Diving - 2023 06 - Moreton Clean Up

The Club (ok, a lot of it was Nelly...) was organising another Clean Up trip over on Moreton Island. We arrange a bunch of diving, mostly on Curtin Artificial Reef, to go down and collect marine debris. A lot of it is fishing related junk, lines and sinkers that have snapped off, but we'll try bring back anything that doesn't belong.

On Friday morning I met Paul, James and Craig at the Club to pick up the boat and drive up to Scarborough to launch. Good run with the traffic and the weather outlook was great. We got away with James at the helm and pulled up on Curtin a little early so we could just chill on the boat.  

When it was time for high tide we geared up and dropped in on the Transfield. Quite a bit of junk to collect including some huge Sinkers. Massive Sinkers for fishing 14m deep. We had a few Grouper hanging about interested in what we were up too. Making our way over to the Pt Lookout barge for a bit more junk before circling back to the anchor. Craig and Paul headed up when Nelly and I spent another 10min grabbing some gear from the Utah.

On the way back we cruised by Tangalooma so Nelly could check off a Geo-Cache before heading up to Bulwer to anchor up. Dropping the boat out I donned my diving fins to swim the 100m back to shore. Luckily the current was still pretty chill. While waiting at the boat ensuring the anchor was holding and watching our unloaded gear Nelly ducked up to the store to order up burgers for lunch. The remaining URGQ crew, making their way over via the vehicle barge, came up the beach after an hour or so of waiting.  

Went up to claim a bunk in the very fancy 'Castaway' glamping tents and sort out the gear in the trailer etc. Also jumpped at the opportunity to have a good hot shower. It wasn't long before it was time for sunset drinks and Dive planning for tomorrow. Mozzies were out in force the second the sun kissed the horizon. 

Photo from Diana

Catered weekend and the food was great from 'Castaways' (Bulwer shops.) After dinner we sat around a communal fire for a while but I ended up turning in fairly early.

Slept OK in the Glamping hut. My mattress was a little thin but the facilities on the whole are absolutely fantastic! Back to Castaways for a feast fit for an army for breakfast and then started gearing up. Paul kayaked out to retrieve Diver 1 and we loaded up for the mornings dive.  

Dropped in at the Bulwer drop off straight out the front and immediately found a huge green Turtle. Moments later there was a big anchor with a nice clean 3m of chain. Which was good because on Kristies 10lt tank I felt a little light... 3m of recovered chain definitely sorted that!  

You could tell we haven't hit this spot for a clean up before as there was heaps of Sinkers and line. I even found a fishing rod, reel and all. Back to the boat and then a bit of a break for lunch.  

A brilliant lunch to chow down before it was time to get ready for the third Dive. I was skipper and took the others down to Curtin. Got there a little bit before the tide so sat around a bit to wait it out. Eventually they went down onto the Rock Driller. Checking out the statue, tram and other close by Wrecks. Over 14kg of lead retrieved on just the one Dive.  

This was another drift on the drop off. Just 3 of us dropped in and we were on sand for a while before eventually reaching the wall. Still got 2 fishing rods and half a bucket of junk, t-shirt and all. 

Another great sunset as some of the last remaining tanks got some air into them before retreating off the beach. As soon as the sun drops behind the horizon the temp plummets. Got the fire ring going to warm us up before heading in for another fantastic feast for dinner. 

An earlier start, breakfast at 630am, so that we could make the slack low tide. Great surface conditions and a smooth ride down to find a dozen or so fishing boats already on the reef. We made good time and were a touch early but just short wait before divers went in.  

Dropped them on the south end of the Transfield again but this time they headed off south from there. Great morning to sit on the boat and watch the mist slowly disappear from Moreton. Really easy to follow divers bubbles with a smooth surface too. Lots more line and weight brought back. Surprising how fast it all comes back between clean up trips. It was another short ride back on smooth water before switching out divers for the next dive.  

