Summer 2014/15

Another summer at the lakes has ended and we are on our way back to Westernport Bay.  We had a wonderful time yet again; 27 December to 27 January was time filled with family and friends' visits, cruises to new and previously loved locations, swimming, lazing- dining, drinking - we had a ball! Here is a brief rundown:

Our first visitors were Yvonne and Martin Lynch, who spent New Year's Eve with us at Harper's Bight, where we partied the night away with seafood, champagne and crownies - kisses too of course!! We spent the next few days cruising around, visiting locations including Metung, Box's Creek and Steamer Landing.
Our next visitors were the O'Connell children; Matt, Anne Marie and the boys arrived first, so we took a trip to Flagstaff Jetty so that they could take a walk (with Benjamin and Papa accompanying) to the beach, where Matt ventured into the ocean. Grandma, on babysitting duties, enjoyed some quiet time with Nicholas!! The kids had an apartment at Paynesville, so Manookatoo was tied up in front of the apartment.

Chris and Amy arrived next but unfortunately the wind got up, so cruising was restricted to the canals and a trip to Metung had to be by car. Everyone enjoyed themselves anyway, especially when we found the fun stuff in the local playground!!


Whenever we didn't have visitors who needed to be near accommodation, every chance we got, we took the opportunity to venture up Bunga Arm and stay at the Second Blowhole; a quiet, isolated spot where many boats won't venture, with the Ninety Mile Beach just across a narrow sandhill and nobody but the wildlife for company. We would take to the small dinghy and travel as far as  we could along the water, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the area or we would climb the sandhills to walk along Ninety Mile Beach, even venturing into the waters of Bass Strait once on a calm day.
Not long after all the kids left, the parents arrived from Sydney - they had booked a unit in Metung so Manookatoo found a home on the jetty there each night. |We enjoyed cruises on the lakes and returned each night, mainly to dine at the Pub, where the beer is cold and the meals are delicious! We also made the most of freshly caught prawns from the fishing trawler at Lakes Entrance for our lunches.

Our final visitors were Glenda and Peter Splatt, who always enjoy a few days on the boat with us. We spent two nights at Bunga Arm enjoying the tranquillity, then ventured into the Tambo for a river cruise, pulling up for the night at Swan Reach and enjoying lunch at the pub before a quiet (????) night in.

Our final day was Australia Day, so, festooned with Australian flag bunting, we cruised back to Paynesville for a last cleanup of Manookatoo, packing up and tying up at a jetty on Raymond Island before hitting the road for the return to Melbourne and back to work.