Kent, Mourilyan and Normanby Island

The small islands on the approach to Kent Island look like a trail of echidnas, all weathered in the same pattern by the trade winds.  Although we struggled to keep wind in the sails most of the day, Kent Island anchorage was surprisingly choppy, so we sailed on to Mourilyan Harbour, which is difficult to see from the ocean, a small gap in the forest-covered mountains.  

For a sugar port and ship loader it was very quiet, day and night.

The approach to Mourilyan Harbour

Normanby Island looked like a good anchorage, but by early morning tide change it became very lumpy so it was good to reach the beach and explore the island.  The walking track around the island is not easy to find, but the short section through the thick pandanus and casuarina forest held lots of birds:   orange-footed scrub-fowl, white-breasted woodswallows and white-gaped honeyeaters, plus flocks of  pied imperial pigeons migrating from the coast to breed.  One the beach a juvenile sea-eagle was practicing his fishing skills while the beach stone-curlew was keeping a few steps ahead of us, looking back to check our speed.

It’s obvious this is a popular snorkelling spot as there are several dive platforms and glass-bottomed boats on moorings and the water is crystal clear.  Just beyond the Green Zone was busy with fishing boats, mostly congregated at a spot called “Jones’ Patch”.

Dunk Island

Our attempt to sail to Dunk Island was thwarted when the wind completely died, so we turned into Goold Island.  It was a nice calm anchorage with a long beach walk around the sand spit.  Just a few red-capped plovers on the beach and some remains from previous human campers, which we collected. 

As soon as the wind returned at noon we set sail for Dunk on main and genoa, but the wind eased again and we switched to screecher and main.  This gave us 6 to 7 knots on one tack, a serene sail on calm seas.  Bedarra Island has a small resort and quite a few houses, but Timana Island has only one house near the beach – lucky people!  Big signs warn not to land, “Private Property”.

Dunk Island seems quite nice and being close to Mission Beach, has many tourist boats and dive tours.  You’d hardly notice that the resort has been mothballed, apart from a few missing roofs and the pool needs cleaning, it looks almost operational.  The jetty is still being used by the tour boats and there seem to be caretakers doing maintenance.  The camp ground, which is now run by Cassowary Coast Council, is pretty flash with a large amenities block, gas cookers and BBQs, picnic tables and a palm frond Happy Hour shelter on the beach.

The walk to Muggy Muggy Beach passes through lovely rainforest with cool gullies of ferns and some amazing trees.  A brush turkey coming along the track just strolled past and ignored us, used to humans, I guess.

Brush turkey demands right of way.

The big walk around the island goes over Mt Kootaloo then down to Coconut Beach and back around the Non-functioning airstrip.  Most of this walk is through wonderful rainforest with many varieties of fruits and nuts.  

You can hear Noisy Pittas, fruit-doves, scrub-wens, honey-eaters, monarchs and grey shrike-thrush calling, though the scrub is too dense to really see them.  A rufous fantail popped out to show off his perfect match to the colour of the fallen leaves.

Scrub-fowl chose to build his mound across the track!

The tracks are well maintained and easy, the scrub-fowl and brush-turkeys have done their own form of maintenance and one mound is even built over the track near Coconut Beach. 

We expected the last few km to be out in the hot sun but it is still quite shady with a thinner forest canopy.  All beautiful bushwalks!

Stunning Hinchinbrook Island

Spectacular sail into Zoe Bay averaging 6 knots on screecher and main in 10 knot SW wind... wish it was always that easy!  From Orpheous Island Lucinda Sugar Wharf looks way out in the ocean, but it is 5.76 km long and you can see it for miles.  The ragged peaks of Mt Bowen (1121m) and Mt Diamantina (918m) were in view most of the way, despite the bushfire haze over the mainland.  Ruggdly stunning, the great U-shaped valley beside Mt Bowen almost looks glacial, even in tropical FNQ.

“Achtung!” signs for crocs are around the mangroves, creeks and campgrounds and with just enough tide up to park the dinghy near the start of the Zoe waterfall walk, we set off with one eye on the creek. 

It was lovely to hear the cheerful call of the Mangrove Gerygone as we left the mangrove creek.  You can see lots of regrowth since Cyclone Yasi, with casuarinas, acacia and ferns sprouting all along the track.  Dusky honeyeaters, sunbirds, fantails, monarchs and grey-shrike thrush darted about in the rainforest.  

The creek crossing was the only challenge on the shady walk and the waterfall glistened down to a large rock pool, which abounded with Jungle Perch, a threatened species of freshwater fish, and a freshwater turtle popped up to say hello.

Seeing lots of bushwalkers on the beach in long pants and shirts we guessed there might be plenty of bities and we soon found some.  Aiming to catch a barramundi, we then explored the extensive mangrove creek in the dinghy, although a higher tide would have been useful as there are plenty of sandbars to negotiate.  

Skipper Pete hard at work.

No luck with barra, but made up for it around the rocks with a mackerel.

Back on the beach our Shorebird Count = 1 red-capped plover, 2 pied oystercatchers and 1 reef egret (dark morph), who enjoyed a long walk with us the length of the beach, and stopped now and then to catch some brekky in the breaking waves. 

Walking to the top of Zoe waterfall is a hands and knees climb with a rope installation near the top (great if you have done any abseiling).  Small cascades split the huge pink granite rocks between a series of rock pools, some full of tadpoles.  The steep descent is more scary than the ascent as any slip could be fatal.  One rock at a time with the odd tree to hug on the way.  Thank you trees!

Yep, that's Heatwave in the bay, the little white dot!

With a complete absence of wind we motored around to Macushla Bay, passing close to Cape Richards to hook up another mackerel.  A big day at the office!

Orpheous Island

Again, the wind is nothing like the forecast, so we awoke early to a lumpy WSW 10 knots.  Peter has done much of the sailing while Toni was laid up with 2 days of flu-like fever, aches and pains along with a whacking toothache... we only seem to get sick when we visit cities!

The walk to the top is really a scramble over sandstone rocks, more suited to walking boots than old worn out boat shoes, but passes through lovely tropical savannah open forest.  Remnants of the old oyster farmer’s camp can still be seen, while orange-footed scrub-fowls rummage in the leaf litter and call their discordant song (which only another scrub-fowl could enjoy!).

The rocky track is marked spasmodically with pink tape and a few creative cairns made by bushwalkers, no doubt, but it’s easy to lose your way.  

From the top there are full views to the east and west with Lucinda Sugar Mill steam stack easily seen, despite all the bushfire smoke along the mainland.

Whale Encounter off Townsville

We never tire of seeing humpback whales, but this large mammal, just off Magnetic Island, didn’t seem to be moving or breathing. 

As we cut the motors and watched, she eventually let out a breath and then a smaller head appeared, then a smaller fin too.  

She appeared to be suckling a very young calf, but then Horror!!  3 jet skis were powering towards her and we couldn’t get their attention!  

They must have noticed just in time that we and another fishing boat were drifting, so they stopped to watch too...  Phew!