Straight out the front again at Bulwer Drop off. When we got to the drop we were missing a set of fins but the first wave of divers were ready so they headed down and we made the very short return trip to grab some fins.  

Out again in mere moments before the second wave went in. I thought I was doing OK collecting with my big bucket but it wasn't long before SNR taps me on the shoulder with a small bucket overflowing with waste. So he decanted into mine and started filling another. 

Along the way he got a towel and a pair of board shorts. While the rest of us still collected heaps of fishing waste. We were also seeing a few QLD Grouper, which I've never seen on the drop off's before.

 

I popped back up before a few others and got a clean pick up from Craig as skipper. We headed back to the others and found a boat, only hanging about directly over the divers. The woman was lying on the bow, go-pro in hand, reaching down to video these "amazing bubbles". Apparently she had never seen such an occurrence before. She asked us if we thought it was a big whale. She was a little disappointed when she found out it was just divers...

Set the boat up for lunch and headed in for fantastic wraps. Bit of time to kill before the third Dive at slack high water. Everyone was on time (in fact most people have been really good this trip, I think every launch has left on time.) Only 1 boat left on Curtin so we had the pick of the spots. Haven't done much on the south end so we dropped anchor on the Barrambin.  

A short 8min before the slack tide so we geared up and dropped in. Current still had a little bite near the surface but by the time we hit 10m it had mostly dissipated. Lots of long line here, running the length of the ship and back in one case. Heaps to clear up. 

After a while we made the jump over to the Hustler and Kos II. Castaways (out generous hosts for the weekend) had recently lost an anchor. We knew it wasn't theirs but we found a great one to retrieve so Craig and I got to work lifting it. I put my SMB with a smidge of air, just enough to counter some of the weight.  

Craig then put his on the end of the chain and made a controlled release to let it go up. By the time we had sorted that out it was time to return to our own anchor and head up. With a bit of air left to go Craig and I circled back to the big anchor. With some rope Craig found we added that to his SMB so there was plenty of length to reach the surface. With that done we headed back to Diver 1.  

With everyone safely on board we swung by the float to raise the anchor which came up real easy with mine attached directly to it. We still dropped on at Castaways mooring to search for theirs but inky found a cheap plough, lucky we got the bigger one. Set the boat on the main anchor for one last night and paddled to shore. 

By the time I got back off the beach the cleaning and sorting was well underway. Many hands make light work. There were still a few buckets to get through though so I put on some gloves and got too work as well. Forming various piles as we pulled apart the tangled line to separate what we had collected into reportable units. 

Photos from Ruth

In total over the weekend we collected:

• 56kg of Lead (Sinkers) - Perfect for melting down into Dive Weights,
• 2 Anchors (1 Plough and 1 Bruce, donated to Castaways for their boat),
• 13m of Anchor Chain,
• 122m of Rope,
• 850g of Line,
• 390g of Hooks/Swivels/Lures,
• 1 Burley Box,
• 1 Towel,
• 1 pair of board shorts,
• Some broken netting,
• 3 Fishing Rod,
• 1 Sock and
• a some hats.

Once all that fragrant work was completed I jumped straight into the showers. Another thing that the Castaway's resort does very well. Nice hot water and good pressure. When all was said and done the sun was already setting and the decision was made to skip the Sunset drinks and head straight to the fire for nibbles. Before long it was dinner (fantastic roast beef and pork, with crackling!) then straight back to the fire. The night didn't last long, with most heading off to bed by 8pm. Long days of diving definitely tire you out :o

Last morning on the island involved another great breakfast followed by a fairly quick pack up of the room, dropping my dry bag with a vehicle to be taken home, as I got Diver 1 prepared for our return journey. We did have favourable conditions predicted at the beginning of our trip but over the last few days the wind predictions were ever increasing, to the point of 20+ knot Westerly Winds being expected. Which meant we would be ploughing directly into the chop as we headed back.   

