Mellow Moruya

Last weekend was very pleasant as we took in the sights of the Durras Lake area.  We did put The New Boat in for what we were hoping was to fish but it turned out to be just a paddle around the lake.  Well, we did catch some fish but they were so tiny they were barely good enough to be used as bait!  A bit of a shame, but it was still very enjoyable.  It wasn't until we were getting ready to pack it all in that we realised that we had brought a couple of bananas with us - The Captain had forgotten (when we packed them) that "bananas are bad luck on boats"!  So that would be the reason why we didn't catch any fish!

We spent that night camped at the boat ramp - this is getting to be a habit - and there were no disturbances except the gentle lapping of the waves on the lake edge and the pelicans taking off and landing just near us!

Very Early Morning at the Boat Ramp

On Monday morning we dropped in to see a cousin (and his wife) of The Deckie.  Thought we were just going to have a cuppa and a catch up but were invited back that evening for dinner.  Not a problem and besides we hadn't seen each other for absolute years!

With it being such a nice day we went for a drive into the mountains.  Not all that scary - besides The Captain had been here before - like about twenty years ago and he wondered why the roads looked different!  We were heading for Shallow Crossing on the upper reaches of the Clyde River and after a reasonably short drive ( yes The Captain has a good sense of direction) arrived there.  And what a very pretty part of the world!  There was still about 50cm of fast flowing water going over the causeway but it was not a problem for The Rav.

Upper Reaches of the Clyde River

Shallow Crossing

There was a very nice, basic campsite at The Crossing, but it would not have been advisable to drag Poor old Turtle over the road that we had just been on.  We then took the other road away from The Crossing to make it a round trip - this time to Nelligen on the Kings Highway.  Most of the road was pretty good (for an unsealed road) until we got to this little creek crossing....

The Captain checking out the Creek Crossing

Taking Our Time!

Onto Nelligen where we had a nice lunch at the Steampacket Hotel, back to our overnight camp spot on The Headland at Durras for a rest and then to the rellies for dinner.  What a life!!

Tuesday saw us heading further south to Moruya.  Found a great spot at North Head Campground (the north head of the Moruya River) and only a short walk to the beach.  We have been here since and the only drawback has been when our brand new generator decided that it didn't like being used, had a hissy fit and died.  A phone call to the supplier did not bring us any joy and so we have had to hire one for a couple of days.  That little problem will be sorted out on our return to the Sydney area next month!!

We will be breaking camp tomorrow (Saturday) and heading to the other side of Moruya to stay with The Deckie's eldest sister until after Easter.  Hopefully there will some nice days so that we can explore the river upstream a little bit and maybe some more exploring into the nearby National Parks.

Bye for now!

Down at Durras

Once the "Boy's Fishing Weekend" concluded, Team Turtle spent a couple of days taking in the sights of the surrounding area and also put The New Boat back into the river(s) for a spot of fishing.  I mention river(s) as the local river system is a little bizarre.  The Crookhaven River mouth is only a stone's throw south of the Shoalhaven River mouth.  But, even just after European settlement on the Shoalhaven had commenced, the powers that be realised that the Shoalhaven silted up too much for the safe passage of ships but the Crookhaven was okay.  So, along with a lot of convict labour, a channel was dug between the two rivers a couple of kilometres up from the mouths of the rivers.  This channel is still very much in use today and the mouth of the Shoalhaven has silted up completely!

Now, back to the fishing.  Within a few minutes of settling down for our first attempts at fishing The Deckie caught the very first fish from The New Boat.  It was only a Tailor but it was the very first fish!!!

The Very First Fish

As the current was fairly strong in that part of the river, we then proceeded to another spot.  Just to make sure he wasn't going to be shown up, The Captain then caught a very keepable flathead.

First Flathead

After that, The Deckie caught her own keepable Flattie (and just a bit smaller) and then another three.  Even though they were of a keepable size they were a bit on the small side and we sent them back home.  The two fish that we kept were absolutely delicious!

On Wednesday, we decided to pack up camp and head a little bit further south.  This time though, we packed The New Boat onto the roof of The Turtle and The Rav onto its trailer - all with a lot of consternation - but it worked - woo hoo!!!!

Finally, Team Turtle is how it is supposed to be when its on the road!

The Real Team Turtle

We only travelled as far as North Durras that day but all worked well for The Team.  All was tied down nicely and there were no scratches, bumps or bruises.

Our stopover for the night was a sort of boat ramp and so very peaceful.  The only problem was the very strong southerly that hit just as we tried to go to sleep.  We thought that we were going to be blown back to Sydney, but all was good.

Durras Lake Entrance

Looking Up The Lake

After a slow start, we then headed to South Durras - hmmm, it must have been a whole 20 klms that we travelled that day!  We found another nice little spot on a headland over looking Durras Beach on our port side and Wasp Island/Mill Point to starboard.

