We have been in Australia for 3 weeks already and it has been great until now...we are getting Tyee organized for storage.
After a short stay in Brisbane, we headed south to the Gold Coast. After visiting the marinas, it was easy to decide that Gold Coast City Marina was the best option for Tyee. The marina is a huge complex, a marine city with every type of marine industry right on site. Not that Tyee needs work but it is nice to have everything on hand when hauling out. The storage is also all concrete and very clean, as far as boatyards go.
From Brisbane to the Gold Coast, you can travel hundreds of miles in a waterway similar to the American ICW (IntraCoastal Waterway) which is totally protected from the great Pacific Ocean. Many boaters take advantage of this easy playground and on the weekend, the anchorages are full. The majority of them are only a few miles from home. They are surprised to see a Canadian flag and often asked about our travels.
Some of the waterway is rather commercial with lots of fancy development properties, others not with wallabies relaxing by the shore. Many spots to choose from and for all tastes.
We decided to go to Bums Bay by Southport, not far from the haul-out, to enjoyed the surf. A kiwi couple that we met in New Caledonia told us about this beautiful spot just south of the Goldcoast waterway entrance. There we could walk across a spit with our surfboards and be directly on the beach, a 5 minute walk.
Finally, we could enjoy a great surf. Traveling on the boat does not always provide proximity to a surf break. Usually we try to avoid being so close to breaking waves which does not make it easy for surfing.
Traveling through French Polynesia and Fiji, we encountered lots of great spot but maybe a bit too great for us and the kids. Most surfs in that part of the world break on coral, sometimes not very deep over the sharp rocks. In Australia though, there are miles and miles of beaches...all beautiful and great for learning. The kids had a blast and if the surf was too big, we got the boogie boards out and played in the wash.