Dunk Is. to Port Douglas



S 16^o48’.36’’, E 145^o46’53’’

 

 Dunk Island to Cairns and on to Port Douglas

Tempus fugit and isn't that the truth  – the last 4 weeks have zipped by and I have not had the time to get a blog post done. No really - – really busy, like you would not believe. So very sorry to any disappointed readers –( if there are any ).

We swung  - literally, on the anchor in Brammo Bay at Dunk Is. for 3 nights in increasing swell and increasing discomfort and then decided to head for Fitzroy Island via Mourilyan Harbour a cute little sugar loading very protected anchorage. Wind of 25 Kts so we zipped up to Mourilyan – avg speed 8 Kts with reef – caught another 2 nice mud crabs there.  Crocs abound in this mangrove lined shelter, so careful laying the pots. Awful weather for 2 days – 25-30 Kts and rain! Perfect Queensland one day, schizen-hausen the next. Then in windy blustery conditions sailed to Fitzroy Is only 12 nM ( say 22 Kms in land units). But the harbour there was even worse than Dunk so we didn’t even drop the anchor but hoisted reefed sails and zipped into Cairns at 10+ Kts.

2 tugs plus coastal cargo ship, Mourilyan Hb. Crowded place.

Big goanna - Fitzroy Island

Game fishing boats ready for the comp - Fitzroy Is.

Lion fish - in Cairns marina

 

Cairns - what a great city – plenty of action on the beachfront with lots of live music, a man made lagoon to swim in, Rusty’s is a terrific market for fresh local produce and good restaurants aplenty. Only thing it lacks is a beach – more mud flats with crocs the ever present worry.

Lov ely leaves - Botanical gardens, Cairns

Jo with giant leaves - Botanical gardens, Cairns

Leaf pattern - Botanical gardens, Cairns

Botanical gardens, Cairns

Botanical gardens, Cairns



Note insects on flesh coloured flower
Botanical gardens, Cairns

Bee landing on flower



Botanical gardens, Cairns



Botanical gardens, Cairns



Big Prickels, Botanical gardens, Cairns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hired a car and went up to the Atherton Tablelands. Mareeba is where they grow tea and coffee and also a limited amount of chocolate! Mareeba is a fun place and they grow almost everything from strawberries, to sugar cane and mangoes.

 

Giant termite mounds, near Mareeba, FNQ

 

After a week in Cairns we had itchy feet plus the heavy weather had cleared, so we headed out for a few days to Fitzroy Is. , Lt Sudbury Cay and Green Is. Great spots all, but the cay was the pick, we had it to ourselves so serene and with excellent diving. Water clarity superb with good fish and coral. Good walking tracks on Fitzroy Is to the summit and the lighthouse – most walks more a stroll.

Lt Sudbury Cay, FNQ

 

Kirra Kirra at Lt Sudbury Cay

 

Idyllic place - oddles of serentiy

 

 

 

 

 

Another short stay in Cairns then on to Port Douglas – pulled the top out of the head-board (that’s a sailing term) on the main sail coming out of Cairns. Do we go back and get it fixed? No way – so we sailed the 30nM up to PD easily just on the genoa at 6.5-7 Kts. A good rigger in PD fixed it with the new wonder rope dyneema for a very few $$. Also fitted new lower stays on the mast for a quite reasonable sum – 3 broken strands on one lower stay spotted.

Jo, Shellz and John, Lower Isles light house

 


Endurance of the South (RGYC) in a good breeze

Prawn trawlers at rest

Port Douglas would have to be the best holiday place in Australia on the coast. Lots to see and do, great beach (well great for north Queensland where mud flats abound on the mainland), the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, plus an excellent range of fairly priced restaurants. And good coffee! Last time we were here in PD they sounded the crocodile alarm on the beach as a 4 metre croc swam along it. Folks walked on water that day so miracles do still happen. Praise some god or other I suppose.

