected and as Andy has the distinction of being one of the few people who has ever walked the whole way from Sydney to Brisbane he was able to give us a running commentary of the landscape and its history.

On our penultimate night we were given a lesson into the strange features of the atmosphere in this part of the world. Running before a warm 15/20 knot northerly breeze I was in the cockpit with Annette as we changed watches. The night was pitch black as there was no moon. Starlight showed only a few clouds and no cumulus or frontal stuff. Suddenly the wind died and then came in from a few degrees off the starboard bow. Next a gust knocked poor Nordlys on her side. The lee rail was buried and we subsequently found out all Annette’s clothes were sent flying across our cabin for the first time ever. All this took under three minutes. Managing to roll away the genoa we sat in stunned silence with little or no wind for some five minutes not quite sure what was happening and not daring to set any sail. Then a 15 knot breeze came in right on the nose. This lasted two hours before it eased to the East and we managed to lay our destination of Barrenjoey Head at the mouth of Broken Bay. It is not only the animals with their pouches and hopping that are strange around here. We have since had another minor version of the same thing out of an equally benign sky.

Anchored in Careel Bay we are enjoying being surrounded by memories. On the Western side of this inlet lies Kuringai Chase, a National Park. It was here that we used to walk amongst the gums and bush with two little blond haired boys when we lived in Sydney in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Yesterday we went a couple of miles by dinghy and spent a long boozie lunch enjoying the local sea food at the Palm Beach restaurant. Annette’s birthday was the excuse but really none was needed as after months in the ‘islands’ it was lovely to enjoy the delights of this part of the world. Around us young executive Sydney and their children were noisily enjoying the atmosphere and food. A Sydney style Brasserie would be the best way to describe it.

In a few days we will sail on south and finally put a ghost to rest when we sail our own boat through Sydney Harbour Heads and hopefully anchor under the Opera House which we are told foreign yachts are allowed to do.

Plans for the future are a little uncertain as my mother’s health continues to be a worry for all the family. Hopefully she will get back to her usual self and we will then continue on to Tasmania and Perth in the New Year. If however she needs us we will happily lay Nordlys up here and return to help her get on her feet again. Whatever happens to our plans we would like to wish all readers a very happy Christmas and an enjoyable 2006.

David and Annette

Bush walking, the flowering bottle brush bushes were a delight.

This sleepy 8ft python lay just off the path. It required some effort for Annette to walk past it!

After 12km with the knowledge that a cold beer was 100 metres up the road

Skink. There were lots of these harmless creatures by the path.