We then took The Rav off the trailer, put The New Boat in its place and did some sightseeing for the day.

Wasp Head and Mill Point

Durras Beach

Friday saw us going into The Bay (Batemans Bay) for some supplies, booking into a caravan park for a couple of nights and then checking out parts of the National Park.

We did try to go prawning last night but the wind came up and it was very unpleasant on the Lake.  Oh well - another time!

Off to try and do some really exciting stuff today and will let you know what transpires.  Have a good one

Crookhaven Heads

Beautiful Crookhaven Heads - about 25 klms south-east of Nowra and the venue for The Captain's "boys fishing weekend"!  It is not the usual practice for a spouse to attend these functions but as we have a rather nomadic lifestyle, Team Turtle has parked itself in the same caravan park as the rest of attendees, The Deckie just keeps a low profile and The Captain does his own thing.

It has been just over a week since Team Turtle left Coffs Harbour. Unfortunately, The Team was not as was originally envisioned.  The new car/boat trailer was not completed to the satisfaction of The Captain (we just ran out of time) and so the New Boat was loaded onto the boat trailer and thence towed by The Turtle.  In the meantime, The Rav was driven separately by The Deckie.  Once all has been completed with The Trailer, we will then return to our original plans.

Ready for our next Trip

After an easy drive down the Pacific Highway, we once more ensconced ourselves in the front yard of The Eldest Daughter's house on the Central Coast.

Last Saturday was the 85th Birthday Party for The Deckie's Mum.  It was a great day - the weather was perfect, the venue at the Retirement Village was ideal, the catering spot on and all of Mum's four daughters were able to be there at the same time.  There were also heaps of her grand-children and great grand-children as well as quite a few of her friends.

Birthday Girl!

The Four Sisters

Later on thru the week, The Deckie got the 'all clear' from the ENT specialist after her ear surgery last month - hallelujah!!  A broken leg was replaced on The Turtle and we were all set to get going again.  Still hadn't totally got the rig sorted out, but we were still on the way further south.

As the "Boy's Fishing Comp" was not due to start for another day, The Captain and The Deckie thought that it was about time we christened The New Boat.  The New Boat still does not have a proper name, but she floats and The Motor works - what more do we really need!

Maiden Voyage

Definitely a Proud Captain

Audience for the Maiden Voyage

And that brings us to today (Saturday).  Wet, cold and miserable!  Well, last night and early this morning certainly was but it did sort of fine up since about lunch time.  Not nice enough for The Captain to go fishing but we did have a nice drive up the Shoalhaven River for a few hours.  Maybe The Captain might get out and do some fishing tomorrow morning before the big fish weigh in - but who really cares!!

Into Autumn

March 2012 already and instead of preparing to go into hibernation for the winter, intrepid Team Turtle is preparing to sail forth once more into the unknown wilds of Australia.

Well, it sounds good, but our plans for this year are not quite as intense as 2011 ( The Adventures of the Turtle Trekkers ) and we will just be doing a few smallish trips away.

Now for a catch up on what we have been up to over the last few months.

During The Deckie's (Louise) stay in Gosford hospital back in October/November it was recommended by her specialist that she have a operation to ensure that she would no longer suffer from this nasty affliction again.  After one false start in January, the operation - a bilateral meatoplasty -was performed on 15 February.  The stitches were removed a week later and the next appointment was not for another three weeks  We were very fortunate in that we were able to camp in the front yard of number one daughter on the Central Coast until The Deckie was well enough to return to Coffs Harbour.  That has now happened and The Deckie is well on the road to recovery especially with the specialised nursing care from The Captain (Alan).

In the meantime, and after a lot of careful consideration, The Captain has decided to reconfigure Team Turtle!  We had realised that poor old Tuf Cat is just far too big for the waters up in the Top End and as we would love to go back there we would have to downsize.  Fortunately, Tuf Cat will remain in our possession as she is brilliant for boating off the New South Wales coastline and will just go into storage until we require her.  We have purchased a Stacer 399 Proline aluminium boat, a new Yamaha 2 stroke 30hp motor and The Captain has been constructing a car/boat trailer!  The new boat will be winched onto the top of The Turtle whilst we are travelling and The Rav can be towed along utilising the new trailer.  Once we are in a spot for a while, we will take The Rav off the trailer, winch the boat down from the roof and put it into The Rav's spot and then use The Rav to tow the trailer.  All very simple and straightforward!!

Eventually, the Li'l Pussy will have to be sent to another loving family, much to the chagrin of The Deckie.  Li'l Pussy served us well on our big adventures but there will too few times in the future that we could take her for a swim and she would be very unhappy being on land all of the time.

At this stage, our plans for the next few weeks are to attend The Deckie's Mum's 85th birthday party, The Captain to attend another boy's fishing weekend near Nowra and then for Team Turtle to explore parts of the South Coast.

Happy travels!