Rediscovering the Whitsundays

New Zealanders Anna Willison and husband Angus embark on what her workmates call an OPOE (Old Person's Overseas Adventure), a circumnavigation

- ANNA AND ANGUS WILLISON

The quarantine officer wished us a hearty, ‘Welcome to ‘Straya!’ Clearance into Mackay on Australia’s Queensland Coast was straightforward except for the fiscal shock we received when he informed us that we owed the Aussie government $550 for the privilege of a biosecurity clearance. Let’s just say that it was a bit more expensive than what we had been expecting!

We departed Aotearoa in May 2023, setting off on a circumnavigation. The first stop was Noumea, then a very pleasant and uneventful six-day passage to Mackay.

Mackay is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, the sparkling gems set inside the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a spectacular cruising ground, with strong, constant south-easterly trade winds and smooth seas in the lee of the Great Barrier Reef. We ate up the miles, sailing under just a headsail all the way to Cape York.