The passage from Refuge Cove to Lakes Entrance was a lot easier, there was no wind so we motored for 17 hours out of 20 giving Dennis the menace (motor) a small break, Dennis purr right through out the journey which was great however we were having problems with the batteries, they were not holding charge.
We have heard that the entrace to Lakes Entrace was tricky so we radioed the Coast Guard asking for advise and they told us that there shouldnt be any problems as the channel had been trenched so we went for it !!! A short time later Steve suggested for me to go below and stay there, I wasnt sure what was happening, I later found out that he thought it was better for me not to witness a very very small passage way !!! All went well :)
We tided Bravado to a Pier and were told by neighbouring boat owners that Bravado should be ok there as the boat that normally berths there has been away for three months ! It was on our afternoon walk that we realised that we were on the Red Zone which is for permit holders and that we should be on the White zone which is for short term visitors (max 48 hours) Nevermind noone complained.
After having an auto electrician inspect the system it was noted that for some reason the alternator was never connected. He took all the batteries with him and re-charge them overnight changed a cable and problem solved :)
While Steve was working on bits and pieces I took advantage and went to the hairdressers and did a bit of shopping including buying myself a balaclava lol, that will keep my cheeks warm !!!! Steve keeps threatening to take a photo, we will see lol.
We have just spend two glorious days here in Lakes Entrance its a beautiful place, it was sunny with blue skyes, a place that we both agreed that we could easily spend quite a few weeks .
Leaving in the morning to Eden, it should take approx 28 hours and that will be our last long passage :)
A bit of info and history
Lakes Entrance is a tourist resort and fishing port in eastern Victoria. It is situated approximately 320 kilometres (200 mi) east of Melbourne, near a managed, man-made channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait.
The township was originally named Cunninghame, the Post Office of that name opening on 5 February 1870. It was renamed Lakes Entrance on 1 January 1915.
Angus McMillan was the first European to investigate the area, arriving at Lake Victoria in 1840. John Reeves charted the lakes in1843 and cattle runs were established soon after. Ewing's Marsh is named after the Ewing brothers who took up one such run around what is now Lakes Entrance in 1850. It was sold to the Roadknight family in 1855 who travelled overland from Colac, to Melbourne, by boat from Melbourne to Port Albert, by bullock wagon to Sale, and then by a steamer to their final destination. Three years later the Georgina Smith became the first large vessel to find its way into the lakes from the ocean, sailing up the Tambo River to Massiface with supplies for the Crooked River goldfields. For the next 70 or 80 years Lakes Entrance played an important role in the trade of East Gippsland.
Photos to follow
| General Blog |
|
Comments [4]
Hope you had a safe trip to Eden. Lakes Entrance sounds great!
We are at Batemans Bay to see out the weather in the river.
Stay safe and stay in touch!
Caitlin and Michael
Arrived at Refuge Cove at 9am after leaving QCYC at 12.30
It was a rough start through a 4 metre swell out the heads, as we turned to Cape Schank we had a nice run with the breeze and the swell settled down to 2 metres. The wind was fickle through out the night raging from 0 to 25 knots on and off. It was an less than a wonderful passage with Steve being sea sick once and I was continously sick . It was a great feeling arriving at Refuge Cove as its such a pretty place and after a much needed sleep the previous nights events were only a memory (It reminds me a bit of labour and child birth...... once the baby is born the labour pain is blur memory lol)
Refuge Cove is situated on the East side Wilsons Prom , lovely little spot and I can only immagine a great spot in Summer.
The next morning we were lucky to have a seal swimming around the boat.
Photo to come !!!
| General Blog |
|
Bravado going through the Rip, photograph courtesy David Bock
Sorry having problems with photo will look into when I get a chance !!!
| General Blog |
|
Friday's weather was horrific to say the least, extreme winds and very heavy rain stopped us from moving to the Marina.
We made ourselves comfortable at the Queenscliff Cruising Club which is located in Sand Island and decided to stay here till approx Monday.
We went into town for a few hours on Saturday and then in the afternoon we were joined by a 48' yacht Aqua Cadabra from Brighton, an ejoyable evening was had by all.
Today Sunday we are just relaxing and ensuring everything is ready for Mondays departure.
Queenscliff History
Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip.
European explorers first arrived in 1802, Lieutenant John Murray in January and Captain Matthew Flinders in April.
