ALBATROSS ISLAND
XMAS '87

We camped at Denium Hill late on the 27th Dec, apart from Kamikaze who only lives a short drive away and arrived the next morning. High tide was about 0730 so we left just after 0600 and headed straight across for the end of Woolnorth Point, via Harcus and Short Island where it is pleasing to notice groups of pelicans frequenting the area. We seem to be getting better at remembering where the shallow spots and sand bars are as we did not hit bottom at all on the way across, and made use of a light to fresh SW wind to sail all the way. The tide was pouring out past Woolnorth and we spent a while ferry-gliding near the remains of the Collarboy. It was just possible to make progress against the current but you wouldn't have gone very far, the speed of the current was probably about 6 or 7 knots.

Our original plan called for us to camp down the coast near the Doughboys so Cec could climb them, but as she had to forgo the trip due to an ear operation a few days previously this was no longer a priority. Just as well, because as we bashed our way down the outside of Woolnorth Point towards Cape Grim Grant found his wrist starting to play up. We were already in Davidsons Bay, only 2 km short of the Doughboys, so elected to stop there and walk down the coast for a few photographs. This is a very sheltered bay in most weather and the walk down the coastline to the Doughboys and Cape Grim is quite spectacular and well worth a visit when in this area. As we neared Cape Grim we climbed inland and upwards to visit the Fresh Air Station and were extremely fortunate to find one of the staff just visiting for a few minutes, although he was on holidays. He (Bruce) showed us around and we found it most enlightening and far more involved and interesting than one would have imagined. He showed us graphs indicating particle conditions under different wind directions and it was fascinating to see they could easily detect pollution from Melbourne during northerly weather. The station takes 'real' fresh air measurements under SW wind conditions and then only when the particle count is somewhere about 300 parts per million (or was that billion?). Anyway, they have what they call 'Baseline' conditions to take real measurements under and they get this about 60% of the year. Toby was very impressed to find they do not change to Summer time, but continue on Eastern Standard Time - he plans to put in for a job there when he gives up plumbing. As a sideline we found out the wind strength we had been paddling in was 64km SW.

We returned to Davidson Bay in a fairly direct route across the paddocks much to Kamikaze's dismay as we had to cross several electric fences. They were so far from the homestead that the current was barely enough to give us a tingle but it appears Kamikaze has had a nasty experience once before and wasn't going to touch another one. We were doubled up in laughter watching her attempt to get over the first one and eventually had to pick her up and lift her over or she would have been there all night. The next couple of fences were just as hilarious watching her pass her camera and spare clothing over so as to get a good run up to jump over, only to stop short each time till we finally took pity on her and lifted her over each one.

On arriving back at Davidson Bay we looked around for somewhere to camp but at first glance it wasn't great at the western end where we were, but Kamikaze and Jeff put their tents up on a flat grassy area near the point while Grant and Mac erected tent flys near the kayaks. I started off on the grassy area but later on found a very sheltered spot in amongst some thick tea-tree and shifted camp, paddling my kayak along to the other end of the beach. The others were disinclined to move so stayed put, but I was pleased to locate such a good site as it makes it easier in the future to slog down this coast knowing there is a great place to camp when you arrive. This makes 8 really first class sheltered camp sites in the Robbins/Three Hummock/Hunter area with none of them more than an hour or two away from one of the others.

Still 'baseline' conditions the next day so instead of going up the western side of Hunter as intended we chose to visit Trefoil Island for an hour or so and then run up the eastern side of Hunter to Cave Bay and then on to camp at Shepherds Bay. Kamikaze had a couple of goes at packing her tent up but couldn't understand why it was so bulky and wouldn’t fit in its bag till finally unfolding it completely and removing her buoyancy vest from inside. The seas between Davidsons Bay and Trefoil were getting towards the big size and provided some lively moments before pulling in to a sheltered spot on the eastern corner of Trefoil Island. I heard some yells of excitement behind me at one stage and found out later that Mac had copped a big one and just had his head and paddle poking out the top of the foam for a second or two.

