Going over in the dark

Our journey started at 2:00am. We were supposed to be at the boat (Matthew Flinders III) by 3:00am but my body said….GET UP NOW. Seriously! The dock was a 5 min ride away. Inky black skies, with a smooth silky aurora, about the brisk misty morning springs me to life. Some of the fishing boats on the same estuary are still sitting on the bottom. Our boat draws 2m and the tide is at a height of 3m this morning, that is not a lot of clearance. The skipper has only been doing this run for the last 10 years, so I think he will have this sorted.

We are crammed onto the boat, bikes strapped to someone’s trailer and head below deck to check out the facilities. A toilet, jug and microwave adorn the common room with a single bench to sleep on. The aroma of sheep and cattle remained from yesterday’s load. Eight hours on the water, that’ll do. Mandy sculled a Kwell, and we passed out for a few hours.

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Eight Hours

Up on the deck was a lot water. It did get a bit bumpy but generally the ride was fine. Passing some islands upon daybreak, the orange rocks remind us of Bay of Fires. No seals today, but we did see 1000000s of Mutton Birds.

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Nature Reserve

Exploring Flinders is a wonderful experience. With Jenny and Gavin Brookes as our hosts we are being taken to the places that only a local would know. It is larger than I had originally thought. Views to die for and hardly any people. The Patriarchs Nature Reserve is fantastic. Anyone can use it, there is a push button BBQ and very friendly animals. Even the snakes come over to say hello.

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200 year old Jetty

Huon Pine is an incredible material. This old Jetty at Lillies Bay is over 200 years old and the timber on the waterline is still perfect. It is no wonder that Huon Pine was used for boat/ship manufacture for so many years.

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Always time for a swim

So many beaches, all with amazing views. If you see anyone else here, it is a very strange occurrence. Whilst driving today we saw another traffic (car) around every hour or so. Stress, not!

Yes, the water was around -100 deg C. Still a beautiful swim at All Ports Beach.

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Lunch wouldn’t be the same without some homemade lemon cake, cream and berries.