Magnificent Mandurah
First stop en route to Geographe Bay was Mandurah and we had a quick couple of days before heading further south. On our return back to Hillarys, we were keen to again experience all that Mandurah has to offer cruisers like us, as we caught up with friends and family, hung out with the local wildlife (the dolphins and the black swans being our favourites) and waited for a weather window to continue north.
After a great sail from Bunbury, hugging the coast with a nice south easterly we had a brief stop on a mooring at Comet Bay so Pete could go over the side to free up a rope that had settled around the port keel. That’s another story, but let’s just say one of the our favourite sayings has become ‘If a rope can get snagged on something…..it will!!’
Once that job was done (which took about 15 seconds - but impossible and unsafe to do when the boat is moving forwards) it was straight into the fuel jetty at the marina. Always a good opportunity to take advantage of fresh water to give the boat a quick hose down, as well as replenish our water supply. From here, it is a five minute journey out of the marina and across to the shallow, sandy area on the western side of the estuary entrance - just north of the first canal entrance.
Here we had our first fun experience trying to anchor in wind versus tide. We dropped the anchor and then spent the next three hours going around in circles - the tide would push us one way and then the wind would catch up and swing us the other way - never pulling on the anchor! We were doing continuous 270 degree circuits which must have looked very funny for those sitting just 200m away on their balconies on the Halls Head side! Knowing that in a few hours the tide would peak and the wind would drop, we could then be satisfied that the anchor had set properly. Lucky for Pete he got to sit up (like a good Capitain should) until it all sorted itself out and we were satisfied that everything was fine. That’s boat life!
We had a fantastic next week hanging out and experiencing Mandurah as never before. Plenty of exploratory walks, swimming against the tide, next to the boat (simple, fuss free training) and SUP time in and around the canals. We were just a short dingy ride from the centre of town, so we had easy access to all the restaurants, cafes and the supermarket. Nicky’s daily coffee fix was sorted and the logistics of restocking the pantry/fridge was easily managed without the need for added transport.
The highlight of our stay in Mandurah was definitely our interactions with the local wildlife that are a constant in this part of the waterway. We would have daily visits from two very curious Black Swans (we named them Tom and Marty - this is a term of endearment, boys). They would come and greet us each morning and then pop in throughout the day to see what we were up to. The boys would always appear from nowhere for a well-earned drink whenever we ran the fresh water shower (check out the footage on our Video tab). We could have sat there for hours just watching as they lapped up the water from the back of the transom, or spent time curiously pecking at our toes.
Dolphins! Why did we not already know about the Mandurah dolphins? Again, we would have daily interactions (although not as up close and personal as with Tom and Marty) with the local pods who would gracefully swim past up to four times a day. Apparently, the Peel-Harvey Estuary is home to more than eighty resident dolphins (source: Mandurah Cruises). We were lucky enough to get regular glimpses of one particular pod with a little calf in tow (footage on the vid tab). The dolphins generally got on with their daily business, rarely showing interest in any humans that crossed their path. The interactions (and an animal connection) they have with the local dogs, however, is uncanny - from performing jumps behind boats underway with dogs onboard (we do not have video footage of this, but it is definitely something we will never be able to un-see. SO COOL!) to going up alongside dogs on the walking path and interacting with them. We now know why so many people in Mandurah SUP through the waterways with their dogs sitting on the front of their board. They are dolphin magnets! Dogs and dolphins are drawn to each other; beautiful to witness and something we won’t forget.
With a nice calm anchorage, we hosted Nicky’s parents, Ian and Jen, for an overnight stay. We were stoked that Kalani also drove down for the day for some fun on the water with the fam. Jen made her SUP debut and impressed us all with her balance and style (we’ll get you standing next time, mum). A tour in the dingy around the canals to check out the boats and houses gave us an insight into some of the unique real estate on offer in this part of town. Some houses had the ultimate setup with a variety of ‘toy’ options to choose from; a 60ft Riviera, a 30ft runabout and a pair of matching jet-skis. A day on the water, no matter what conditions, sorted.
With time on our side, we were also able to catch up with Broome buddies Ric, Donna and Chad, as well as Pete’s buddy from Air Wing, Scott Hardstaff. As we’ve already mentioned in a previous post, it’s so lovely having uninterrupted time to be able to catch up with friends we haven’t seen in a while. We just need to get better at remembering to take a photo with those we have on board. Next year, guys!
Our time in Mandurah was a good one! Our departure was capped off with a personal farewell from Tom and Marty who cruised over to us in the dark, gave us what looked like a ‘safe travels’ nod, and watched as we cruised off into the distance.
Mandurah - magnificent!!
