Hilary harbour, west Coast Australia

On from there we made Hilarys Harbour Marina and third time lucky found a rigger to repair our wounded yacht. He checked all the rigging and changed the lower aft shrouds from 8 to 10 mil. After one week we we're off again amongst the ever present whales. Stops at Mandurah, Bunbury, Quindalup, and Hamlin Bay.
We had met a solo launch heading the same way so we moved along together. At Hamlin Bay it was a wait for conditions to get around the southern cape. Eventually it was a go...so around to Albany. We anchored out by an old whaling station. whaling only ceased Australia in 1987 !!!!!
Next day we moved closer to the town. An old wharf is inside the breakwater, so we tied there for the weekend. Come Monday an official told us we would have to pay $AUS 7.50 per metre. that's $AUS700 per week.!!!!.....we could rent a house for half of that.
Our launch friend was at anchor in another bay, so we headed there. The entrance was shallow and narrow. With winds up tp 30knots, made things a little tense until at anchor :)
In this bay is an island now a bird sanctuary . In the early days local grew the vegetables here as it was safe from the rabbits. pelicans with their huge beaks and large bodies seem so ungainly. but in flight they ar so very graceful. Their flight is a mixture of slow wing flapping and gliding.....great to watch. At a fishing wharf here our friend took on 1200l of diesel, by tanker...and we filled containers with 100 litres. Prices vary considerably t ports. marinas charged up to .20cents a litre more than pump prices...but here was our best buy so far.
Our next sail was a 900 mile run across the AUSTRALIAN BIGHT.
We left behind a low so seas were a little boisterous at first, but we often exceed 9knot boat speed. Nights we were usually light winds, with our speed dropping at time to under three knots. After 962 nautical miles we anchored in a desolate bay for the evening...a couplemof day hopes and on to Victor Harbour. Our friend went into Coffin Bay and will stay there a while.
The leaking water pump on the genset was now putting more water in the bilge than out the exhaust. A bus ride to Goolwa and at the third chandlery , where owner Murray spent an age endeavouring to help us.
On the way across the BIGHT our haliyard again broke dumping our gennaker into the sea. Murray had a roll of 10 m spectra rope which was old stock, and as all the local yachts are considerably on the smaller size we purchased the rope at $ 4.00. :) Later Murray and his wife Denise, invited us to dinner at their place. Their property being thirty minutes out in country. On the way a gum tree across the road held us up while a local farmer, with tractor and chain saw cleared the way. Our hosts were in a thirty acre block in a really nice setting.
Shopping in Victor Harbour is great, with some giving discount when paying with cash. Fuel vouchers from supermarkets gave us 08cents discount plus the stations gave an extra 02cents for cash.
With our trolley we carted 120litres back to Chrioteer. Access to town was nice and easy...a dinghy ride to the wharf and then a walk along the causeway from Granite Island to the mainland and one was in the middle of town.....