Permanent settlement began in 1836. Land sales began in 1853, the same year the name was changed to Queenscliff by Lieutenant Charles La Trobe, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Originally a fishing village, Queenscliff soon became an important cargo port, servicing steamships trading in Port Philip. A shipping pilot service was established in 1841, and its two lighthouses, the High and Low Lights, were constructed in 1862-63
| General Blog |
|
Well.... its official.... We are cruisers !!!!
We left Hobsons Bay at 9.35am arrived in Queenscliff at 4.00pm
We were beating close to the wind but still managed to reach Queenscliff on one tack, with winds 15-20 knots waves 1.5 metre it was a good start to a long cruise.
Just sitting in front of the wood fire at the Queenscliff Cruising Club, lovely surroundings with kangaroos roaming the grounds.
Moving to the Queenscliff Marina in the morning. Due to weather conditions we will be here till about Monday.
Just a bit of history:-Williamstown is one of Melbourne's oldest and most interesting suburbs, White settlers first arrived in Williamstown by sailling ship in 1835, with 500 sheep and 500 cows. At first, animals and humans alike had to wade ashore. It was not until 1839 that the first pier and lighthouse were buielt {closeby present-day Gem pier.These were built by convicts and made the unloading of ships much easier. Once unloaded, the animals were quickly moved by shepherds to areas of plentiful pasture and water.
William's Town {named after King William 1v of Britian} was officially named on March 29, 1839 and 3 months later the first land auction took place there. At first, Williamstown was the port for Melbourne as ships unloaded at the sea port and goods were transfered by barges up the Yara River to Melbourne.
The first census in Williamstown was taken in 1841 but was far from accurate. The population at that time was recorded as 259 inhabitans { 190 over 14 years, 46 married couples, 110 single men} However it is believed the true population was considerably more. There were 3 hotels and most of the men worked at occupations related to the port eg. carpenters, merchants, customs officers etc. Being a busy port, there were numerous lodging huses and a constantly changing population.
The years 1842 &1843 saw a sever recession in the port philip District and Williamstown became quite deserted. However things eventually started to pick up, the population grew and the demand for real estate increased. Soon prefabricated structures were being brought from England and bluestone streets were being constructed. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 the rate of new arrivals in the colony increased dramatically, many of them disembarking at Williamstown, but soon moving north to the gold Fields. It was not unusual to sea literally hundreds of ships in port Philip Bay at one time -0ften deserted by their crews sruck by gold fever.
But some people did stay to settle in Williamstown and by 1858 the population was over 4,000. The add to their comforts, piped Freshwater and gas power arrived in the settlement in the early1860's.
History of Hobsons Bay
Prior to European settlement, the Hobsons Bay area was occupied by the Yalukit-willam clan. A number of sites of significance to the indigenous community are located throughout the municipality, particularly along the coastal trail.
The Council is working in partnership with the Aboriginal community to ensure these sites are protected.
Hobsons Bay was one of the first sites of european settlement in Victoria. There are numerous places of significant heritage importance including:
Former Truganina Explosives Reserve;
Altona Homestead;
Point Gellibrand area;
Old Laverton Schoolhouse;
Spotswood Pumping Station (now Scienceworks); and
Many houses and buildings in Williamstown.
These places link the community back to the beginning of european settlement in Victoria and are of state significance.
| General Blog |
|
Take care my dear friends and enjoy the journey! ♥♥♥♥
Besos Sandra
Xoxoxoxo
Great to see your adventure has now started. All the best,have a great time and keep safe.
Gary and Deb
May 17, 2012, , Hobsons Bay
The purpose of this blog is for our family and friends to know where and how we are also for us in years to come to reflect and remember our journey.
After years of reading other peoples blogs it was pretty clear from other peoples experiences that the first year is the hardest, its then when people adjust to living aboard, the most expensive and frustrating, it is also when you really get to know the strongest and weakest points of your boat.
After a couple of false starts we are back at Shannons house, we decided to come back to land and restore our confidence and pride and wait for the next weather window and resume our journey with a clear outlook.
We believe that the motor problems are over (certainly hope so) and look forward to the next chapter in our lives.
We take this opportunity in thanking our family and friends for their kind messages, emails and phone calls, its really appreciated.
| General Blog |
|
Things are sent to test us, to prove our mettle ... I believe you guys will pass whatever is sent your way to test you, with flying colours! ♥♥♥
