Royals Yearbook 2019/2020

LAUNCESTON
HOBART
TO
stories as the gale passed over
swapping
They even lent us their tender so we
us.
explore the local area and head up
could
creek to Melaleuca airport where
the
is a WiFi hotspot that allowed us to
there
the latest forecast.
download
lounging in their cabin we heard
While
being hailed on their radio by Tas
Vertigo
Radio. Upon returning their call
Maritime
was asked, quite bizarrely, as we were in
I
Tasmanian wilderness, “Do you want
the
from the shops?” It turns out my
anything
Jo had rung them to give me a call
wife,
she was heading up to meet us at
as
I felt duty bound to order a few
Strahan.
of wine given the effort that had
bottles
wind started dropping by evening, so
The
scheduled an early departure the next
we
to make our 100 mile trip to
morning
in Macquarie Harbour. This
Strahan
to be a long trip with the winds
proved
the northwest and a lumpy sea and
from
SW swell. By the time we got to
large
Sorell it was dark, but the wind had
Cape
out and the sea flattened once
dropped
were in the shelter of the Cape. We
we
through Hells Gate without too
motored
worry. It is well lit, and the sea was
much
but I’m not sure we would have been
flat,
relaxed if the conditions had been less
as
next morning, we met the rest of our
The
and headed up Macquarie harbour
family
spend the night at Sir John Falls on the
to
River. The landing is 20 miles
Gordon
river is very deep for most of the way
The
has been fully surveyed, so most
and
charting system have full
electronic
contours all the way. There are a
depth
narrow passages that required careful
few
to avoid grounding, but these
navigation
negotiated without drama. The
were
was sunny and still the whole
weather
up the river and we were rewarded
way
stunning scenery and reflections. We
with
able to tie up to the seaplane float
were
wander through the rainforest up to
and
R Y C V Y E A R B O O K 2 0 1 9 / 2 0 2 0
AND
ROUND
THE
BOTTOM
been made.
upriver, way past where the tour boats go.
benign.
the falls which were suitably scenic.
P A G E 3 1