Sand Hill Anchorage, Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia
30 November 2018 | Sand Hill, Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia
Helen/Mark
Watched a couple of episodes of Season 2 Viking. Headed to bed after 10 pm. It was flat in our anchorage, but some swells were rocking us all night. We slept well. Got up around 6. After breakfast, Mark launched the dinghy. We got into our swim suits and took our snorkel gear further up the coast to Tangalooma, where all the wrecks were located. Mark dropped the anchor and we got into some very cold water. The sun was shining, although it kept going behind clouds. Saw a ton of fish around the many different wrecks. The shallow water wreckage had a lot of coral over top of it, almost blocking out the metal. We swam in a circle around the majority of the pieces. Then got back in the dinghy. I really love the rope step that Mark made for me. I can easily get back in the dinghy. Headed back to the boat. Showered off with the last dregs of our water tank. This is the first time we emptied the tank, over the past year. Running the water maker was on our list of to-dos. Took the dinghy to shore by a long pier. Pulled it up on the beach and tied it to the pier railing. Walked thru a group of very large pelicans and other sea birds, that looked like penguins. There was a resort on shore. Mark noticed a huge number of signs a few feet apart, stating that if you were not a resort guest, you would be prosecuted for being on their property. They had a store which I walked into. I wanted to know if they would refuse to sell me anything. The lady told me they could only serve resort guests and that we would have to go miles up the coast to a town in order to buy anything. At least the beach was public property, so we took a lovely walk on the beach. The sun was very hot. We spoke to a couple from Brisbane that were spending the week on the island in a house above the resort. After our walk, we dinghied back to the boat. We took the dinghy back to the wreck areas as there were many more boats and lots of people in the water. We saw that a huge car ferry had come from a channel on the other side of the wrecks and had the front end ramp ready to place on the beach. Vehicles and passengers got off and some got on. They didn't stop for very long and they had to turn around and head back out their channel. Lots more tour boats deposited their guests in the water. By this time the tide was moving. It would have been much harder for us to swim around. Headed back to the boat. Mark started up the water maker and both engines. Hauled anchor and headed south for about 8 miles along Moreton Island. Beautiful hills with white sand dunes dropped into the surrounding waters. We actually got to sail most of the way today. Found several of our rally boats in the Sand Hill anchorage. We anchored in 12 feet of water with a 4 foot tidal change. We were still a ways from the beach. Decided to have a nap. Matt & Amy came by in their dinghy and invited us to join them on Florence for happy hour. Enjoyed a lovely get-together. Thank you Matt & Amy! Got back to Charabia around 7 pm as the last bit of light from the reddish sunset was disappearing. Tomorrow, we will dinghy to shore and maybe climb a huge sand dune on shore. We will head there early as the wind seems to pick up as the day goes by. Then we will head further south. Thanks so much for the many emails & messages. We love hearing from you!! Enjoy the weekend!