Port Davey: Part Two

Casilda Cove, about halfway along the seven mile Bathurst Channel ended up being our anchorage for three nights. After hiking back down Mt Rugby, we moved Cool Change from Iola Bay into Casilda Cove. Although all was still at the moment, our weather forecast indicated some strong winds for the following day, and Casilda Cove had been recommended to us as the best storm anchorage.

We also wanted to try out the technique of anchoring stern-to; that is dropping the anchor, then backing the boat up and tying it off to one of the saddles on shore. We had never tried this manoeuvre before and figured it would be best to make our first attempt in the calm conditions, rather than waiting for the weather to pick up.

We gave it a go and after a few very inelegant attempts, were finally anchored with our stern tied off to the shore. We spent a quiet afternoon chilling on the boat, but eventually became concerned as we started to drift sideways towards the rocks, instead of being pulled off the bank. Releasing the stern line, we remained on anchor, barely moving in the eddies of the little bay. That night the winds picked up, whistling over the top of us, but we barely felt anything, so protected were we in our little spot.

The next morning, with Matt having re-thought through the process, we reset the anchor and attached the stern line. This time it was text book.

Walking up the nearby Balmoral Hill, we gained great views back down over Casilda Cove and across to Mount Rugby. The skies were blue and snippets of sunshine shone through. Once again we were following a pretty defined track through knee high tea-tree and buttongrass and once again I’d forgotten to put my gaiters on. More cuts and scratches for our legs.

Making the most of the temporary break in the weather, we took the tender further down the cove into Horseshoe Inlet and then discovered a little waterfall with incredibly clean and pure water flowing through it. Not crystal clear, due to the tannins, but lovely and fresh.

Late afternoon saw the rain return and the temperature drop. When the strong winds once again blew through, we were pretty much unaffected and barely moved, tucked in tightly as we were. Matt managed to put the drone up, catching the more moody colours of the darkening skies.

Melaleuca, the site of the only settlement in the area was our next destination. Incredibly tiny, it consists of an airstrip for light planes, a Parks and Wildlife Services Ranger’s Hut, walkers huts, a campground, two private leases and proper toilets. Additionally, and very attractively to us, it also boasts publicly- accessible internet access. We were keen to log on to some weather apps in order to check a more detailed long range weather forecast and determine when we might have a weather window for the next passage north.

I was especially keen to visit Melaleuca, having just read a biography about Deny King who had spent fifty-five years living in the Port Davey area, basing himself at Melaleuca where he had a tin mine. An incredible man with an incredible life story, it had captured my imagination and I was keen to see for myself all the places I’d so recently read about.

So moving Cool Change around into Bathurst Harbour, we anchored at Clayton’s Corner and took the tender up Melaleuca Inlet into Melaleuca. We wandered around the site, visiting the Deny King Heritage museum and chatting to hikers at the campground. It was fascinating to see a place I had pictured in my head and imagine how tough, but also rewarding, a life would have been in this most wild and remote of places.

Back at Clayton’s Corner we had a quick wander through Win and Clyde’s house (Deny King’s sister and brother-in-law) as well as a walk up Clyde’s Hill.

The weather looked to be closing in again, and with neither the Clayton’s Corner anchorage or the nearby one at Kings Point looking comfortable, we retreated back to our tried and true spot at Casilda Cove. Motoring back down the channel, it was icy cold and very windy. Unfortunately, there was a fishing boat now anchored in our spot, so we tied up to a different saddle. Not so textbook this time, it took us a few attempts, but with the help of the guys in the fishing boat we eventually got there. This time we put out a second stern line, ensuring that we wouldn’t swing at all.

For our last day in Port Davey we decided to go and check out the Davey River. We hit some swell once we exited the protection of Bathurst Channel and motored out through the North Passage but once up in Payne Bay, the waters flattened out. Anchoring at Carvers Point, we jumped in the tinny and headed for the river. Once safely across the bar, where a wave almost crashed on top us, it was an easy trip about 5 km upstream to the gorges.

The gorges were lovely and we ventured up a few very minor rapids before deciding not to push it any further. Floating back down, we soaked up the stillness and silence, just enjoying the beauty. There were a couple of places where the water was still enough for some amazing reflections in the crystal clear water.

We stopped on the way back for Matt to put the drone up. It always amazes me what a different perspective you get from the sky. Here are some of his pics:

By the time we got back to Cool Change, the wind had swung and the swell was sweeping in. Time to move. We made our way south to Spain Bay, but found it too swelly, then we tried Hannan Point but thought it was a bit tight. With the light fast dwindling, we hightailed it back to Bramble Cove, anchoring on the opposite side, off Turnbull Island.

We had had an incredible five days in Port Davey and Bathurst Channel. Although you could obviously spend many, many more days exploring, we were grateful for the time we’d had and everything we’d been able to do and see in this special place. The weather had been pretty kind to us, and now it was time to tackle another west coast passage on our way north to the infamous Hells Gates at Macquarie Harbour. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the benign conditions or comfortable passage that we were hoping for, but that’s a story for another blog.

The earth has music for those who listen.

William Shakespeare