Grant and Kamikaze hadn't visited Trefoil before and were absolutely amazed, and disgusted, at the pigsty conditions the houses were in. It is unbelievable that human beings could choose to live in these conditions - gallons of disinfectant and paint may just fix it up but it was suggested a good fire would work wonders. Later on in the trip we discovered that about 90 people live there while mutton birding. Kamikaze has sworn never to eat muttonbird again.

From here we sailed across round the bottom of Hunter Island and up the coast to Cave Bay, leaving Stack Island for a possible visit on the way back. So far in two days we had only had a short 2km paddle from Woolnorth Point to Davidson Bay with a head wind. The wind veered up the eastern shore of Hunter allowing us to sail all the way to Cave Bay at quite a good speed. Rick Lawrence (the new lessee of Hunter Island) and his hired hand Owen (or Rowan?) were using a tractor to pull huge logs from the old jetty to take up to the homestead for a new bridge. They were surprised to see us and but made us feel welcome, at the same time pointing out that shooters are not, and I got the feeling that he does place a fair value on his privacy (as do the Allistons on Three Hummock Island).

After changing into dry clothes (the third time today) we had lunch near the slipway and then clambered around the rocks to inspect the very old aboriginal cave, leaving Kamikaze to sleep off a migraine. The cave is definitely worth a visit, and the view from such a height above the water is an added bonus - the water being beautifully clear and blue. After continuing up the cliff we returned over the headland to find Kamikaze had woken feeling fully recovered so I guided her around to the cave while the rest took advantage of Rick's offer of a cup of coffee up at the homestead.

Kamikaze and I arrived later to find a very subdued group. When they had all arrived at the homestead they had discovered Rick's 85 year old father lying on the kitchen floor with a profusely bleeding headwound. He had apparently been attempting to chop some fire wood (against orders) and had fallen badly - but managed to drag himself inside. Rick had already phoned for a plane and also warned the ambulance to be ready to pick them up at the Smithton airfield. Transport on the island consisted of a tractor and trailer, a motor bike, and an old Kombi that wasn't actually going. Grant and Owen went out to attack the Kombi and got it going well before the plane arrived, when we sat Rick's father in a lounge chair and carried him out to the back of the Kombi, and Mac and I steadied the chair while Owen drove to the airfield. Rick went off on the motorbike to let the pilot know we were coming, and Toby, Jeff and Kamikaze followed on foot. Rick and Owen took overnight bags with them and a short time later we were left on the island by ourselves.

Back on the beach once more we left for Shepherds Bay late in the afternoon and arrived there less than an hour later, sailing all the way again. Here my memory served me correctly and I located the excellent campsite we had used about 6 years ago on an Easter trip. This is surrounded by tea-trees and is an all weather site, but there was no indication it had been used in the preceding years.

The forecast for our third day was for light east to north-east winds, freshening later in the day. This appeared reasonable for visiting Albatross Island so with an early start we cruised north along the shore to Cape Keraudren and then sailed straight across to Albatross Island with a following wind, and the tide flowing from right to left. This caused for a slight amount of nervousness as across on our left we could see gigantic breakers crashing over Dangerous Bank. This is very spectacular with a good SW swell but not an area for learning to surf - it being very hard to surf on fibreglass splinters - which is about all you'd have left after the first wave.

At Albatross Island it was very choppy in close due to the sheer cliffs and the rebounding waves, and we found the tide was next to impossible to paddle against, as it flowed from north to south straight down the island. We very gradually made headway along the island and were just nearing the northern end when we noticed a two-masted fishing boat approaching. It disappeared into a little bay right at the northern end and proceeded to drop anchor very close inshore - a very strange place we thought, with the onshore seas and wind. It reared and bucked at the end of it's anchor rope as we made our way into the inlet and the skipper (wearing a lifejacket) put a dinghy over the side. 'Stranger and stranger' I thought, and then saw the two figures standing on the rocky shore with piles of gear. Obviously someone doing a head count of the albatrosses during the hatching season. I managed to get the Sea Leopard ashore on the rocks and the young man helped to lift it up out of harms way, saving me the necessity of having to empty some gear out to be able to carry it by myself. The dinghy arrived, bouncing up and down, and the young man climbed in after throwing a fair bit of gear in first. The rest of the kayaks came in one at a time and were lifted clear, this becoming easier and easier the more people we got ashore. When the dinghy returned for Rosemary I stood waist deep in water (always the gentleman) and kept it off the rocks while she loaded the rest of the gear, including herself. The fishing boat lost no time in getting it's anchor up and we were alone again.

