Saturday 11 May Port Clinton

We've been tucked into Port Clinton sheltering from 30 knot winds and 3m seas since Tuesday evening. Despite the lack of land side activities there being very little land you can walk on here, the time is flying past. It helps to have friends here with us; we get together each night for continuing gourmet nights.

Sue and Bruce Chilli Heat

Port Clinton is a large river basin separated from the sea by rocky hills and mangrove flanked creeks, with an almost 4m tidal range and mud banks exposed at low water you have to choose your anchoring spot carefully, At one time the farmers loaded their cattle on to carriers from an up river ramp but today Port Clinton is a military practice area. Luckily for us there's no live firing this week or the water would be closed to us.

For the first two nights we were a mile into the river and could go ashore to walk on the beach at low water. Jane and John two little dogs are small but with big characters; they loved joining in with a game of frisbee, a tricky play when the wind's blowing a small gale.

Jane with Frankie and Josie

After two nights Bruce of Chilli Heat suggested we try to go further up river to seek more shelter from the wind. He led and we followed 5 miles up river until we came to the loading ramp (land access required for dogs Josie and Frankie). David and I wanted a walk too and landed our dinghy at the ramp, walked 200m up the dirt track and came to a couple of signs which suggested this was not prime hiking country; there was a warning about crocodiles in English, German and Japanese and a very large Danger, military area, do not go any further. A mile up the track we met a very nice army man in his van who suggested we should not venture off the road and we might be happier returning to our boat. A most polite 'you read the sign, now turn around'. It was a nice walk and we didn't see any crocodiles, lots and lots of butterflies.

Back at the dinghy there was a National park ranger and Queensland maritime policeman who'd been out checking for illegal fishing boats in the park and we had a nice chat with him. He did tell us there weren't many crocs – a 12' one lived at the top of the creek over there, but that was about it. Going back to Jackster we stopped to say hello to the Circe's and while we were sitting there a very large, dark brown snake swam past us. Sea snakes are relatively harmless. This was a harmful land snake out for it's morning exercise and I wasn't going to interrupt him.

any crocs here?

does that include us?