Get the urge to flee the concrete jungles , the jostling crowds , maddening traffic , fumes and live in a beach hut in the tropics ? Then our eagle-eyed Shipping Reporter, the only one north of Port Macquarie , with its toxic coal ash ponds , has found a new lifestyle for you . It is called HARDSHIP , above , anchored off secluded Cockle Bay, Magnetic Island . It and associated tender are on the market for $175,000 . There is mention of a beach dwelling , the chance to conduct extended reef cruises.
Our fossicking reporter was looking for flotsam and jetsam on the beach and in the mangroves when he came across the vessels with the for sale sign . He came away with a coral bombe , pieces of old broken bottles , a glittering stone or three , and part of a pre 1900 dinner plate . Unfortunately , no Spanish treasure plate or dubloons were found.
Returning from the beach , our man rang the owner , Geoffrey Hardy , 80, thought to be a distant relative of Communist author Frank Hardy, an experienced commercial fisherman , marine builder and boat / barge hire operator , of Horseshoe Bay , resting from a fall off a backhoe .
HARDSHIP , he explained , is a 40ft barge ,with a 15ft beam and twin Suzuki outboards. Does it come complete with a beach hut as mentioned in the for sale sign ? No. However, a potential buyer , from Hervey Bay , had the idea of converting it into such a dwelling on land as it is well fitted out inside with a stove, refrigerator , shower , a large bank of solar cells . The tender he built and altered himself over the years . A man of many talents and experiences, he once ran a riding school .
