Location

 

Australia is a country of superlatives, characterized by the vastness of the outback, endless coasts, urban metropolises and tropical rainforests. The Indian Ocean laps the coast from the south to the northwest, the remaining sections lie on the Pacific Ocean. The Timor Sea and the Arafura Sea separate the land masses from Asia. In the east, the Coral Sea extends to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, while the Tasman Sea stretches to New Zealand. The coastline is over 36,000 km long with countless great beaches. Tourism is an important industry, the main destinations are the unique natural landscapes.

 

The Sydney Opera House, located directly on the sea, with its monumental half shells stacked on top of each other, is the landmark of urban Australia, while the rust-colored Uluru (Ayers Rock), more than 300 million years old and a sacred site of the indigenous people, stands for the Australian outback. One of the wonders of the natural world is the Great Barrier Reef, a marine paradise with crystal-clear waters, white beaches and a colorful underwater world. Australia is also a country of contrasts, spread over different time zones and climatic zones, from tropical in the north to temperate in the south, with desert areas and extensive semi-arid zones, historically and culturally in the balancing act between Aborigines and white colonization.

 

For a tourist stay, foreigners need a valid passport and a visa or an electronic entry permit (ETA). The pure flight time to the destination is about 23 to 24 hours, to reduce the effect of jetlag, a journey with stopover is recommended. Currency is the Australian dollar.

 

History

 

The aborigines coming from the north settled the continent at least 50,000 years ago. The Aborigines are not a uniform people, but consist of numerous nomadic tribes with different customs and languages, who live from hunting and gathering. Later, they were joined by islanders of Melanesian origin who, as seafarers, also traded with New Guinea.

 

The first European to land on the Cape York peninsula was the Dutch navigator Willem Jansz in 1606. Further sightings followed, but the mostly dry and barren landscape hardly aroused any territorial claims. This changes with the first voyage to the South Seas in 1770 by James Cook, who sails up the east coast of Australia on the 'ENDEAVOUR', finds a passage through the reef and takes possession of the land for the British Crown.

 

From 1788, white settlement of the land begins in Sydney, mainly convicts are deported to the new territory. Introduced diseases and violent conflicts decimate the original population, which is deported to reservations. The missions established here begin not only to spread Christian doctrine, but also to provide medical aid and education. In 1851 gold is discovered northeast of Melbourne, the following gold rush attracts numerous diggers from England, the USA and China.

 

In 1901, Australia's independent colonies form the Commonwealth of Australia. With the Statute of Westminster of 1931, the country is formally granted independence; it remains a constitutional monarchy under the British crown to this day.

 

Although Aborigines are granted Australian citizenship on Australia Day in 1949, some laws continue to restrict their rights. In 1965, Queensland became the last state to grant them the right to vote, and the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, passed in 1976, gives Aborigines who still live traditionally the right of ownership to their ancestral territories, former reserves and unused state land.

 

In 1992, the Supreme Court clarified that the indigenous peoples had a kind of territorial dominion over their respective territories and that colonization was therefore not exclusively no-man's land. It was not until 2013 that the Australian House of Commons passed a law recognizing the Aborigines as the first inhabitants of Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef, visible from space with the naked eye, is the largest coral reef on earth, over 1,200 nm long and 30 to 140 nm wide, with an average depth of 35 m in the inner area. It is located on the northeastern edge of the Australian continental shelf off the coast of the state of Queensland in the South Pacific and extends between the 10th and 24th southern latitudes from Cape York to Bundaberg. It is not a closed reef system, but is composed of a chain of thousands of individual reefs of different types, islands and sandbars. Large areas of the reef originally belonged to the mainland, with the warming of the climate and the melting of the polar ice caps they are flooded by the rising sea level, most of the islands are the top of sunken mountains. The parts of the colorful coral reefs visible today date from the last cold period about 10,000 years ago.

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The Great Barrier Reef since 1981 UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

The Great Barrier Reef has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. The Marine Park, which was established in 1975, protects a marine area almost as large as the Baltic Sea, with rich fauna and flora. It is home to almost all the world's sea turtle species, numerous species of seabirds, fish, mollusks, starfish, sea urchins and sea snakes, whales and dolphins, sharks and rays. Dugongs - fork-tailed manatees - are also still present in significant numbers, and humpback whales living near Antarctica use the warm waters to give birth to their young. A special event is the annual coral bloom, which is used for reproduction and takes place during the Australian spring in November.

 

Corals form a sensitive ecosystem, thriving only in clear, sun-drenched waters in the temperature range of 18 to 30 °C. The Great Barrier Reef and its biodiversity are now endangered, with coral cover having declined significantly over the last 30 years. Humans are the main contributors to this via tourism use, fishing, water pollution, global warming, and ocean acidification triggered by these factors. A natural enemy, no less destructive, is the poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish, which sucks the coral polyps out of their protective calcareous shells, leaving behind completely dead reef sections when they appear on a massive scale.

