The view from halfway up the mast towards the new Wharf precinct.Bermagui….”Bermi” to the locals and Bermi to yachties who are glad to be holed up in its little harbour waiting for a “window” of weather before heading to ports beyond. From here it is about 40 nm south to Eden, and from there another 25 nm or more to the fabled Gabo Island, the South East corner of the continent where ships headed south to Tasmania, and South West to Wilsons Promontory part company. Around Gabo weather wind and currents from the East Coast and Bass Strait meet and it is a place to be given a great deal of nautical respect. At time of writing (PM on Sun Dec 19) the wind is howling in from Mt Dromedary to the North, thunder and lightning is all about and when the wind swings with this storm front [now the rain is pelting down and out through the companionway with visibility is down to metres], by Monday this nasty cell of weather will produce heavy gale conditions off Gabo, screaming in from the South West to 50 – 60 knots! Yes we will be waiting here until conditions improve, and the series of fronts that have dominated the weather over the last 10 days or so are finally replaced by a high pressure pattern bringing more stable conditions from the west.
Calista is just in front of the big shed !
As the winds switched from point to point on the quadrant, and poring over the BOM and other weather sites brought little joy – we need a stable 48 hours of weather to make it around Gabo and through to Wilsons Promontory – we occupied our time with an endless list of things to do on board, enjoying the delights of this coastal locale, and trying to do a range of things to keep us in shape for the long passages at sea that lie ahead.
The Fisherman's Coop Fish & Chip Shop ( On my way to the local IGA )
As the winds switched from point to point on the quadrant, and poring over the BOM and other weather sites brought little joy – we need a stable 48 hours of weather to make it around Gabo and through to Wilsons Promontory – we occupied our time with an endless list of things to do on board, enjoying the delights of this coastal locale, and trying to do a range of things to keep us in shape for the long passages at sea that lie ahead.
The Fisherman's Coop Fish & Chip Shop ( On my way to the local IGA )Although we had visited Bermagui many years ago, we had little information on the harbour and town before we found our way along the breakwater and tied up [the changeability of the weather is underlined by the fact that, outside, now we have an eerie calm as the black curtain of the passing storm flashes and grumbles itself away to the East] snugly in the row of charter boats that are found on the western side of the harbour. With shore power, water and marvellous facilities ashore, all for $20 a day, we have fallen on our deck shoes so to speak. The Bermagui Harbour has seen some challenges and changes in recent times, with the number of professional fishing boats operating from here down from 12 to three, but at the same time the redevelopment of the harbour by the Fishing Cooperative has seen the building of an impressive two story multi-purpose facility, named The Fishermen’s Wharf, which nowcommands pride of place overlooking the harbour. The imposing façade, featuring stout forest logs and beams in sympathy with the nearby wharf infrastructure is a marvellous addition to both the marina and the town, and locals are justifiably proud of it. Its Cafés, restaurants, browsy shops, and a first rate fish and chippery sit nicely alongside the fish and seafood processor and the friendly administrative centre of the Harbour.
Downtown Bermagui... the local pub and far left..."Miracles by the Sea."In port here with evening approaching, we are able to select an offering from the ship’s cellar, modestly stocked though it is, and stroll to the Thai restaurant just 50 metres away. It holds a Harbour Master like view over the port, to the breakwater, and beyond. For herself to indulge in a local prawn, selected vegetable and green curry delight, whilst your bloggist swooned over a Padang beef curry, as soft hues embraced the marina without and a golden honey moon rose over the headland, is hardly being marooned. With an inner glow, to walk back to our ship via the harbour wharves, where by night or day there are always things to see, has one thinking kindly of life at “Bermi”. It was a nice way for Cookie to conclude her birthday.
My amazing present...a globe I loved at Sapien Arts made of inlaid precious stones to help me plan our next trip!About the only drawback that we faced in relation to our practical needs was that the commercial nature of the port made it difficult for us to fill our fuel containers, because the nozzles are too big for the apertures. Help was immediately at hand though when the bloke at the local slipway suggested that we might head to the nearby “servo” just down the road, and if transport was a problem “there are a couple of ‘utes out the back, and the keys are in ‘em – just make sure the dog doesn’t follow”. This was typical Bermi, and typical of the people who live here. We did not bother to remove the keys from Calista either.
A walk along the little marina finger takes us past the game fishing boats, which are all being spruced up for the summer season to come. When the tourists flood in they will head for waters out from Montague Island, and at about the 100 fathom mark they will be chasing the adrenaline of billfish fishing that has drawn the experts and the hopefuls from around the globe since the famous Zane Grey fishing excursion here in the 1930’s introduced Bermi to the world. Combining testosterone and stainless hooks is now big business in these parts.
