Eco Abrolhos

Day 1

Depart Fishermans Wharf in Geraldton at 6.00am.

Continental Breakfast, tea, coffee and morning tea is available on the 5 hour cruise to the Southern Group Islands.

Arrive at the Coral Patches at the North Eastern corner of the Southern Group and drop anchor. This area is a sanctuary and is home to an abundance of fish and corals.

Snorkelling brief, snorkelling, and glass bottom tours.

Weigh anchor and steam to Post Office Island & Basile Island whilst lunch is being served.

Now is a good time to set our cray pots ready for a pick up on the way out in the morning.

Head ashore to visit Latitude or Pelsaert Pearl farms. These 2 Islands are shared by the crayfishermen and pearl farm operators and are a good insight into both industries. Back on board we make our way to Pelsaert Island to anchor for the night.

During our voyages between islands we will have a lure out off the stern of the ship in case we can pick up a yellow fin tuna or a spanish mackerel for dinner. If we still have time we can take a look on the island which is the site of the guano miners jetty built back in the early 1900’s, also a haven for nesting migratory sea birds in the thousands with up to 100 varieties scattered throughout these islands. Dolphins are usually at play in the turquoise waters inside the reef so a quick trip in the glass bottom is the best way to see them.

Arrive back on Eco Abrolhos for pre dinner nibbles and sunset drinks on the top deck.

Dinner in the dining room with a selection of seafood (or other choices if you do not eat seafood). During the evening there are movies of Abrolhos and the Batavia Mutiny, as well as a large variety of Hollywood classics. On the back deck we fish for bait and squid while watching the schools of fish dance in the spot light. School sharks and dolphins also come in chasing  the bait fish and squid for their dinner.

Day 2

Breakfast available from 7am.

Weigh anchor and head north west to the Easter Group.

On our way out from Southern Group we pull our 4 cray pots.

If weather permits, we can also drop a line briefly to catch a fish for dinner.

Arrive at Easter group and drop anchor at Wooded Island. Morning tea is served.This Island is heavily populated with sea birds with a couple of resident osprey nesting close to shore.

The Squid Hole is also at one end of Wooded Island, here we snorkel in this well protected hole between two islands and if we are lucky we can catch some squid for dinner.

Wooded Island is a good walk to view the bird havens, mangroves and inland lakes.

Back on board for lunch then a casual cruise past Roma, Little Rat & Big Rat Islands which are only habited from March until August each year by the crayfishermen during the season.

Off the north west corner of Big Rat Island lays our mooring, nestled in a sand hole surrounded by coral reefs.

Here we can take the tenders and do a range of activities dependant on weather currents and tides.

Activities include:

• Glass bottom boating
• Snorkelling
• View the sea lion colony on Little Sandy Island
• Visit Big Rat Island crayfishing community with a walk or by tender
• Fishing in the lagoons inside the reef to catch dinner
• Set the cray pots ready to pull the next day
• Relax on board and read a book or watch DVDs about Abrolhos History and the Batavia Mutiny

Afternoon snacks & drinks on the top deck at Sunset.

Dinner served around 7.30pm in the dining room.

Story time and picture viewing after dessert.

Day 3

Cooked breakfast starting from 7.30am.

Pull the cray pots.

This morning we carry on with activities missed previously.

10.00am morning tea.

Swap activities for different groups.

12.30pm lunch.

After lunch we take a slow cruise through the Easter group of Islands on our way to Leos Island where we visit the sea lion colony and hand feed a cod in a land locked lagoon. Amazing beaches and colours with one lone crayfishermen the only human inhabitant on this island. Good surf either side of the island with the right conditions.

Before or after Leos Island tour (depending on the tide) we will pull up on the Anemone lump to hand feed the spangled emperors and parrot fish. Trolling for mackerel, tuna, coral trout & squid can be done outside the Sanctuary while others visit Leos Island.

Back to the mooring at Big Rat Island for sundowners, snacks and dinner.

Tonight we watch the Batavia movie and discuss the saga, learning everything we can in prepartion for the Quiz night tomorrow night. Questions asked will be about the boat, nautical terms, Abrolhos stories, Batavia history, birds, fish and corals we have seen along the way.

Day 4

Activities include:

• Batavia
• Visit the island of angry ghosts (Beacon Island) where 126 men, women and children were massacred by the blood thirsty mutineers over 400 years ago.
• Snorkel on the wreck site of the Batavia. The swell must be low and the wind calm for this to be possible.
• Visit the forts built by Wiebbe Hayes and his band of solders on West Wallaby Island. The forts are said to be the first European buildings in Australian history. Wiebbe Hayes held off Cornelius’s Mutineers until help arrived but that’s another story altogether?
• Wallabies, snakes, lizards and thousands of birds inhabit this island (we need a full high tide to get to the beach for this tour).

Breakfast at 7.00am.

Drop the moorings and head for Wallaby Group and the Batavia’s Graveyard. We need to coordinate the next couple of days with the tide, swell and wind to reach all the places of interest.

Snorkel the Long Island Dive Trail, erected by the Fisheries Department. Which is a series of plaques on the sea bed that you read and follow, also picturing and naming the different species of fish and corals in the area.

Large brain corals are the highlight and can be easily snorkelled.

Fishing is also an option (strictly only enough to eat) if the right conditions prevail, limited to a few in the tender, while other tours are in progress.

Anchor at Turtle Bay off East Wallaby Island for the night. There are usually herring, taylor & squid around at night. Tonight is the Quiz Night so I hope you have been taking notes along the voyage.

BBQ on the top deck at sunset followed by dessert then question time?

Dolphins frequent these waters at night and in the mornings, chasing the bait fish.

DAY 5

Turtle Bay.

Breakfast starting 7.00am.

Turtle Bay on East Wallaby Island is spectacular with long sandy beaches and crystal clear water.

Great for a snorkel and on the eastern point shuck oysters off the rocks and take a walk to the top of the cliffs, possibly catching a glimpse of the local wallabies and osprey.

Optional activities this morning including;

• Island expeditions
• Snorkelling
• Fishing

And any activities we didn’t get to on day 4.

• 12.00pm lunch.
• Then depart for Geraldton. Trip will take 6 hours from the Wallaby Group.