My Dad used to work the trawlers in the north-west of WA and also in Queensland so I spent a large part of my childhood on boats and jetties.
Harbours are always full of boats bumping against tyres, the smell of diesel and fish, oil slicks on the water, barnacles on pylons and a jumble of nets and buoys on decks.
Benoa Harbour has all that too but with an Asian twist; lots of bright colours, hulls and cabins scratched and worn, trawlers tied together with some on a scary lean that makes me wonder if the bilge pump is working, clothes hanging on lines and Asian style lights strung across decks. The wonderful contrasts of big and small, old and new, modern and traditional are what make it such an interesting place and brings back wonderful memories of my Dad.
Trawlers from Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Indonesia all crowd into Benoa Harbour.
An amazing boat, permanently moored, with pontoon style deck.
Bright colours, cracked paint and strings of lights.
Scratched up hull of an Asian trawler.
Traditional vessel heading out of the harbour.
Tyres are used by all cultures to protect their boats.
Stylised pirate ship for tourist dinner cruises.
Traditional fishing boat moored in Tanjung Benoa, reknowned for water sport activities.
Traditional fishing boat with modern rain cover.
Low tide provides an opportunity for painting hulls with anti-foul.
Temporarily stranded at low tide and a good opportunity for hull maintenance.
A small dive boat and a large cruise ship entering the harbour at the same time.
This wreck has been a feature of Benoa Harbour for years, used as a marker for shallow water.
One small colourful boat amongst all the big ones.
Fibreglass hulls made to look like wood. Not yet painted.
