Ships, BIG SHIPS, everywhere!!!
05 December 2007 | Gladstone Marina, Queensland
Gladstone is a major Port of Entry for overseas ships and vessels coming into Australia. On our approach to Gladstone from Pancake Creek there were thirty to forty ships waiting to come in. We took some photos that you can see in our gallery but it does not do justice to the sheer size of these ships anchored out here. When we had been anchored in Pancake Creek we could see the lights of these ships in the distance even though they were 30 something nautical miles away from us.
In order to get into Gladstone we had to share the shipping channel with these monsters. Watching them go past us was an experience, it's like looking up at a highrise and then the wake that hits you when they pass knocks you about a bit. We all of a sudden felt very small.
Once we got in we shouted ourselves a couple of nights at the Marina. This was the first Marina that we had encountered that had so many rules and regulations my head started hurting as I read the list. There were 3 A4 pages of rules, most of which, I could see by looking at other boats, were largely ignored.
There wasn't a lot to do in Gladstone but there was a Cinema and once we found it (you have no idea how difficult it was to find!) we shouted ourselves dinner and a movie and felt very civilised.
It was hot and dusty, due to all the coal etc. being loaded onto the ships in Gladstone. One of the ships ran aground while we were there and was all over the news, prompting Jay and I to open a new photo gallery on this blog, in honour of Tony, Ken, the other Tony and Athol, called N.A.S.A. APPLICANTS.
We decided to leave Gladstone and head through The Narrows towards Great Keppel Island. The Narrows is only passable during high tide and during low tide it all dries up and they can walk cattle across it. We got through there easily but we were tired and grumpy due to a night with the worst sandflies either of us had experienced in our lives! We were glad to get to Keppel...