East Boyd Bay near Eden 21st June 37' 06.5" S 149' 54.4" E

Nine o'clock found us slumbering peacefully in our bunk when all of a sudden I thought I was woken up by Peter asking if there was any muesli on board. It took a couple of seconds to realise that someone was hailing us and asking if anyone was asleep on board. By the time Peter had stumbled out of bed they had gone. During the night a naval ship had docked at the jetty and they must have come to tell us we were not allowed to move until it had loaded and gone. This jetty is where they load explosives on the naval vessels and although you are allowed to stay if already in the bay you are not allowed to move until the ship has gone and the all clear given. We also discovered that we were out in the middle of the bay. During the night it had looked like we were almost on the beach. Distance is very deceptive at night.

Peter rang the Harbour Master at Eden to find out how long we were to be here and also if we could move closer to the shore. That was OK so we motored closer to the beach and settled in for the day. The naval ship wasn't expected to leave until 4.30pm when it is almost dark, so we decided to stay for a second night and spend the day exploring East Boyd Bay. What a bonus! We had a lovely day there. Out came Lily and we stocked up with snacks and water and rowed ashore to have a look around. Behind the beach was a small estuary and being so still the reflections were superb. A track lead over the hill to the next bay so off we went to see what was there.

The bush reminded me of Clackline, same stony, clay ground and although the trees were bigger it looked a lot like that area. After a twenty minute walk we discovered that we were at Kiah Inlet and the historical site of the old Davidson Whaling Station. The National Parks and Wildlife Service had installed paths and signs to explain what had happened here. There was also a weatherboard cottage known as Loch Garra and sheds up on the hill that had been restored. It is such a beautiful place amongst the forest.

On the way over the hill we noticed some very beautiful bird calls in the distance. We thought they could only be Bellbirds and as we got closer to Davidson's cottage the birds and their calls surrounded us. It sounded like many clear little bells being rung out in the forest. Later we discovered that they were indeed Bellbirds. On our way back to East Boyd Bay we could hear the Bellbirds in one direction and the insane 'beep, beep, beep' of the forklift loading explosives onto the naval ship in the other direction. I couldn't help reflecting on the contrast of sound and activity.

In the end our naval ship did not leave until after 5.00pm so it was a good thing we had already decided to stay another night before heading off to the town of Eden to restock the boat with food, water, fuel and gas.