What a whirlwind, hectic first week we've had in Bundy! All our check in procedures are now complete, including the Department of Agriculture's timber inspection - necessary in view of the length of time we spent in SE Asia - and we can once again call Australia home.

We had a very early first night in port, waking fresh and recharged on Sunday morning. The small settlement of Burnett Heads is a couple of kilometres away and we took a leisurely stroll along the river to stretch our land legs and to check out the town and facilities. It's a very cruiser friendly location with the local supermarket, pub and sports club all offering courtesy transport to and from the marina - can't get any better than that! Our friend and valued Freo to Sydney passage crew member Dale is now living in Queensland and he very kindly drove 3+ hours to meet us on Monday and ferry us around town to reprovision (our supplies on arrival being limited to dry, long life and canned goods due to the very strict Biosecurity laws in place in Australia). It was great to catch up and we look forward to sharing more time before we head south - Thanks Mate! We've also utilised the Marina courtesy transport into Bundy a couple of times, returning on the local, limited schedule but cheap Duffy's Bus ($3-60 all day ticket).

Originally the place of the Taribelang Bunda of the Gureng nation, the region was settled by pastoralists in the early 1860's. THe area was surveyed, with a town gazetted and established in 1870, retaining the name used by the indigenous inhabitants. A timber industry flourished, port and rail infrastructure was built followed by the development of both agriculture and fishing industries. Experimental sugar cane plantations, sadly worked by blackbirded Kanaks, thrived and sugar production escalated with the first mill opening in 1882. Rum production followed in 1888, primarily driven by the need to utilise waste molasses. Today, along with tourism, these industries are still the financial backbone of the area. There are just short of 70,000 people who call Bundy home and everyone we've met so far has been super friendly and hospitable.

It's also been full on from a rally perspective - we were featured in both the local paper and online via several Facebook pages for completing our "Sailing the World" adventure. We've dressed ship with our collection of international courtesy flags, the ubiquitous Boxing Kangaroo of America's Cup fame, a couple of big Aussie flags and a very special West Aussie flag. It's been a big talking point in the marina .... and we really stand out from the crowd with our colourful display! More Down Under - Go West rally boats are arriving daily - this year there is a record fleet of 72 vessels taking part and we're really thrilled to be involved and looking forward to all the events of Welcome Week.

All ready to party "Down Under Style".