Sept. - Oct. 2011 - The Coastal Passage Home Page

Andy & Jenny photo
Australia is for the birds!
From TCP # 7
Story & photo by I'm still not much of a sailor. It's not like
Suzanne Osier, SY “Peregrine” I don't do anything. I help a little. I feed
the sea gods when they need
I think I was in third grade when I appeasing, and I help to navigate by
learned how to sing “Kookaburra” and
“Waltzing Matilda”. We also learned a
telling Gene where to go.
little about Koalas, kangaroos, We had the same expectations most
platypuses, wombats and Bandicoots. tourists have when they come to Oz.
Even at that age, I was an animal and We expected to weave our way through
nature nut, so I was hooked. I wanted to Kangaroos and koalas to reach the
see all those weird creatures. I wanted shrimp covered barbie. The guys
to go to the strange island continent standing around the barbie would be
called Australia. wearing Drizabones, and hats with one
side of the brim folded up. They would
When my husband and I made landfall touch the brim of the hat with their free
at Port Bundaberg last year I could hand and say. “G'day”. The other hand
hardly believe it. A childhood dream, would be wrapped around a cold
shelved for many years, had become a Fosters. Needless to say, none of these
reality. Those early dreams never things occurred when we cleared
included a vision of sailing to Australia,
but life is full of surprises. I was twentycustoms
and stepped ashore.
eight before I ever set foot on a sailboat, Actually, we did get a shrimp off the
and the first encounter wasn't all that barbie. The Bundaberg Port Marina puts
successful. I got seasick in the dinghy on a free barbie every Friday for marina
on the way out to the mooring. Twenty- guests, and once, Donna of “Donna's
two years after my first boarding, Gene & Seafood's” donated some prawns. I
I left California on our forty-three foot think I should explain the shrimp and
IOR dinosaur, Peregrine. We were off to barbie bit. I know a lot of Aussie's are
sail the world. In truth, Gene was off to unaware of Oz's tourist campaign in the
sail the world, I was just on the boat to USA a few years back. “Crocodile
see the world. Dundee” came into our living rooms via
Classics pages
The next 10 pages are a few of our favourite's from previous TCP's. Deciding which stories to put in this edition
was an impossible task. Deciding on merit, there would have been a 100 way tie. A lot of "debating" went on at
TCP headquarters to put this section together but in the end these were virtually random choices. So enjoy!
This picture was the cover shot for TCP #1. Our previous boat SY White Bird is anchored in the far right of the pic. It was very appropriate at
the time as it is a photo of Nara Inlet, Whitsunday Island Photo: where Sue there Osier were many international and domestic cruisers at the time. Hardly a day
could go by without us meeting a foreign or interesting local crew with a story to tell and a willingness to contribute. The feature below is an
example as we met the crew of the US vessel Peregrine up by the Cave. In a way, this is where The Coastal Passage was "born".
TV and invited us to come and say, I knew they were parrots of some kind,
“G'day”. He said something like, “We'll but I didn't know they were Rainbow
throw another shrimp on the barbie.” Lorikeets until later. My eyes were
We didn't realize that the ad had been drawn to a magpie calling from a nearby
“Americanized” until we got here and tree, and little black and white birds
found out no one ever throws a shrimp landed near the Ibises. There were so
on the barbie. A prawn maybe, but many strange and wonderful birds; I
never a shrimp. No matter, Paul Hogan almost got whiplash as I looked from
was so appealing that you could almost sound to sound.
hear suitcases being packed at the end I left the park and went to a bookstore
of the commercial! where I made my first tourist purchase in
Australia, Simpson and Day's
I'm still not much of a sailor. It's not
like I don't do anything. I help a little.
I feed the sea gods when they need
appeasing, and I help to navigate by
telling Gene where to go.
“Field Guide to the Birds of
Australia”. Since then, I have
put in about a gazillion bird
watching hours, acquired
additional birding literature,
marked off 167 species in my
field guide and learned that I
I know that “The Coastal Passage” is a
am a “twitcher”. Occasionally,
I find myself being as blasé
about these little miracles as many
boating publication, but I'd like to veer off Aussies are. I've tracked sound with my
course just a bit. Sorry, but I told you I'm binoculars only to find a previously
not a sailor. I have to tell you what it is sighted species and have said, "Oh, it's
in Australia that had captivated me from only a so-and-so.” I immediately feel
day two. guilty for being so ungrateful, and remind
myself how thrilled I was when I saw my
On our second day in Oz, we took the
shuttle into town, and I found myself at
first so-and-so.
the Bundaberg Zoo. The little zoo was I know I'm not the only visitor to be
very nice, but I was saddened by the enthralled by the birds. I see people
way the birds were kept. The keepers with cameras trying to get a shot of the
there should visit the aviary at Lorikeets, or the Sulphur Crested
Townsville's Queen's Park to learn how Cockatoos, and I can't help but smile,
to keep Cockatoos. Anyway, in the park
next to the zoo, I had an hour of sensory
they are so irresistible.
overload. I was seeing and hearing all There are plenty of reasons why
kinds of strange birds. A couple of Ibises Australia draws sailors from around the
were walking around. I knew they were world. It was worth sailing about 10,000
Ibises because I had seen pictures and miles just to anchor in Pearl Bay for a
recognised what they were. They were few days. I would sail twice that
so exotic, I couldn't believe they were distance to once more have the Sulphur
just walking around free! I mean, surely Crested Cockatoos of Nara Inlet on
something like that should be in a zoo!
As I stood staring in fascination, a
Peregrine.
squadron of squawking fluorescent The islands and beaches are
emerald things flew by me. They passed stunning, but in my opinion,
on both sides at about shoulder level, Australia's Crown Jewels are her
flashing in the sunlight like living jewels. birds!