This was getting to be a bit of a habit - we arrive at the Fresh Air Station and the fellow leaves almost as soon as we get there, we arrive on Hunter Island and the whole population ups and leaves, and now again the residents of Albatross Island leave the moment we arrive. Still, we had come to see the non-human residents, and these were much more amenable to us - letting us come within a couple of feet of their nests without moving. Walking up from the kayaks through the great long cave that ran half the length of the island was interesting enough, but the huge number of fluffy white albatross chicks was the highlight of the trip. The albatross (SHY or WHITE-CAPPED ALBATROSS) nests on small round mud nest about the size of a dinner plate and about six inches high. Sitting on these were large albatrosses with seemingly very severe expressions on their faces, and peeping out underneath were the cutest little chicks you've ever seen. (Estimated population of nestlings in 1960 was 700, in 1973 was 1450). Cameras were clicking madly as we took a record of this seldom experienced setting - we really could have stayed all day. Also of interest were the adults as they swooped in for a landing on the edge of the cliffs, making a sound like a low flying glider as they whooshed overhead, with their feet spread out as air-brakes, and neatly dropping down vertically at the last second.

But we were only stopping for a couple of hours and then heading off to Cuvier Bay, and hopefully down the western side of Hunter via Steep and Bird Islands the next day. The cave on Albatross would house hundreds of stranded sea canoeists if necessary and was quite dry inside. Originally it would have gone from the northern end of the island to the centre of the island but has collapsed at the 'Gulch' and broken the cave into two separate sections. It is about 10 metres wide, 6 metres high, and each section probably 40 to 50 metres long.

One by one we launched the kayaks back into the choppy inlet and headed off for Hunter Island. It was only 14km away but the wind had freshened as predicted and we certainly knew it. For a while it was almost possible to paddle side on to the seas rather than punch into them but then as we got closer to Cuvier Bay the wind veered around more easterly and it became a straight slog into the waves and wind. Grant had slipped and fallen on his sore wrist when we were at Cave Bay and it was now rather painful and his speed fell right off to next to nothing but about three hours later we pulled ashore just to the west of Cuvier Point. Some of us did - some were further off shore and didn't see where the first two had landed till after they'd gone too far, and landed round the point. We stayed here for an hour or so before deciding to push onto the head of the bay and look for a campsite. Mac had to tow Grant a km across here and we promptly looked for a campsite suitable for a protracted stay of at least two nights. The last little bay produced a magnificent sheltered site amongst more tea-trees, with just a small amount of clearing away of fallen timber necessary. This stop-over let people fully unload their kayaks for the first time and as it was New Years Eve the next day it was appropriate to get out our luxuries to celebrate.

My initial thought now was to abandon the trip and make our way back round the eastern side of Hunter Island and back to Woolnorth, towing Grant. However, during the night I thought that if we could get his kayak across to Cave Bay by tractor ? trailer we could leave him there for a few days while we continued on around Three Hummock and picked him up on the way past going home. This depended on whether Rick and Owen were back but I assumed they were, as there were three dogs to feed; and also depended on getting Grant's kayak to where it could be easily picked up - which wasn't where we were at present. So the morning of New Years Eve I set off along the shore towards the lighthouse, knowing that the road went out there. This was easier said than done and included a steep climb over one of the headlands, and upon arriving at the lighthouse I then spent about 2 hours walking all around the vicinity looking for the easiest access from the coast to carry a loaded kayak. Having decided this I then walked across the island to the homestead and eventually found Rick and Owen as they returned from timber gathering on the beach at Cave Bay. The bridge was all but finished and only required a bit more decking and they called a halt for lunch. I learned that Rick's father was not at all well and had been transferred to Launceston for a CAT scan amongst other things. Apparently they suspected a fractured skull as well as the two top vertebra. He had seemed quite bright when we took him to the airfield in the Kombi, even recognising Kamikaze as a girl, but had deteriorated since then. I explained our position and said we could cope by ourselves but it would make things easier if they could pick up Grant and his kayak at the lighthouse after lunch the next day, and this they readily agreed to do.

