Photo: Flying man, Iluka Bay
On Thursday we went for a walk out to the end of Mutton Bird Island, Coff’s Harbour and on the way back we met an elderly gentleman who wanted to talk about Coff’s Harbour, the New South Wales Coast and further north. It was wonderful talking to someone who was so enthusiastic about his part of the world. On Friday 20th May, Brian had us up at 4:45am for an early start to the 54nm trip to Iluka/Yamba, which is a bar entrance to the Clarence River and we needed to time our arrival for a safe crossing. We motored all the way to Iluka and arrived 2 hours before low tide, which allowed for plenty of water over the bar and minimal white, breaking water. We successfully crossed the bar at 13:10 and anchored in Iluka Bay, Clarence River.
Iluka is a quiet fishing port town at the start of the Clarence River on the southern bank; Yamba is across the river on the northern side. It is possible, even in a yacht, to navigate approx. 35 miles up the river, stopping at villages along the way. We anchored inside the seawall, which was shallow but very sheltered. Later in the afternoon a man flying a back pack powered hang glider buzzed the bay. On Saturday after doing the housework, yes it still needs doing even on a yacht, we took the dinghy ashore and walked through the Iluka Rainforest, the last of its kind in New South Wales, and out to the Iluka Bluff, an easy 2.5km walk. The following day was wet, so we stayed aboard Dol doing minor maintenance work and relaxing.
We had decided to leave Iluka on Tuesday afternoon and sail the 94nm to the Gold Coast Seaway overnight. 94nm was too far to go for the hours of daylight available and we did not want to enter the Seaway at night, hence the initial decision to sail overnight and arrive at first light. However on Tuesday morning, to prove the requirement to be flexible, the weather forecast for the coast contained a strong wind warning for Wednesday, so we quickly took the rubbish ashore, bought a few groceries and left Iluka, aiming to reach the Seaway before the winds increased to strong wind level. On the way up the coast, we passed a military base and were buzzed by a couple of fighter jets, boy to they make some noise. The rest of the trip was uneventful and we entered the Seaway at 23:30 with the anchor down outside Seaworld at midnight, and a good night’s sleep. The following morning we woke to suburbia having crossed the state border into Queensland.
Farewell New South Wales it has been most enjoyable for the past 6 months, but the warmer weather and waters of Queensland will be our next cruising playground.