Getting under Marion’s skirt. Marion Reef is 400km east of the Whitsunday coast, its 40km long by 20km wide, dominated by a deep lagoon and surrounded by very clear waters. It is a perfect horseshoe shape with three barren sand cays that help to provide shelter from the persistent SE trade winds. The trip can…

  We love to cruise to isolated reef areas of the Australian NE coast: experience nature on pristine islets, dive into clear waters, sip wine at sunset, & enjoy the simple pleasures away from civilization. Does that sound like idealistic dreaming or a fantasy from a tourist brochure? Well, of course, it hasn’t always gone…

Conflict Islands PNG We are sitting on deck chairs on the terrace of the Panasesa Island bar. Our boat bobs quietly on a bright blue canvas just in front of us, and tropical islands break the horizon in all directions. It seems surreal, Western indulgence amongst the subsistent style of life that is the norm…

Nuakata Island Nuakata Island is about 14km of Northern tip of Milne Bay. It’s the biggest island at the centre of a group of smaller ones. All surrounded by a myriad of coral reefs kept incredibly healthy by overactive and irregular currents. Nelson is the Counsellor ( chief ). He lives on the east side…

Tawali— our PNG boating refuge   It was 40nm from Alotau to the Tawali resort situated on the Solomon Sea side of the northern peninsula of Milne Bay. An excellent area for diving with unique marine life quite unlike we had encountered elsewhere. But despite its beauty, almost no yachts get to enjoy this area…

Alotau—capital of the Milne Bay Province       We had slow cruised here from Cairns via the Louisiade archipelago and were excited about the prospect of diving and exploring Milne Bay. But first, we needed to finish customs formalities, refuel, a little shopping and then go hunting for essentials — like a restaurant and…

     Papua new Guinea (PNG) starts where Far North Queensland finishes, and the best safe cruising can be found not far away amongst the Louisiades archipelago to the southeast of the mainland; where Islanders lead a peaceful life and sail large traditional sailaus for fishing and trading between islands. We departed from Cairns September…

  We are just leaving on our spring 2016 cruise to the Milne Province of PNG which is about 1000km northeast of Cairns Australia. We will be soon immersed in a very different culture visiting many small villages scattered among the hundreds of small coral islands of the Louisiade Archipelago. Our boat is chock full…

Magdelaine Cays are a pristine, untouched wilderness. We soaked it all up during 12 days of sensational exploring. Magdelaine North turtle graveyard. We arrived early December 2013 and carefully picked our way thru shallow coral heads to a well-protected anchorage about 300m behind a strip of smooth sand. It looked peaceful, but on landing, a…

   Was Daru and PNG’s Western Province a basket case? The area was often described as lawless, poverty-stricken and disease-ridden, where corruption was both normal and pretty much essential. In 2012 major flooding had destroyed many of the coastal villages food supplies. There was no better time for us to both help out and to see the…

       Willis Islets — South Willis Island weather station We dropped anchor behind a small coral islet with a strange looking building perched on the top of its six-metre high peak. I thought it would feel weird seeing civilisation out here, but every map of the coral sea shows the Willis Island manned weather station,…

Coringa Islets are comprised of Chillcott and South West Islets and are part of the large nature reserve(green zone) that also take in the  Heralds and Magdelaine Cays. They are  50nm east from the Heralds Cays, 70nm west from the Diamonds islets, 45 nm south from Willis and the Magdelaine Cays. It feels like nowhere…