With the waft of brewed coffee, fresh fish cooked crunchy and golden from the griddle, and the aromas of the wok making passage a challenge past the “Co-op” a challenge it is but a short stroll into town. Across the road is the popular Bermagui Country Club where one can join the white shoe brigade with bowls or croquet out the front or tackle the 18hole “Championship Layout” on the links out the back toward the hill overlooking town. If it is Saturday the path into town passes the “G”, the Berma”G”ui Main Oval, where flannelled youngsters are bowling and batting their hearts out, with patrons outside the local café’s and bakery having a full view of it all from over the slog sweep boundary. The charm of the marina precinct blends with the oldie-worldy retail zone that spreads in a linear fashion up the hill and overlooking the park to the sea.
Colin in search of a "Miracle!"
At the end of the main street, just past the pub sits a hairdressing salon tagged optimistically “Miracles by the Sea”, and with your bloggist these days requiring events of this nature in respect of coiffure, it was a place of immediate focus. The view from the lounge in “Miracles” is worth the entry fee with the grandeur of the local coast line in full display through the shop front window, leaving the regulation Womens Weekly and New Ideas of the wait area thinly thumbed by your crew. Amy the cheery apprentice at Miracles tells us that it was scissors and foil down for all just recently when a pod of Humpback Whales were cavorting in the bay, and brought styling in the salon to a standstill, and emptied the shops all down the main street. Only the pub with its balcony and bay views suffered no dip in trade. In days of yore tourists embarked green of gills off the Steamer from Sydney, heading for restorative processes in the Guest House formerly above "Miracles"or at the licenced premisis next door. Probably the latter was favoured.
Colin relaxing at Horseshoe Bay!
Across the park the new facilities of the Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club commands a premier position over the town swimming beach, just opposite the main street. Our home is at Port Elliot, in SA, with its Horseshoe Bay, girdle of Norfolk Island Pines, and commitment to remembering the fallen in the Anzac Gardens cradling the foreshore, and at Bermagui we found ourselves in uncannily familiar surrounds. Bermi’s Horseshoe Bay is a carbon copy with Surf Club, pines, sheltered swimming beach, and memorial overlooking the bay making us feel easily at home. Even the chill of the water was familiar, if not exactly welcome. There are also Horseshore Bays at Bowen and on Magnetic Island, but Bermi and Port Elliot are bays in a pod.
A bodysurf at Horseshoe Bay. Brrr! Not sure about the cold water.
Connecting the town, harbour and river are a series of walking trails that allow creativity in ambles for both discovery and wellbeing. One of the trails leads to the headlands and beaches to the South of the town where some inventive souls, many years ago, constructed some retainment walls alongside the roaring ocean and created the town’s famous “Blue Pool”. It has recently undergone a complete makeover, and will now provide a unique swimming experience for years to come. One of our first walks over the headlands led us to the Blue Pool where signage warns against swimming in heavy swells where waves can sweep into the pool, although we felt that other notices should warn mariners recently arriving from tropical climes that the water is passing crisp! On one occasion whilst in the middle of some laps at the pool, a roar and a crash from without was a precursor to the pool being turned into a white and tossing spa, with two surf attuned visitors heading for the bottom to escape the churn. What a hoot.
Connecting the town, harbour and river are a series of walking trails that allow creativity in ambles for both discovery and wellbeing. One of the trails leads to the headlands and beaches to the South of the town where some inventive souls, many years ago, constructed some retainment walls alongside the roaring ocean and created the town’s famous “Blue Pool”. It has recently undergone a complete makeover, and will now provide a unique swimming experience for years to come. One of our first walks over the headlands led us to the Blue Pool where signage warns against swimming in heavy swells where waves can sweep into the pool, although we felt that other notices should warn mariners recently arriving from tropical climes that the water is passing crisp! On one occasion whilst in the middle of some laps at the pool, a roar and a crash from without was a precursor to the pool being turned into a white and tossing spa, with two surf attuned visitors heading for the bottom to escape the churn. What a hoot.
The amazing ocean pool ... "The Blue Pool " We returned for a few laps!Information at the local Visitor Centre led us to a full day walk to Wallaga Lake and Camel Rock via beaches, bushlands, wetlands, gold diggings and headlands to the north. Although signage was vague in places, we eventually emerged at the Wallaga mouth with some nice pics of coastal vistas but no precious metal. Our return to Bermagui to conclude our 20kn hike saw us eschew the paths through the scrub in favour of the beach trudge along Hayward’s and Moorehead’s Beaches, and although we concluded the endeavour a little leg weary, supping on a milkshake at the River Rock Café, on the outskirts of town, we agreed that it had been a great thing to do.
