PLAIN SAILING
Australia has a very rich maritime culture , with 98 % of the population living on the coast , and Bray says our sailing industry is growing up , along with the chartering industry .
“ We ’ ve got such a diverse usage of our waterways , from Sydney Harbour through to the Great Barrier Reef and everywhere in between ,” he adds . “ There ’ s such a diversity you can actually cruise 365 days of the year , whereas in a lot of other places in the world , they ’ re quite limited to the periods in which they operate their vessels .
“ We ’ re seeing an increasing trend of yachts staying more permanently based in Port Douglas and Cairns , because we ’ re finding that more international clients are interested in chartering those areas in what is the northern hemisphere winter .
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