Our first full day in Australia was spent shopping for some needed safety equipment that I mentioned in the last blog we haven’t done before this due to it either being unavailable elsewhere or insanely priced. As well as that we also managed to restock our dwindling food supplies which is always a bonus.
During that day we talked about where we should head. We had originally planned to sail towards Cairns however were in two minds about it as we had been slightly put off by some conversations we had had with other boaties and just recently the customs people. Would it be better to head south where the weather was not going to be in the high 30s, where there wouldn’t be crocs and stingers in the water or would we head up north. We googled some options and decided to head up to Townsville which lays practically halfway between MacKay and Cairns.
We landed on Townsville as a choice as it was still heading north which is the direction we really wanted to go as we knew that eventually once we leave Aussie we are 80% positive we will be sailing towards Indonesia/Bali. Looking at the various options, Townsville had the biggest population (for towns, not cities) which meant a better chance at getting work. There was also the option of us finding free anchorage which was a huge plus for us and finally being slightly south of Cairns there was a lesser percentage of having a cyclone hit (not fully safe from them but fingers crossed they would be less likely).
Decision made we left really early the next morning and spent the next 6 days sailing up north finding a nice anchorage each night.
We arrived early Thursday morning, dropped anchor in Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island (which lies just off Townsville) and promptly went ashore where we caught a bus then a ferry into Townsville itself. We spent the morning exploring and also talking to some people about potential anchorages and decided we would be safe enough to sail over and stay in the duck pond. This is a dredged area sitting south of the breakwater and just inside the channel that leads into the main marina, the only potential problem was the whole “pond” is really shallow (1metre to 1.5metres in depth), our boat is 1.6metres.
We headed back to Magnetic Island (called Maggie by the locals), pulled up anchor and sailed over timing it perfectly to come in on the full tide. At full tide we had 2.4metres under the keel and at low tide we will have anywhere from 20centimetres to 80centimetres under the boat. We talked to an older gentleman who lives on his boat here whose keel is 1.9metres and he told us when it gets really low his boat will just dig into the mud which is really soft and the few years he has lived there it has never been a problem. We will continue to keep an eye on things and we have a tide chart which lets us know when the really low tides are. If we get concerned we can always pick up anchor and head back to “Maggie” for a day or two.
We settled in on a Thursday and that Friday saw us catching buses all over Townsville ($7 each unlimited rides for the day) as we sorted out Tax numbers, started the paperwork to get Queensland drivers licences, opened a bank account and went to a job agency. I was very happy to talk to the Tax department and find that my tax number from 10 years ago (when I briefly lived and worked in Aussie) was still active which means I could potentially start work straight away while Craig has to apply and wait for one which could take a month. Also when we went to the bank we found out that I was still active in their system (from 10 years ago) however accounts that haven’t been touched for 4 years are automatically closed and the Australian government takes the money. Luckily I think I only had left a couple of dollars in the account.
Over the weekend we walked around the North End (the suburb where the marina is) and explored our new neighborhood. We discovered that there are some awesome walks here, either along the strand which finishes at a place called kissing point and has a huge swimming pool that filters in fresh sea water every three hours to the huge red hill that overlooks the area called Castle Hill that has heaps of tracks winding up it. The CBD is just a 15minute walk from the marina as well so we feel we are really well situated for the foreseeable future.
On that Friday I had also applied via email to a notice that had been placed in the Marina from a local motel (which is just 500metres away) looking for Housemaids. On Monday I had a request to go in for an interview and I started the job on Wednesday. After the first couple of days my body was so sore it reminded me of restarting back at group fitness classes after being away on holiday. I know I will adjust to it but I have new respect for anyone who has done this type of work before. It is like doing 3 or more classes in a row, a full body workout which is awesome and even though I am sore I am enjoying being physical again.
I have absolutely loved the last seven months which in all honesty has felt like an extended holiday. While it has been fantastic I am looking forward to spending some time here in Townsville, working and more importantly seeing some money go into our account rather than continuously out. Our visa from customs allows us to stay in Australia initially for 6 months although we already know we will be applying for an extension to stay longer.
Even though we have free anchorage in the duck pond we pay a very low monthly rate to the marina which allows us to tie up the dinghy at their ramps, to use their showers, toilets and laundry. We spoke to them and also have the thumbs up to use their post office box and street address when needed. Finally less than 10 minutes away is a huge Coles supermarket meaning we can have fresh food on the boat every day if we choose (it’s the small things that make us happy).
I am also really excited that in a couple of months my best friends are coming to Townsville for Xmas and New Years.
Anyone who is looking for a holiday is more than welcome to come and stay with us while we are here!