The mouth of Wallaga Lake and windswept beaches.
The view from the clifftop walking track.What’s more, at the River Rock, we were taken by the cosy friendliness of the venue and the notices on the door promoting gourmet pizzas, and Tex-Mex offerings on their Friday Night jam session where local musicians dropped in to do their thing. A couple of nights later with weather still keeping us in port, we found ourself settling in at the RR for a marvellous evening of fine food, fair prices, and music pleasing to the ear. It was a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of people watching on offer as “the regular crowd shuffled in”. Typical of the night was mine host Jackie who abandoned her apron and burrito construction for a time, and with deft fingers on the sharps and flats and a husky voice to boot, knocked out an admirable selection from the Beatles White Album. We left when the muso’s had strummed themselves into submission, probably in favour of “forest products” at darkened tables outside, and we had quaffed ourselves into torpidity!
Jacky & fellow musicians entertain us at the River Rock Cafe.
Emboldened by our Wallaga wander, we investigated possibilities further afield and with rental cars in short supply, we resolved to catch the Eden-Sydney morning bus service and embark at Dalmeny some 40kn to the north before tramping along the coastal walk leading some 8kms down to Narooma. This time we had a more convincing map to follow, and we settled in to some charming scenery as the Sydney service took us past historic Tilba Tilba in the shadows of Mt Dromedery, and along the coast to Dalmeney. The walk on a concrete path is a credit to the local groups who have constructed it in recent years and is justifiably popular with walkers, runners, skaties, cyclists and the like. The coastal scenery as headlands and beaches unfold is superb, and the only thing that puzzled us was the pristine beach about mid-journey that had signs warning of toxic impediments to swimming. Later at the Narooma visitor’s centre we found that in a recent storm the local waste facility upstream of the beach had taken a direct hit from lightning and there were fears that some visually impaired mullet might have escaped to join their scaled “cousins” in the nearby surf. We chuckled at this compared with the extract of Sydney that gets pumped out daily into the nearby seas.
A lookout on our walk to Narooma , the Narooma headland in the far distance.
A most excellent day was concluded on a range of paths that grace the coastal town of Narooma, its river, lake, and yet more beaches and headlands. There were lots of things to browse on in the centre of town and the Golf Course with its stunning panorama across to Montague Island had to be seen to be appreciated.
Back in Bermi a storm the following night underlined the fickle nature of the weather and the growing frustration that we were feeling about our need to move on as soon as we could. We had concluded an early evening walk with an “Independence Day” like cloud gathering in the west, and flashing ominously with lightning. Back on board the arrival of the cataclysm was heralded by what sounded like gravel being strewn on our coach house. Hail! Soon a clattering on board, and heavy sploshes like golf balls falling into a water hazard, had us scrambling to look outside and then to see if we could get a cover on our solar panels. Then Calista lurched as the gale gripped our mast, and rain and a heavy squall whipped the marina into a frenzy. Lightning fell about like shelling on the Western Front. Twenty minutes later the tempest was gone, with angry flashes heading out to sea, and us feeling grateful that we were safe in the Bermagui Marina. Next day with debris floating about, I shared with a guy on the wharf how we’d been concerned about lightning hitting our yacht whereupon he turned to me saying “have you ever played golf?” “Yes” I declared, “but how would that help?” “Well” said he with a glint, “next time you see a storm coming, hoist a one-iron to the top of your mast”. Seeing my puzzled look he explained… “not even God could hit a one iron” (!)
What a great family.. Alex, Suzy, Aidan & Jack visiting us at the Marina.
On the beach at the Nipper carnival with the Jindabyne Yabbies in their Port Power Colours!
We have noted the wonderful people that we have met on our journey, and now on email and on the phone we stayed in touch with a number of them. Neville rang from New Zealand and Cran counselled us to be patient in waiting for better weather before heading south. In the harbour here we met Karl off Watermark, and Martin and Kerry of the 37’steel Roberts yacht, Jallina a few pens closer to the Wharf. Knowing that Alex and Suzy off Nyora who we had not seen since Townsville, lived in Jindabyne, inland from us in the mountains, we gave them a call. Their boys Aidan and Jack are members of the Jindabyne Yabbies, and by chance they were headed to Bermi for a “Nipper” Surf Carnival. In the end, they stayed for the weekend and it was great to re-connect, and to meet the rest of the Yabbies, both undersized and legal. We noshed again at the Asian Restaurant, before sending them back to the hills (where it had been snowing!) and us looking carefully at a patch of better weather that held some promise for later in the week. It seemed that after two weeks at the wonderful Bermagui, we were soon to be on our way. If the weather forecast holds, we should be in Bass Strait on Christmas Day, making for Wilsons Promontory. We hope that the gent on the bike below does deliveries out at sea!