 

Those lucky enough to visit this marine paradise will do so with due respect and contribute to its preservation by not disturbing seabirds and marine life and by not damaging corals. Not disposing of any waste in the sea should go without saying.

The Australian Eldorado of yachting, often just called Whitsundays, is officially called Cumberland Islands and is located in the central section of the Great Barrier Reef between Cairns and Brisbane, just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. It is one of the most beautiful charter regions in the world, with lush rainforests, mangroves, secluded beaches, spectacular reefs, coral gardens glowing in all colors, and stunning fauna and flora. This nautical island paradise, mostly uninhabited and surrounded by fringing reefs, is the only archipelago in Australia where so many secluded anchorages can be found in such a small area.

 

Tides

 

The waters are protected from the open sea by the Great Barrier Reef. The reef system is managed as a Marine Park and is divided into zones with varying degrees of strictness. Use is regulated and fees are charged, although cruising, snorkeling and diving are generally permitted. Some reefs and bays are designated as protected zones with anchoring prohibited, usually marked with white pyramid-shaped buoys. Experience in tidal waters should be available, as the area has relatively strong tides. The tides are semidiurnal. The tidal range at Spring can be up to 4 m in some places, generating currents of up to 3 knots. Due to Australian laws, charter yachts are not allowed to call at the Outer Great Barrier Reef, which is a good 40 nm away. If you want to visit the outer reef, book a tour with a local provider.

 

Winds & Weather

 

Although the area is located in the tropics, the winds basically provide a pleasant warm and sunny climate. In the southern summer, the rainy season lasts from December to March with occasional tropical showers, although it usually rains at night. In the winter dry season the humidity drops, August and September are the months with the least precipitation. Average daytime air temperatures are around 30°C from November to April, and around 25°C from June to August. Water temperatures vary between 28°C and 21°C

The majority of the Queensland coast lies in the area of the southeast trade wind, sometimes interrupted by north winds. The dominant winds are from E to SE, from May to July they tend to be from SE to S, from October to December additionally from N to NE. During the dry season, the wind is most constant at about 3 to 4 Bft, blowing strongest from February to May at 4 to 5 Bft. Especially during the rainy season, there are occasional 6 Bft or more, and tropical cyclones, known in Australian slang as Willy-Willies, rarely occur.

In Australia, the same lateral system applies as in Europe (IALA Region A), the precinct is buoyed, even if not all danger zones and obstacles are marked. In addition, there are unsurveyed areas, unmapped areas for which no data are available. Navigation at night is usually only possible with the permission of the charter company, while during the day the necessary caution is required.

 

Basically, the area, which offers excellent snorkeling and diving sites, can be navigated all year round. It is suitable for semi-experienced yachtsmen, during the rainy season more advanced, as stronger winds and rougher seas are to be expected. The ideal cruising time is from June to October, during the dry and warm winter

 

Yacht charter Australia: current weather and weather forecast from Windy.com

Yacht charter Australien: Cruise Airlie Beach - Witsundays - on the trail of the Nagro

 

Cruise - Info Australien - Airlie Beach - Daydream Island - Whiteheaven Beach - Bowen - Airlie Beach

Duration: 2 - 3 Weeks

 

Port of departure: Airlie Beach

The resorts Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour in the Australian state of Queensland are the starting ports for the cruise to the Whitsundays. There is the area between Bowen and Mackay to discover, only Eshelby Island may not be called. Those who want to spend only one week for their adventure on the water will be content with visiting the main islands. Those who give themselves longer time can explore the coastline in all its glory. Everywhere it is worthwhile to put on the hiking boots to catch fantastic views over the area, as well as to strap on mask, snorkel and fins to discover the wonderful underwater world.

Arrival to the area is via an international airport in Australia, then a domestic flight will take you to Proserpine Airport, about 30 to 50 minutes by car from Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour respectively. Time zone on the northeast coast of the country is UTC +10.

 

Provisioning

 

The provisioning of the yacht has to be done at the beginning of the charter in Airlie Beach. Except for Hamilton Island, there are hardly any shopping facilities in the archipelago, so during the cruise, self-supply from the galley is mainly the order of the day. Water and fuel are only available in Airlie Beach and on Hamilton Island, where you also have to dispose of your waste. Currently only the resorts on Hamilton Island and Long Island are open.

 

Marinas and guest jetties are rare, most nights the yacht is moored at mooring buoys or at its own ground iron, if possible only on sand or silt, in some places anchoring is prohibited.

From May to September is "whale season", then humpback whales migrate along the Australian east coast into warm waters. When whales are sighted, speed should be reduced and a distance of 300 m should be kept.

