We are in Port Stephens, which is a bigger harbour than Sydney Harbour so it is huge. There are all sorts of little towns built up along the south side and I think this is Sydney’s playground. There are all sorts of holiday homes along the shores as well as about 5 small marinas scattered along the shores. We had a terrific sail from Laurieton to here, we had 72 nm, as the crow flies, to sail in a day so we needed good winds to get here in daylight. It took us exactly12 hours which means an average speed of 6 knots, although I would guess it was faster, we were flying. I had to suggest to Barry at one point that we should take in some genoa because it felt like we were on the edge to getting out of control. We just entered the headland and anchored just around the corner as the sun was setting, perfect timing.

We went over to Nelson Bay on the south shore and picked up a courtesy mooring. What a concept, you are allowed to stay for free on these moorings for 24 hours, so we did just that. We bought some fresh fruits and veggies and wandered around town taking in he sites. We headed further into Port Stephens to a spot called Fame Cove. It is almost a hurricane hole, a great anchorage, protection from every direction. We picked up another courtesy mooring. The cicadas are very loud giving off a high pitched noise which rises and falls all day although they seem to stop at night. There is no development in the cove so you feel as if you are in the wild. It is the weekend and small power boats keep coming and going all day, people stopping for lunch, supper or just a swim with the family. There was a spot on shore where there was a fire pit so I will see if I can convince Barry we ought to have a fire tonight that would be fun.

I want to explore the other side of the harbour where it says there are koala bears, I am on a mission to spot one in the wild! We will stay here until the winds stop blowing from the south and then sail down to Broken Bay, just north of Sydney, which is where the Hawkesbury River empties into the Pacific.