Emboldened by our Wallaga wander, we investigated possibilities further afield and with rental cars in short supply, we resolved to catch the Eden-Sydney morning bus service and embark at Dalmeny some 40kn to the north before tramping along the coastal walk leading some 8kms down to Narooma. This time we had a more convincing map to follow, and we settled in to some charming scenery as the Sydney service took us past historic Tilba Tilba in the shadows of Mt Dromedery, and along the coast to Dalmeney. The walk on a concrete path is a credit to the local groups who have constructed it in recent years and is justifiably popular with walkers, runners, skaties, cyclists and the like. The coastal scenery as headlands and beaches unfold is superb, and the only thing that puzzled us was the pristine beach about mid-journey that had signs warning of toxic impediments to swimming. Later at the Narooma visitor’s centre we found that in a recent storm the local waste facility upstream of the beach had taken a direct hit from lightning and there were fears that some visually impaired mullet might have escaped to join their scaled “cousins” in the nearby surf. We chuckled at this compared with the extract of Sydney that gets pumped out daily into the nearby seas.
A lookout on our walk to Narooma , the Narooma headland in the far distance.A most excellent day was concluded on a range of paths that grace the coastal town of Narooma, its river, lake, and yet more beaches and headlands. There were lots of things to browse on in the centre of town and the Golf Course with its stunning panorama across to Montague Island had to be seen to be appreciated.
Back in Bermi a storm the following night underlined the fickle nature of the weather and the growing frustration that we were feeling about our need to move on as soon as we could. We had concluded an early evening walk with an “Independence Day” like cloud gathering in the west, and flashing ominously with lightning. Back on board the arrival of the cataclysm was heralded by what sounded like gravel being strewn on our coach house. Hail! Soon a clattering on board, and heavy sploshes like golf balls falling into a water hazard, had us scrambling to look outside and then to see if we could get a cover on our solar panels. Then Calista lurched as the gale gripped our mast, and rain and a heavy squall whipped the marina into a frenzy. Lightning fell about like shelling on the Western Front. Twenty minutes later the tempest was gone, with angry flashes heading out to sea, and us feeling grateful that we were safe in the Bermagui Marina. Next day with debris floating about, I shared with a guy on the wharf how we’d been concerned about lightning hitting our yacht whereupon he turned to me saying “have you ever played golf?” “Yes” I declared, “but how would that help?” “Well” said he with a glint, “next time you see a storm coming, hoist a one-iron to the top of your mast”. Seeing my puzzled look he explained… “not even God could hit a one iron” (!)
What a great family.. Alex, Suzy, Aidan & Jack visiting us at the Marina. On the beach at the Nipper carnival with the Jindabyne Yabbies in their Port Power Colours!We have noted the wonderful people that we have met on our journey, and now on email and on the phone we stayed in touch with a number of them. Neville rang from New Zealand and Cran counselled us to be patient in waiting for better weather before heading south. In the harbour here we met Karl off Watermark, and Martin and Kerry of the 37’steel Roberts yacht, Jallina a few pens closer to the Wharf. Knowing that Alex and Suzy off Nyora who we had not seen since Townsville, lived in Jindabyne, inland from us in the mountains, we gave them a call. Their boys Aidan and Jack are members of the Jindabyne Yabbies, and by chance they were headed to Bermi for a “Nipper” Surf Carnival. In the end, they stayed for the weekend and it was great to re-connect, and to meet the rest of the Yabbies, both undersized and legal. We noshed again at the Asian Restaurant, before sending them back to the hills (where it had been snowing!) and us looking carefully at a patch of better weather that held some promise for later in the week. It seemed that after two weeks at the wonderful Bermagui, we were soon to be on our way. If the weather forecast holds, we should be in Bass Strait on Christmas Day, making for Wilsons Promontory. We hope that the gent on the bike below does deliveries out at sea!
We watched the fireworks at the River Rock Cafe on New Years Eve 2011-2012 and enjoyed the live music drinks and chats. Thanks to Jacky and Matt.
ReplyDeleteWhat great ambience.