Australian Arrival New Caledonia to Coffs Harbour

Malua's position 30 18.250S 153 08.652E at 17:00 on 2/11/2014 Nil to go

The passage from Noumea New Caledonia to Coffs Harbour Australia was 868 nm and took six day six hours about 150 hours or about 5.8 knots average speed. I motored for 100 hours or 66 % of the time. Not a great passage but I arrived on schedule with slightly less and rather more wind that was forecast.

I was called into the inner harbour at 8:30 and two Customs and Border Protection officers came aboard. One sat at the table and completed all the forms while the other asked the usual question regarding where I had been and what food I had on board. He snooped around the cupboards the opened the fridge with his bright yellow plastic bag at the ready. He took all my cheese three blocks of American vacuum sealed cheese, plus butter, milk and mayonnaise. The he started to look for meat and veg but found nothing. Again looking for honey, and any form of seeds. He had to ask advice from his senior regarding the nuts in my breakfast mix; that was Ok.

Have I any wood product. Nothing of interest except the model outrigger canoe that had been given to me by the school at Malua Bay Vanuatu. I did not give it a thought but he felt that there where some bora beetle holes and I would either have to give it up to be destroyed or have it irradiated. I took some pictures and reluctantly gave it up to be destroyed.

After a quick zap of my credit card for $380 they gave me the completed paperwork and welcomed me home to Australia. Easy, pleasant and as always in Australia expensive. When the Departments moved to a cost recovery model I argued against it as an Australian Tax payer. I said limiting the Department budget via Government allocations in the budget would force them to become more efficient and not have the fall back of just raising their fees for service every year unilaterally with out a debate in the Parliament. For foreigners I don't mind but for taxpayers it is just not on. I am pleased to see that the public servants next pay rise will below the cost of living increases.

All I have to do now is reach Sydney and then on to Batemans Bay and finally Malua Bay Australia.

A Magical Moment on Malua