Freedom and Adventure: Arriving in Australia
by Andrew & Clare Payne 30 Oct 2022 22:22 UTC
Home at Last
Well dear friends, we arrived in Australia from New Caledonia a week ago. We had a very good six day trip, mostly sailing on a broad reach in slight seas. We left Noumea on Saturday 15th October knowing that we needed to arrive in Bundaberg by Friday night 21st before the forecast strong opposing winds and rain. As it turned out we arrived early Friday morning in plenty of time and with a nice yellow fin tuna caught on the last day. Our sailing friends Liam and Annie on Gone with the Wind arrived soon after.
Freedom & Adventure
So this completes sixteen years of cruising overseas. We have travelled 49 thousand sea miles and visited 51 countries. What a wonderful experience seeing both the lifestyles from the very rich to the very poor. We have learnt a lot about other people and probably even more about ourselves. It has been both a privilege and a humbling experience. Fortunately we were lucky enough over the years, to share many of our adventures with family and friends visiting Eye Candy for holidays. Our thanks to you all.
The Officials
When first arriving we were directed to the quarantine dock. This is a locked area on the wharf where we stayed until Customs, Immigration and Bio Security Officials came to the boat. We were not allowed off the boat and no one was allowed onboard until we were finally cleared into Australia.
All the Officials were very nice and very thorough. The Bio Security lady checked all food stuff being brought into the country and then she did an inspection of the boat for bugs. All wood on the boat was looked at carefully. She opened cupboards and lockers and even crawled around on the floor with a torch looking along the edges of the floorboards and in every nook and cranny. She found one little bug, sealed it in a plastic tube and took it away for analysis. She wasn't too concerned about it and described the bug as a hitch-hiker. Could have come on the boat yesterday, she said. We had cleaned and washed our vacuum cleaner, which she inspected. If there was dust in the vacuum cleaner she would have bagged it and taken it away. We were very impressed and glad to know that Bio Security is protecting our country against any unwanted bugs.
Since arriving we have had Eye Candy valued. Because Eye Candy has not been to Australia before we must import her and pay 10% GST and 5% Import Duty. This process takes about a week to 10 days to complete. Until then Eye Candy has to stay in the harbour of Bundaberg.
Good Friends
Our arrival into Australia was enriched by our friends Colin and Denise flying up from Sydney to join in our celebration. Yes, it was patently clear by their smiling faces that we had arrived in Australia and not just another destination. We spent a few days together, popped a champagne cork and had a celebratory dinner. We even managed a trip to the Bundy Rum Distillery to stock up on their boutique liqueurs. We introduced Annie and Liam to Col and Denise and the six of us had a great night out to dinner exchanging sailing stories. We found we had a lot in common, not surprising.
So What Next
We will slowly make our way south to Sydney. We hope to spend Christmas and New Year on Eye Candy on Sydney Harbour catching up with family and friends. As we have now completed our goal and arrived in Australia, this is our last newsletter, it is definitely time for me to Blog Off. We hope you have enjoyed sharing our travels and thank you for keeping us company along the way.
So stay safe and our love to all.
This article has been provided courtesy of the Freedom and Adventure.