Walks at Cid Harbour:

The pleasant walk to Dugong Beach, through the cool rainforest, was a good warm up for the big walk up to Whitsunday Peak, which was 4 hours of steps, phew!, with awesome views at the top. On one side was Whitehaven Beach and on the other Hamilton Island and Shute Harbour viewed over Gulnare Inlet, a popular anchorage.

Birds along the way included white-eared monarch, Lewin’s honeyeater, yellow-spotted honeyeater, silvereyes, brown cuckoo dove, orange-footed scrubfowl, brush turkey, pheasant coucal, grey goshawk, the ever present sea eagles, brahminy kites and osprey.  Those raptors make fishing look easy.

Sailing into Airlie Beach we saw another mother and calf humpback, about 200 metres from our boat.  Then dolphins led us into the harbour.  Just magic!!