The others who were also travelling on Diver 1 weren't far behind and we were able to make it away a bit earlier than planned at 8:40am. This gave us additional time to take it a bit slower in the rough conditions and possibly even avoid some of it (as it was getting worse over the day.) In the end the trip wasn't too bad. We were definitely going quite slow at the start but with the new engine it was easy to cruise safely. By the time we were 2/3rd of the way across we had protection from most of the wind in the lee of the mainland. This meant we could open up the throttle a bit more and ended up putting into the Scarborough Marina not long after 10am.  

A good run in the traffic back down to the club house before cleaning the boat and putting it safely back in the shed. I had offered Paul a lift home but Craig was heading more in the same direction so I was able to head home to rinse off the salty air and sand, until next time!

Thanks again to everyone from the Underwater Research Group of Queensland (URGQ) who contributed to the weekend. It really pulls together with a great group to help wherever and whenever they can. From organising, filling tanks, collecting marine debris, skippering, sorting and collating collection data and just generally helping out (often as simple as zipping up your wetsuit.) We're lucky to have such a helpful and pro-active crew!  

A special thanks also to our hosts on Moreton; Castaways. Their 'Glamping' accom was excellent and their food was delicious with generous proportions.

Hiking - 2023 06 - Sundown

I found myself with a rare full weekend free so I decided to embark on a short off trail hike I have had in the to do list for a while. I invited a few mates and originally had some bites but as the date drew near Covid took one out and life got in the way for the other (understandable in this busy world.) 

I packed my gear Thursday night so I could start the long drive down right after work. Traffic was pretty good, just an expected slow patch at Goodna, but relatively smooth the rest of the way. I made good time to Warwick and stopped I'm for Subway dinner. I got an extra 6 inch sub while I was there. With the predicted 1°c night I thought it would keep fairly well for breakfast.

Getting to the front gate around 830pm I decided to begin the 4wd in. It's not far, only 8 or so km, but I had the time now so might as well set myself up for an earlier hike. I found a great camp spot just off the track a few min past the Red Rock Gorge T Junction. As I was drifting off to sleep, warm in my bag, I heard a few other 4WDs making their way into the park, probably also heading down from work to make the most of the weekend. Sound travels pretty far through the cold air but it sounded like they were off down to Burrows Waterhole. 

Had a really good sleep, too good apparently, only stirring from bed just before 8. By the time I packed, ate breakfast and drove the rest of the short distance to Red Rock gorge it was already 9am. Later start to the day than most of my hikes...

The start of the hike up Mt Lofty was fairly open scrub and I thought it might be an easy summit, those hopes were dashed not too far in where I started to push through fairly overgrown underscrub. Every now and then I got lucky, finding a small gap to bash through that would have been a tight squeeze for a rock wallaby... 40 hard minutes later and I reached the summit to a fairly unassuming post and decent views through the trees.  

 

After a short break and removing grass seeds from areas they had no right to be I pushed on. Down the other side was just as overgrown but it was only a shorter 15min of bush wacking before I made it onto a forestry fire management trail. Much easier walking and it was nice not having branches trying to steal my hat. Pretty steep down hill here with lots of loose rocks, so you really have to watch your footing. 

 

 

Dead on 12 o'clock dropped onto the Severn River. Lots of rocks and a few sandy/rocky banks. Constantly up and down over ridges in the rocks planning where you can possibly head next. I pushed on for another 40min to Nundubbemere Falls where I finally stopped for lunch. 

 

 

Despite the fairly short distance so far, 10km, I definitely have to work hard for a lot of them. Scrub bashing and hopping down rocky rivers slows you down significantly and overworks the legs. The next 5km to camp, at beehive waterhole, took 1.5 hours. Finding a nice spot up away from the waters edge, a little patch of flat grass. There are a few other spots dotted around the bank so you could have a few people here easy. Sadly no water views from the tent, but being right near the water makes for a cold night. 

