Chestnut-breasted Mannikin
Double click on any photos to enlarge it
Crimson Finch
Anne here: Hinchinbrook Channel took us by surprise as we did not realise we would be half way up the side of a cliff on a road undergoing repairs when it just popped up on the right hand side. Looked like an estuary at first.
Our lunch stop beside Cardwell Beach with Hinchinbrook Island in the background
We did the town tour of Tully to stock up on provisions because we did not expect a large shopping centre at Etty Bay. Not so pretty was the sign of the cyclone damage up that way. There are numerous new roofs but far too many badly destroyed houses sheds and tree plantations as well as the devastation caused in the forests and paddocks. Many trees have all the foliage blown off and are just starting to recover so that they look like stylised bonsai trees at full size. Being the Dry season the number of deciduous tree did not help the scene. Towns like Cardwell (where we had stopped for lunch) and Mission Beach are still badly affected. Dunk Island will remain closed until next year.
Etty Bay promised wild cassowaries wandering through the caravan park. There were. Two pairs share the park, the hill behind it and beach and wander at will while people give them a fairly wide berth and, strictly no handouts. They will come up to you and have a look at you or in your boot if it is open before wandering on to investigate their own food sources.
Such a pretty bird ($3000 fine for feeding them as it makes them dangerous and aggressive to see humans as a food source)
The beach at Etty Bay had a few swimmers and an odd little congregation having a religious service in the late afternoon. We ordered a meal of fish and chips and had a look around until time to pick it up and eat. The Bay is fairly small with a nice patrolled beach of soft sand and a van park capable of holding some 60 or so vans including a dozen or so permanents and probably ten of the little campervans. The amenities were surprisingly well kept.
We spent the next day touring the areas along the wake of the cyclones such as Mourilyan Harbour (a molasses export and fishing port), Kurrimine (where King Reef is supposed to be accessible on foot at the new moon), Bingil Bay and Mission Beach where the rain forest conservation centre next to the tourist bureau proved very interesting.
Anne here: Surprising was the regeneration of Eucalyptus trees through epicormic shoots on the bark and branches of the trees, just as if they had been in a bushfire.
Epicormic growth on trees near Etty Bay
Change the colour to black and this could be the hills around Canberra after the 2003 bushfires
The Bonsai Tree effect at Clump Point just north of Mission Beach
Pretty face wallabies behind Mission Beach. Look how they just blend into their background
The rangers at Undara taught us the difference between wallabies and kangaroos.
Wallabies have rounder ears, longer tails, bigger back legs in proportion to their size and in the case of the pretty face - white stripe down each cheek.
An early evening at the caravan park got us yarning with the locals and finding out what Paw Paws look like when they are growing.
Paw Paws at Etty Beach life saving club
We were pleased to hear that a couple of feral pigs had been caught near the beach next morning. The feral pigs are a menace and can be quite savage as well as destructive of lots of natural bush and habitat and one of the threats to cassowaries.
Anne here again: The peace after Townsville was blissful. If you are thinking of staying a day here, book about a week of when you intend to come, otherwise you may miss out.
Our van in between two of the on-site vans at Etty Beach Caravan Park
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