Outer Newry Walk

It was pleasant enough kayaking into the mangroves to find the walking track to the eastern side.  

There’s a substantial fishing hut up at the campground, but I can’t imagine carting all the gear up to camp when you can’t have a campfire.

The pleasant forest walk to the eastern beach was very short – about 10 minutes – and while the view was amazing, the beach is all rocks as far as you can see and too treacherous to walk on.

Newry Islands

Sheltering from the southerlies for a few days at Outer Newry Island, we explored the tracks on Newry Island and the relics of the old resort, built in the 1940s and now maintained by QPWS. 

The inevitable coconut palms have not detracted too much from the native vegetation: flowering grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea) cover most of the island, with massive hoop pines and huge fig trees dotted around.  

The birds were surprisingly quiet, except for an osprey on a nest who began alarm calls as we passed by.  The nest was on the highest point and difficult to see.

Along the track views over the mainland and the surrounding islands were spectacular.

Brampton Island Walks

After riding out the southerlies at Mackay, we had a great sail on full main and screecher to Brampton Island.  A couple of delicious fish for lunch added to the charm of the island anchorage.

This year we walked the Brampton Peak Track, not for the faint hearted and still covered in weeds, but the orange-footed scrub fowls are working on those.  Lots of butterflies, who also seem to like the snake weed and cobblers peg flowers.  Among them tiger blues, common crows, grass-yellows and monarchs, others could have been jezebels and pearl whites, but there were masses of them. 

Rainbow skinks darted across the track and the melodic call of the local currawongs, so different from the mainland birds, were among the few other visible wildlife along the way. 

The vegetation on the eastern side of the island differs dramatically from the western side: casuarinas and hoop pines with an understorey of ferns, and still more weeds...

The views from the lookout made the effort worthwhile: islands dotted in the sparkling ocean for as far as we could see.  

On the short cut back along the beach the beach stone-curlews seemed reluctant to share their shore, calling and flying up and back to shoo us away. 

The Percy Isles

From Hexham to the Percy Islands the seas were also big and sloppy and devoid of wildlife, but as we neared South Percy terns began circling and diving.  The anchorage looked pretty but rolly, so we sailed on to Middle Percy, which also ended up very rolly on high tide, no chance to practice Tai Chi on board!    At least there is a campfire and BBQ on the beach. 

We took the “Long Walk” (4km) to the lookout, with great views of South Island and our friends on Kathamaria, the forest is a lovely mix of boronia, banksia, pandanus, massive hoop pines, strangler figs, cadagi and corymbia trees.  From the Homestead, where John and Cate showed us their historical collection and memorabilia, the “Short Walk” back to the lagoon is very steep but completely different vegetation:  paperbarks in open woodland with ground orchids and grasses, then mangrove around the lagoon.  Thousands of butterflies, Tiger Blues and Common Crows, were dancing around under the trees, so pretty in the sunlight.

With the slop and slap all night before and after high tide, and not much chance of a good night’s sleep, we hit the beach first thing for a BBQ breakfast on solid ground.

Island Head to Hexham Island

Island Head Creek – a great spot for fishing and crabbing, but the only place on Qld coast with no sunrise or sunset: it’s surrounded by mountains.

Our sail to Hexham Island was fast but exhilarating, with 15 – 20 knots SE and big seas.  At one point we had half a hull out of the water!  Alas no mackerel, no seabirds nor dolphins to amuse us along the way.  I suppose we can’t have them all the time.  Hexham is very pretty, with fruiting pandanus, hoop pines, and grasstrees amongst the heather, where silvereyes whistled away as they popped in and out of the heath and honeyeaters enjoyed the flowering shrubs.

Great Keppel Island

Peter testing his new ukelele with the band.

Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Cay

Anchor a-weigh at 4 am from Bundaberg, with the moon already set, it was dark and eerie motor-sailing out of the Burnett River.  Blue lights flashing on the leads and red and green lights flashing on the channel markers were the only breaks in the darkness.

Just as we left the channel a loud bang and our outhaul had broken again, so we reefed the main to keep sailing. 

Pods of dolphins entertained us as we sailed, leaping and cavorting all around the boat.  Up to 20 in the first group, it was hard to tell if they were the same pod reappearing every hour or a different pod.  Nonetheless, they all appeared to be having fun and we loved their company so far from land.

The entrance channel to the lagoon can be tricky, as one ketch found out, landing on a bommie then had to wait until high tide to move.  Inside the cay was very calm, the water so clear we could see fish and coral everywhere, turtles bobbing up to watch us.

Perfect for kayaking to the beach and walking through the forest track full of nesting black noddies, who took no notice of us.  On the ground shearwater tunnels are everywhere, while buff-banded rails stroll casually around the forest floor, unafraid of humans.