Back in Cuvier Bay I found most people had sunbaked or lain around for most of the day. That night we held our club meeting but closed it early due to a sudden downpour while celebrating with various refreshments around the camp fire after dark. (Even so, we decided it was a much better New Years Eve than last year - THEN we were halfway across to Deal Island from Flinders Island, and took 13 hours after having already paddled for 6 hours that same day - still, it seemed like a good idea at the time!)

It rained quite heavily and steadily all night and looked like being a miserable day but about 0800 it turned off like a tap and the sky cleared to blue all over. We towed Grant around to the bay closest to the lighthouse and carried all his gear up first, it being much easier than people anticipated. Then we returned and carried the empty kayak up and left him to wait for Owen while we headed off under sail before the light SW wind towards Cape Keraudren.

I hadn't planned to be there much before 1400 when the tide was due to turn and flow east but we arrived a bit after 1200 and kept going around the point. At first it looked dead easy to sneak along close to shore out of the current but then suddenly we had to get into it to get past a large rock. Wowee, we went backwards at a great rate before putting in some desperate paddling to make any forward progress, helped by the huge steep waves running against the current. It felt great trying to catch the waves, and cutting through the water at about 8 knots - till you kept an eye on the rock we were trying to get past - at times it seemed to be beating us. Gradually we made it and got out of most of the current again and crawled along in close to the rocky shore, keeping an eye out for Kamikaze who was still battling the tide, and privately thinking she may end up out at sea again. Still, she does allright for a girl, and got past the rock eventually. The sea across towards Three Hummock Island was pretty big and obviously was impossible with the tide that was running, and it was about now that Mac mentioned he may join Grant as his wrist was also starting to feel slightly tender. Toby came alongside and mentioned that the bolt through his foot-rest had just broken or fallen out so we headed for Shepherds Bay, but found a landing place before we got there and went ashore for lunch and repaired Toby's foot-rest - a new 3/16 bolt was all that it required. Having achieved our major objective of reaching Albatross Island we called the trip off and planned to spend the night at Shepherds Bay before continuing down the coast, collecting Grant on the way.

It was a beautiful warm sunny day and after chatting to the crew of a yacht anchored in Shepherds Bay we spread all our damp paddling gear over the rocks above the high tide mark and sunbaked ourselves as well. I jokingly suggested that if anybody was up early in the morning and ready before the rest of us they could nip down to Cave Bay and start Grant packing. He wasn't expecting us for another three days and would obviously have everything out of his kayak.

At five the next morning I saw Toby packing his sleeping bag and he was gone by quarter past. We followed at a much more civilised hour, like eight, and found that Grant was almost ready to go. Despite Kamikaze claiming it nearly always blows NW we had baseline conditions again but towed Grant easily down to the vicinity of Stack Island, where we checked out the shack on Hunter Island that we had noticed on our way past a few days ago. Fortunately it was not locked and we decided to use it temporarily for the night. The tide was all wrong for getting back to the cars today and we would have arrived on a fast falling tide. The shack is only partly lined inside but will be a very nice establishment when finished, and will have it's own generator for power as it is being wired for 240V. Another building houses a partly built freezer, with a large roll of CSM ready to finish glassing the inside. The shack is built right in the middle of a mutton bird rookery as we found out during the night. The noise was tremendous, with penguins adding their bit as well, and bodies could be heard thumping around under the house all night. We actually arrived here about lunch time so had another very leisurely day playing cards, reading, and just snoozing. It was well furnished and we were very comfortable.

Left about eight the next morning and sailed all the way across to Kangaroo Island without having to tow Grant, arriving about mid-tide. Had a quick look at the camp site here and then sat in our kayaks for about 15 minutes while the tide rose around us. When we floated clear it was another easy sail across to Denium Hill weaving about slightly to avoid the few sand banks still above water.

Back in the Bridge Hotel at Smithton for a counter lunch, finishing a very pleasant and easy trip, even if it was a few days shorter than expected. This area certainly lived up to my expectations - it is always enjoyable to paddle around here, the more so because the access is so easy - it is only a mere 4km from Woolnorth Point to Hunter Island.