May 2021
The day we left the Coomera River we were heading for Jacobs Well which was to be our first stop before reaching Moreton Bay. Jacobs Well was about 13nm away from our peaceful little anchorage in the Coomera River and as it was a river we had to time our departure with the tide. So as usual the outgoing tide was early in the morning meaning we were up not long after sunrise to weigh anchor and leave. Arriving in Jacobs Well really felt like we had left the big city behind, for which we were grateful for, as the town seemed to be a small holiday village sporting a huge caravan park and very friendly locals.
We spent two nights in Jacobs Well only going ashore to get a few groceries and some fuel but it seemed we just couldn’t catch a break. Every time we even thought about leaving Allagai it would rain so we would wait for it to stop before dashing ashore. But really this just gave us a false sense of security as each time on our return journey the heavens would open up and water would pour from the sky, and not just a little bit. The amount of water that fell, only in the space of about ten minutes each time, was enough to have gutters over flowing, huge puddles forming and make us look like we’d just been for a swim. We went ashore a total of three times and each time I came back to the boat in need of a new set of clothes after being drenched in the rain. So on the morning of the third day we weighed anchor and left the rainy town of Jacobs Well behind, although the locals did tell us it wasn’t always quite so wet.
That day we were aiming for an anchorage on the top side of Russel Island in the Krummel Passage, about 10nm away. We dropped anchor just before lunch and spent two nights in this anchorage only going ashore once for a walk to the local wetland, Whistling Kite Wetland. This was one of the more uncomfortable anchorages we had been in for a while due to the high ferry traffic. The ferry service boasted that it ran 18hours a day with a car and separate passenger ferry. This meant that nearly every half an hour Allagai had a moment of rolling heavily when their wake hit us. So when we left the anchorage on the second morning we weren’t too sad to leave, what we had seen of Russel Island was nice but the regular rolling was not so nice. That day we were aiming the town of Dunwich on Stradbroke Island about 8nm way. We had heard from a friendly local that it was meant to be a nice spot to visit and that there were cheap buses to the other towns on the island.
We dropped anchor in Dunwich just before midday and ate a hasty lunch before launching the dinghy and going ashore to catch one of the buses. We had decided to take the bus to Point Lookout on the north-eastern corner on the island. There was meant to be a short walk and also good swimming in clear blue water. The bus ride was fairly uneventful dropping us right at the trail head of the North Gorge Walk. This offered spectacular views of the open ocean and a couple of the surrounding surf beaches, we even saw several sea turtles fishing in the water below us. However part of the track was closed for reconstruction which meant to complete the circuit we had to walk out and back from both ends of the path to complete the track. After our short walk we were both ready to find somewhere to swim so headed off for Cylinder Beach which was supposedly good for swimming. However when we reached the beach there was more surf then clear water. So instead we just cooled off in the shade of a nearby tree and spent some time watching the surf before heading off. That afternoon we caught the bus back to Dunwich and returned back to Allagai just as the sun was dipping below the horizon after a very pleasant afternoon out.
We only spent one night anchored off Dunwich as we were expecting a storm the following day. Although maybe we should have moved sooner as we had a taste of the storm that night when a squally thunderstorm passed overhead causing strong winds, rain and lightening from a direction that put us on a lee shore making for a bumpy few hours. Although thankfully the storm was short lived only lasting about an hour and the following morning we were able to weigh anchor and find a more appropriate place to hide. We had decided to head for Raby Bay, directly opposite Dunwich on the the mainland side of Moreton Bay. We were lucky we left when we did as just as we were entering the anchorage area the rain started. The whole trip across the bay we could see dark ominous clouds developing over Brisbane so we knew it was coming. But thankfully the full force of the weather didn’t arrive until we were safely at anchor as it continued raining all afternoon.
We spent two nights in Raby Bay, the first day was spent hiding inside Allagai from the non-stop rain outside. While the second day we went ashore for a bus journey to buy a few things for the boat. However on the morning of the third day we were ready to leave and find somewhere little less city like to spend the weekend. That day we weighed anchor and without starting the engine at all sailed off the anchor and headed to Peel Island. We were hoping to sail the entire way and not use the engine at all as it was only a three mile trip. However as usual the wind just wouldn’t play the game and no sooner had we left Raby Bay behind the wind began to die. We had started our sail doing four knots but as one hour turned to two and the speed had dropped to one knot or less and the sails hung limp we thought it was time to start the engine. Especially as it was the weekend and all morning we had seen boats streaming past us, all seemingly headed to the anchorage on Peel Island. When we arrived on Peel Island the anchorage was packed. At least 50 others boats were already anchored along the mile of beach in Horseshoe Bay so we were lucky to find a spot at the far end of the beach on the outside of the crowd.
Once again we only spent two nights anchored in Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island filling our time with a walk ashore and lots of fishing off the back deck. Unfortunately though we didn’t catch anything worth keeping and came to the decision we needed better bait. After two days on Peel Island we decided to head off in search of somewhere to go snorkelling. We had done some research and found the Tangalooma Wrecks site off Moreton Island. This seemed like the perfect place and so after a quick stop in Dunwich to buy some gas we headed off for Tangalooma. That day we had absolutely no wind, not even a ripple on the water making the whole bay look glassy meaning if we wanted to go anywhere that day we had no choice but to motor. From Dunwich to the wrecks was about 25nm meaning we dropped anchor just before sunset after a long day of motoring.
The following day we were up bright and early keen to get in the water to snorkel the wrecks. We were so excited in fact that we were in the water by nine and it was just as well we had left so early. Because even at such an early hour there were still about three or four other small groups when we arrived unlike later when there seemed to be more people then fish. We had lots of sea life to look at as there were schools of reef fish everywhere in fact we basically had to push them aside to see the more exotic fish beyond. While underwater we also came across a lone sea turtle which was happy for us to swim within about five meters of him and a wobbegong shark who thankfully just cruised past us without any care. We went for two snorkels that day but the first was by far the best although the tide did get a little strong towards the end. The second time we went for a swim the place was completely over run with tourist groups and other swimmers and the clarity compared to the morning wasn’t great. Although we still saw more fish then I’d ever seen anywhere else we didn’t see the more exotic varieties of fish, turtle or wobbegong we had seen that morning.
After completely exhausting ourselves that day we still had to pack up Allagai for open water sailing as the following day we were planning to finally leave Moreton Bay behind. It had been just over two weeks since we had entered through the seaway bar on the Gold Coast and we were ready to see some more exciting places, especially after our taste on reef snorkelling. So the next leg of the trip was to head to Fraser Island, although we were still debating whether to go through Wide Bay Bar or go around the top of the island as it would all depend on the weather.