The bones of "Old Tom" , the leader of the killer whale pods. For decades, the orcas would herd baleen whales into Twofold Bay, keep them surrounded while alerting the whalers of their catch. "Old Tom" went so far as to tow the whaler's boats out to the captive whale. In return, the orcas feasted on the lips and tongue of the dead whale and left the rest for the whalers. |
s/y Nine of Cups Australia - New South Wales December 2011 - January 2012 |
We first left Bundaberg on 1 December, but turned back immediately into the berth with engine problems. The problems were fixed immediately, but we lost our weather window until 6 December when we finally left Bundy and headed down the Sandy Straits behind Fraser Island where we waited for another weather window to head to Mooloolabah, then on to Moreton Bay near Brisbane. On 18 December, we left Southport at the southern most end of Queensland and crossed into the state of New South Wales. What should have been a 5-7 day passage from Bundy to Sydney was becoming a major commitment of time...mostly waiting for any weather window with some northerly wind component. The total trip took nearly two weeks. We began to doubt if we'd make it to Sydney for Christmas, but thankfully we did on 22 December. |
The East Australia Current (EAC) is similar to a river in the ocean. It flows at up to 4 knots, is up to 100 km wide and can transport 30,000,000 cubic metres of water per second. It starts in the Coral Sea off northern Queensland where water temperatures are approximately 30C, transporting warm tropical water down Australia's east coast. It can reach speeds of up to seven knots in some of the shallower waters along the Australian continental shelf, but is generally measured at two to three knots. The EAC ends in a current vortex in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. The EAC also acts to transport tropical marine fauna to habitats in sub-tropical regions along the south east Australian coast. It gave Nine of Cups a 3+ knot push coming down Australia's east coast. |
In the 2003 animated Disney / Pixar film Finding Nemo, the EAC is portrayed as a superhighway that fish and sea turtles use to travel down the east coast of Australia. The characters Marlin and Dory join a group of sea turtles, including Crush and his son Squirt in using the EAC to help them travel to Sydney Harbour so they can rescue Marlin's son, Nemo. The basic premise of this storyline is correct. Every summer, thousands of fish are swept from the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney Harbor and further south. |
New South Wales facts...
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Barrenjoey Head Lighthouse was first lit in 1881.On 2 March 1788, Arthur Phillip named the headland "Barrenjuee" (meaning little kangaroo or wallaby). The commonly accepted name since 1966 is Barrenjoey. |
The Macquarie Lighthouse located on South Head at the entrance to Sydney Harbour is Australia's first and longest operating navigational light. There has been a navigational aid on this site since 1791 and a lighthouse since 1818. |
Once clearing Sydney Heads, the city of Sydney came into view and the approach was thrilling. Sydney is a huge, vibrant city and definitely deserves a page of its own. |
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Check out more of our Australia pages.... A new country, a new continent Arrival in Bundaberg/Queensland New South Wales Sydney Canberra - Australia Capital Territory Tasmania |
The Grand Pacific Drive Sydney to Wollongong and beyond... |
Since our friends, Doug & Fay arrived, we had a rental car at our disposal and decided to make good use of it. After our trip to Canberra and NY's Eve in Sydney Harbour, we were keen for more exploring and the Grand Pacific Drive seemed like an excellent way to tour the NSW coastline. We decided to take a loop route south to Kiama and then head back inland through the Southern Highlands countryside back to Sydney. The scenery was touted as "spectacular" and indeed it was. The 140km drive started just south of Sydney. We drove through the sub-tropical rainforests of the Royal National Park, Australia's first national park and the world's second oldest national park. (The USA's Yellowstone is the first in the world.) The scenery became more stunning as we wended our way through quaint villages and along the cliff-hugging roads to the coast finally arriving at the Tasman Sea. |
The most stunning sight of all was the 665m Sea Cliff Bridge which snakes out over the sea. Our view from the Bald Hill Lookout was "gobsmacking". |
We stopped for a few short hikes along the way and then stopped in Wollongong for lunch. The harbor, above, was quite scenic. |
The Wollongong Harbour Light sat at the end of a long breakwater standing sentry on the dicey harbor entrance. |
We enjoyed these napping seagulls who seemed non-plussed by the tourists. |
It was a holiday (Jan 1 celebrated Jan 2) so most restaurants were closed. Good old Mickey D's came to the rescue. |
A stop at Lake Illiwara for a toe-dip in the Tasman Sea and an ice cream and then we drove up to Barren Grounds NR for quick hike. The views were once again spectacular. |
Jamberoo was a pleasant, quaint little town. We browsed in an antique shop and then headed back to Cups to plan the next adventure. |