 

The Nagro people – die „salt water-people"

 

The islands, originally a volcanically formed mountain range, together with the parallel mainland have always been tribal territory of the Ngaro ("salt water people"), the only seafaring Aborigines. They fish with nets and hooks made of turtle shell, use outrigger canoes made of iron bark and visit the outer reef seasonally. They trade, hunt small whales, feed on what the sea provides and on fruits and plants. During the British colonization, they were hindered in their traditional way of life, and from 1861 they were expelled and became extinct.

 

According to oral traditions of the Ngaro, in the Dreamtime the Rainbow Serpent swam through the sea and laid eggs, thus creating the Whitsundays.

 

Due to the rise of the sea level many cultural and historical sites of the Aborigines are under water, but traces can still be found at fireplaces and under rocks. On Hook Island at Nara Inlet, the Ngaro have left rock paintings in grottos, and on South Molle Island, tufa has been carved from the slopes to make tools such as stone axes and knives. The Ngaro Sea Trail, a network of kayak routes and bushwhacking trails, leads to the most important sites.

 

To Daydream Island

 

From Abell Point Marina or Shute Harbor, Daydream Island and South Molle Island are virtually at your doorstep; Bauer Bay provides shelter from winds out of the southern quadrant.

 

To the north of the area, you'll encounter Hayman Island, where Blue Pearl Bay is a popular hotspot. Buoys are available, but those anchoring should put out as much chain as possible because of the great depth. Very picturesque is Langford Island, connected to One Foot Island by a long sandbank, in calm weather it is possible to spend the night here.

 

Hook Island has two fjords worth seeing, Nara Inlet and Macona Inlet, both of which offer very good shelter. The rocky island has Stonehaven Bay on the west side and Butterfly Bay and Luncheon Bay on the north side. At Pinnacle Point, an interesting rock formation can be observed that looks like a wood pile. Saba Bay on the exposed east side is little visited, but in calm weather or westerly winds is a great snorkeling spot including grottos that can be explored by dinghy at high tide.

 

Whitehaven Beach – one of the burr eden garden on earth

 

The flagship of Whitsunday Island, the largest and namesake island of the archipelago, is the gorgeous Whitehaven Beach, a several kilometers long beach of glistening white sand. The neighboring Tongue Bay offers not only a good anchorage, but also a unique view of Hill Inlet, an estuary reaching far into the island's interior, which fills and empties as an enchanting landscape of mangroves in time with the tides. On the west side, May's Bay is seldom used, but Cid Harbour and the surrounding bays and Gulnare Inlet are popular anchorages. Turtle Bay and Chance Bay in the south are beautiful, but mostly unprotected.

Hamilton Island, with its marina protected from all winds, is a good stopover in the area, where food and drink supplies can be replenished. Bars and restaurants attract the crew ashore.

On the same level close to the mainland stretches Long Island. In Happy Bay it is possible to spend the night on the ground iron, in Palm Bay there are buoys for which a fee is charged.

 

to bird paradise

 

A little further out, Cateran Bay on Border Island and Windy Bay on Haslewood Island are quieter places where seabirds nest and sea turtles frolic.

Already a bit off the beaten path are Lindemann Island and Shaw Island, both offering secluded anchorages depending on wind direction. Below Cape Conway on the mainland is the remote Laguna Quays Marina, where you can bunker water if needed, but the resort is closed. Further south, anchorages can be found at Goldsmith Island, Carlisle Island and Brampton Island, and at Keswick Island and St Bees Island, which are only about 15 nm from Mackay Harbour Marina, the southernmost tip of the area.

 

To Bowen via unspoiled islands

 

The way north leads away from the classic route to untouched islands. It's about 40 nm to Bowen, where there is a well-protected harbor with sparse infrastructure. The small town has a few sights, among them the Courthouse built in 1880 or the Harbour Board Building from 1921. Right next to the tourist office is The Big Mango, a huge sculpture of this delicious fruit.

On the way, you can spend the night quietly in Woodwark Bay or Double Bay not far from Airlie Beach.

Grassy Island, Olden Island or Bluff Point on Gloucester Island are also less frequented anchorages, as is Armit Island, where numerous seabirds breed between October and March.

If you want to have a more comfortable time, you can stop at Cape Gloucester at the Montes Reef Resort or the Eco Resort, enjoy a drink at the beach bar and, for a change, dinner from the restaurant instead of the galley.

 

Of the numerous islands that make up the archipelago, a good dozen can be approached by yachts, the rest are too small, privately owned, reserved as nature reserves or surrounded by shallow water, although the nearby mainland also beckons with some loopholes. The anchorages are often only 10 nm apart with a large selection of partly lonely bays, so that a cruise can be planned almost at will - easy and spontaneous island hopping in the tribal area of the Ngaro.

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