And then on Saturday 30^th Aug. we attended Eleanor and Phil’s wedding in the cute chapel in PD overlooking the water, with a superb reception after in an estate up in the Daintree rainforest. Everything went like clockwork and it was a great family reunion – see photos.

Ready for the wedding - Shellz, John and Jo leave Kirra Kirra

Lovely bridesmaids

Eleanor and Phil - happy is us

View thru the Port Douglas chapel window

At the reception,  - Mossman Rainforest retreat

Highlights of the last month:

·         Lt Sudbury Cay – idyllic and isolated place

·         Fitzroy Is walks

·         Cairns and all it offers

·         Port Douglas-could live here for 8 months of the year.

·         The Wedding of the Year in PD – my nice niece Eleanor and Phil

Magnetic Is. to Dunk Is.

 

S 17^o55’.80’’, E 146^o08’20’’

 

Maggie to Dunk Island

Left Horseshoe Bay on Maggie Is after several lovely days and then up to Orpheus Is, and passed what were probably our last lot of humpback whales, breaching clear of the water.

Lynn, Mike n Jo at Radical Bay.
No radicals here?

Orpheus Is. has a small resort, a marine research station which we visited, and some very good coral reefs which was my first dive this year. Water still seemed chilly at 23.5C – I must be becoming a Qlder. A lovely display by a group of  large 6 manta rays off the back of Kirra Kirra one afternoon had us enthralled. Flying at speed under water.

Then sailed via the small (read tiny) town of Dungeness to take on water and a huge pub meal. It is a sugar export place - with picturesque Hinchinbrook (surely called Hinchy) in the background.  

5.4 Km long sugar conveyor for loading ships.
That's a ship at the end.

Sugar train - cute eh?
The fat controller may be had eaten too much sugar?



The beautiful side of Dungeness - Hinchinbrook in the background

Dungeness looking lovely

More of Dungy

Then outside Hinchinbrook Is. to Zoe Bay for a 1 day stop at anchor. The mountains on Hinchinbrook are spectacular – to 1100M. The swell at anchor in Zoe Bay was a pain but worth the hassle for the walk to the superb tropical waterfall and pool, complete with schools of large fresh water fish. No crocs in that pool!

Creek at Zoe Bay - croc warning meant quick to get the dingy to land

Beach at Zoe bay

The Qld Govt actually says in a croc awareness pamphlet:
If there is no warning sign, crocs might still be about!! 

Jungle nymph at pool

Jungle perch in said pool. I think the eyes have it.

Nice funghi

Big funghi at Hinchy

The big goanna on Hinchy

 

Qld looking less than perfect

Then up around the north head of Hinchinbrook Is, past abandoned Hinchinbrook resort  to Goold Is.  A delightful place in super weather so we stayed 3 nights, just chillin’. The only sound to be heard one evening was a dugong swimming and snorting (breathing) for some hours around the boat. Hard to see and even harder to photograph these rare mammals.

Goold Is sand spit - feel the serenity

Then a nice sail up to Dunk Is., site of another resort wrecked in cyclone Yasi in 2011.  Celebrations on catching our first Spanish mackerel by trolling (are called Spaniards up here in FNQ). An easy walk up Mt. Kootaloo to admire the view and see the remains of one of the early WW-II radar units.  

 
 


Jungle path - Dunk Is

WW-II radar turn-table. Shame its not preserved

Yep - Welcome

To a wrecked resort

Lovely Coral-Flame tree in flower - Dunk Is

Truly shitful rubbish weather for the past few days here at Dunk Is. where we have sheltered in Brammo Bay.

Comment: Qlds weather certainly aint perfect all the time. Winds are predicted to blow 20-30 Kts for the next 5 days.  We plan on being into Cairns within the next week.

Highlights of the last 2 weeks:

• ·          The water fall and jungle pool at Zoe Bay, Hinchinbrook.

• ·          Manta rays playing off  the back of Kirra Kirra at Orpehus Is.

• ·          Enjoying 3 simply perfect days at Goold Is.

• ·          Catching our first Spanish mackerel – excellent eating