 

After setting up the tent, still damp from the morning dew, I set off down to the river. Perfect reflection the sounds of some rapids not far away made for a very peaceful spot. After a short while a water rat (possibly a Rakali?) caught my eye on the other side of the bank. It was moving fairly fast and with the distance I wasn't able to get a shot. Can't remember ever seeing one before. Today I also saw heaps of wallabies, a few dear, a goat and even a squirrel glider. Plenty of bird life buzzing around and surprisingly no snakes. Perfect country for them, but I guess they're all tucked in for winter.

 

 

It wasn't long by the river before it was too cold to stay and I retreated back to my tent. A fairly early dinner at 530 in the fading light before hoping into my warm bag. It might be a long night... lucky I have snacks. 

I slept really well, if a little too warm in my -5°c bag. Apparently it only got down to 6°c in my tent last night. I woke a few times during the night but found it fairly to fall back asleep. Eventually pulling the pin (letting the air out of my mattress) around 7am. The joys of putting on wet shoes and socks...  Quick breakfast and a hot milo before packing up and getting on my way by 7:40. I must have been a bit thirsty over night, from the 2lt I filtered yesterday afternoon there was barely a mouthful left (after the milo.)  

 

I was straight back onto a rocky creek bank. It wasn't too hard going, but it's a lot of rock hopping and picking good foot placement, so it's more work than a standard hiking trail. Good way to massage the bottom of your feet... It wasn't long before I had to cross to the other bank again, so the wet shoes paid off. No point trying to keep them dry... so you can wade straight through. By the second crossing I had been going an hour and had long since finished the mouthful of water so I stopped near a nice little side trickle and filtered some more water. The sun still hadn't hit me in the valley yet, but it looked great coming down the hill at the end of the gorge. A bit chilly, but ok on the move. 

 

 

It wasn't long past the break where I turned up Red Rock gorge. Narrower walls, bigger boulders and a switch to elevation gain slowed my pace. I had 5km to go up the creek line before turning up the hill. Shortly after the turn the rocks required some scrambling and the poles were more an annoyance. So I took a 5min break and packed them away. Several spots required some easy bouldering to navigate up the creek line.   

 

As the walls became steeper the undergrowth changed to more rainforest. This meant the reacquaintance with an old friend; Gympie Gympie and his sidekick; Stinging Nettle. Luckily over the course of the rest of the day I only had a light brushing by the latter on my forearm and a small hit on the shin. Nothing of like the which I have seen in Main Range NP (thankfully!)  

 

 

It was really quite a scramble over some spots now and my pace slowed further to just over 1km/hr. Very slow going, using vines and fig tree roots to help pull myself up. Eventually though I made it to the turning point. Directly below the Red Rock Gorge Lookout. Anyone who has stood at the lookout will attest that it looks like a long way down. I can assure that goes two fold when you're looking up...  

Slow, and not very steady, I was stopping for a short break every 10-15 steps. They were big steps. Most stepping up about knee height. I can assure you it wasn't because I was sore, tired, weak, no sir. It was for the view! The beautiful view is what had me frequently stopping and taking long deep breaths...

 

 

While there was some more stinging nettle it was sparse and easy to avoid. The climb up is a Z pattern to avoid a few sheer cliff faces. Clumps of grass and any substantial tree that managed to take root were welcome hand holds and after 45min I was finally level with the Lookout. Following the contour at the top of a cliff was nice, but I felt a lot better when I stepped out onto the graded, formed, lookout track. 

 

Can you see the lookout at the top of the cliff?

I took a moment to enjoy the view before setting off for the last 200m back to the car. Despite the short distance it felt twice as far with the legs still recovering from the climb. After changing out of my hiking clothes (covered in grass seeds) I started the drive back to the Sundown gate. There I put some air back into the tyres and continued on the long drive home.  

 

Despite doing quite a few off trail hikes, I still overestimate my pace. Thick scrub to push though, rocky creeks to hop down (and UP!) and heading straight up steep slopes certainly take a lot more effort than walking down a formed hiking trail. So next time you see a trail maintenance worker, thank them for their efforts, because it really makes a difference! That said, off trail hikes and being in the middle of the woods hours away from anyone, has it's own special rewards.