There was a strong north westerly predicted so we decided to remain at Kelly Basin for another night. Kelly Basin is the site of East and West Pillinger which were part of a thriving mining town in Macquarie Harbour over 100 years ago. When the London-based owner passed away the mining company merged with the Mt Lyell company based in Strahan and Queenstown and subsequently the mine was shut down and the buildings and machinery dismantled and relocated to Strahan.
On the East side of the Basin there is a boardwalk with information boards about the old kilns, boilers, train carriage and mess hall chimney, fascinating!
With the strong northerly finally abating we pulled up anchor and motored back out into Macquarie Harbour bound for Strahan. In hindsight we were a bit too eager as the fetch from the strong northerlies overnight had not abated and it was still very rough. Because we had not given Georgie any sea sickness tablets we decided to duck into Farm Cove for a few hours to allow the fetch to ease – making the return trip to Strahan more comfortable. We arrived back at Risby Cove, Strahan at around 1700.
I thought for a moment the ‘old boiler’ you were referring to was Simone in the caption under the bottom photo – but of course you meant this big round metal one! 🙂