The Blue Mountains |
We headed west from Sydney to the Blue Mountains on the Great Western Highway. Our first stop was Wentworth Falls. We opted for a hike on the Charles Darwin Trail which ended up being 5km rather than 1km as advertised, but nobody complained...it was beautiful. |
The Blue Mountains, part of Australia's Great Dividing Range, got their name from the blue mist which shrouds them. The blue haze is the result of a fine oily mist that is given off from the local eucalyptus trees. Actually, they're not mountains at all, but rather dissected sandstone plateaux. |
After tramping up and down steps, across streams and on and off raised boardwalks, we arrived at what we thought were the Wentworth Falls and were quite disappointed. In actuality, it was Weeping Rock (above) and the falls were a bit more impressive (right). |
A wind whipped up the canyon and standing anywhere close to the Falls was a drenching experience. |
At Katoomba, we stopped at Echo Point to view the Three Sisters. |
The Aboriginal Legend of the Three Sisters goes like this. An Aboriginal witch doctor, Tyawan, turned his three daughters to stone to keep them from being harmed by a nasty creature, Bunyip. He planned to return to turn them back to humans, but when he himself became cornered by Bunyip, he turned himself into a lyre bird to protect himself and escape. In the process, he lost his magic bone and to this day, he's searching for it while his daughters wait. |
Australian "Watch out for wildlife" signs.That's a wombat below the roo. |
We crossed over Victoria Pass, the highest point in the Blue Mountains, and stopped in the tiny ghost town of Hartley. Once a thriving settlement in the1830's, it died a slow death when the railroad passed it by in 1887. Now only a few sandstone buildings remain. |
We returned to Sydney and Cups via Bells Line of Road, a scenic back road across the mountains. Named after Archibald Bell who discovered the crossing in 1823, the first convict-built road commenced in 1841. It initially took 25 years to find a route through the Blue Mountains and some convicts believed China and freedom was on the other side. It's interesting to note that the forested wilderness area north of Bells Line of Road is so remote and inaccessible that a new species of tree, the Wollemi Pine, was not discovered here until 1994. |
An Aborigine had this young lady totally mesmerized. |
An idea of what bunyips look like...yikes! |
Eden - Twofold Bay/Snug Cove - 37S04.46 / 149E54.13 |
The Sapphire Coast is the southern most coastline of New South Wales bordering the state of Victoria. The area became known as the Sapphire Coast for the clear sparkling waters of the ocean and the many lakes along its coast line. We sailed from Sydney on 16 January 2012 and arrived in Eden two days later after a boisterous, seasickly passage. We anchored in Snug Cove in Twofold Bay. |
We anchored in the bay behind the moored boats in the lee of the breakwater. Red arrow = NoC |
A wonderful aerial view of Snug Cove and the wharf. |
Eden is a charming little town with a rich maritime history including whaling, fishing and lumbering. The walk from the bay to town was a steep zig-zag up Warren's Walk...good for the legs. Though small, the town is rich in views, vistas and interesting things to see and do. We found a brochure/map for a Heritage Trail walk and gave it a go. We visited the Killer Whale Museum and generally got a feel for the town and its people. It's laid-back and friendly ... a nice place to stop and visit and hard to leave. |
A full-size whaling boat gave us a feel for how small the boats were compared to the size of the whales they were harpooning. |
Read more about "Old Tom" and his mates .Killers in Eden |
In 1828, Thomas Raine opened the first shore-based whaling station in Australia at Twofold Bay. |
Seafood and shellfish reign supreme here as evidenced by the number of seafood shops near the wharf. |
A view from the top of the hill near Rotary Park. |
Whales still return each September-November on their migratory path. |
Eden's main thoroughfare, Imlay Street, is divided into a high road and low road. |
Historic houses and buildings were well-marked. Built in the 1850's, Half House above was so-called because it took eons to be completed. |
The Great Southern Inn was originally built in 1847 and served as a general store and a post office before becoming a hotel in the 1860's. |
David had begun brewing beer just before we left Sydney. Imagine his surprise and delight when we entered Eden's Gas & Gear and there front and center was an entire display of beer starters and brewing supplies. Stouts, lagers, IPAs and so much more. They even had ciders and ginger beers. |
A localwoman pointed out the native pink gravillea growing along Warren's Walk. |
A picture of a picture...an old general store in Eden in the mid-1800's. |
From our picnic spot at Apex Park, we could see Asling's beach and the historic cemetery. |
We tread softly in the cemetery, reading weather-worn markers from generations before. |
We enjoy spotting uniquely Aussie products in the supermarket. |
Black swans were numerous on Lake Curalo as we ambled along the boardwalk. See several new bird photos on the Birds of Australia page. |