30th Aug Dunk Island to Casement Bay – Great Palm Island 65nm

 We departed Dunk at 6.30am and it was with a sad heart we had to farewell the island paradise and disappointment that we could not spend more time here. But the forecast for the next week is not looking crash hot. Strong winds that are forecast up to 30 knots do not make these island anchorages very pleasant. We decided we needed to get to Townsville by Sunday to avoid the winds that are due on Monday.

It was a long day and the direct route was 55 nautical miles but we had to tack into the wind so we covered a further 10nm’s. The wind was coming from exactly where we wanted to go and was strong in the morning and easing later in the day. The wind eventually turned to the north east  and made our course a little easier and quicker. We set a course on the eastern side of Hinchinbrook so we effectively completed a circumnavigation of Hinchinbrook Island.

We arrived at Casement Bay on Great Palm Island just in time for the sun to set. It was an exhausting day and no fish all day made it particularly boring.

The scenery however was spectacular.

Mount Bowen on Hinchinbrook Island with Zoe Bay in the fore ground

After a quick meal we were in bed very early for another early morning departure.

29th Aug Dunk Island

After breakfast we went ashore for our big walk to climb to the lookout at Mount Kootaloo. The track up to the lookout was in much better repair than 2 years ago. The rainforest canopy was starting to grow back and the ground plants that thrive in shade were growing again.

 The rainforest is growing back. Almost 3 years since Cyclone Yasi

 It was a hot steamy walk to the top but the view was worth it.

At the top of Mount Kootaloo

We never saw any of the brilliant blue Papilio Ulysses butterflies that the island is famous for.

Back down the hill to the bottom we made use of the camping facilities and had a great BBQ lunch of sausages. Made a change from the fish!!

 We may have eaten a few too many sausages!!

The girls did some washing while the boys sat and had an afternoon of relaxing conversation and a beer or two and we were entertained by the water taxi captain who told us a lot about the island, the cyclone and Mission Beach. It is all interesting local knowledge that we can use on future cruises.

It truly is a great tropical Island and with the walks and the facilities available it is a boaties paradise. You can use the power to recharge computers and pay bills!!

Graham of Echo Beach at "the office"

We really don’t want to go but our decision to leave tomorrow is the right one. The strong prevailing south east winds are set to blow for a week and we cannot see beyond 7 days on the forecast which means we could get stuck here for 2 weeks which will delay our plan to get back to the Whitsunday’s.

 The sand spit at Dunk offers good protection from South East or North East Winds

We retrieved the dinghy from the water and placed it onto the foredeck and readied the yacht for a 6am departure.

28th Aug Scraggy Point to Dunk Island 24nm

We had a very calm night and slept well. At 9am we were off to our turnaround destination Dunk Island. Conditions were flat at first and then we encountered more wind than forecast and the sea state was not great. A big rolling swell from the east made the sailing unpleasant. We sailed past Bedara Island and onto Dunk arriving for a late lunch.
I managed to catch another spotted mackerel on the way so we had dinner sorted.
 

After lunch we had a walk on shore and found that the facilities for visitors had greatly improved since we were here 2 years ago.

 The new jetty at Dunk - great facilities for boaties

The jetty has been rebuilt and the camping area improved with BBQ’s and hot and cold showers. Everything a boatie needs on an island paradise.

The resort and accommodation is still in disrepair from Cyclone Yasi

We want to stay awhile at Dunk but the impending weather forecast is going to cut short our visit. We will need to seek better shelter from the strong winds so we will stay here for 2 days and head back to Townsville before the winds hit.

Dunk Island was named by James Cook in 1770 after his patron George Montagu Dunk the Earl of Halifax and first Lord of the Admiralty. The island is very tropical with vast areas of dense jungle.

Unfortunately the resort that was decimated by cyclone Yasi has still not reopened and is not likely to for some time. The gardens however are being maintained so there is hope.

27th Aug Hinchinbrook Channel to Cardwell to Scraggy Point 25nm

We awoke with a small rain squall which did not last long enough to wash the salt off the boat. Soon after the sun came out and it was a very pleasant morning. The long range weather forecast is not looking so good for us and a decision was made that we needed to get to our turn around point a bit quicker. With that in mind we needed to go to Cardwell today and get some fresh provisions. We needed to retrieve the crab traps and get going but the tide was too low to retrieve them. I waited until 10.30 and went with Graham as safety in numbers is paramount with crocodiles around. Graham pulled his pots and managed 3 muddies. I pulled my first trap and I had none. My second trap was a little more difficult to get to but when I finally dragged it out there were 3 crabs also. We quickly got back to the boat and got under way to Cardwell.

 Rugged mountain beauty with Mount Bowen the 3rd highest peak in QLD.

We motored along the Hinchinbrook Channel with its mountainous back bone in full view. It is quite stunning. No other Island can match the magnitude and wilderness beauty of Hinchinbrook. It is the largest Island National Park in the world. Hinchinbrook’s mangrove forests are second to intensity to those found in the Amazon Delta. There are over 30 species of mangrove plants and research has revealed that some species are over 20 million years old. There must be millions of mud crabs in the mangroves!!!

We arrived at Cardwell at 2.30pm so we had to get a wriggle on to get ashore and buy groceries and retrieve some water to top up the tanks. The sea was sloppy and the only way you can get ashore is by dinghy to the beach. The waves on the shore did not make it easy for us. After loading the dinghy with the supplies and the water and the washing that was done in a bucket under the tap, I tried to get the dinghy off the shore but was immediately swamped by a wave. With all the groceries on the floor rolling around in 4 inches of water it was not a lot of fun. Back at the yacht we drained all the water from the shopping bags and dried everything we could. The only damage was the lettuce and the bok choy. Both these did not take kindly to salt water but we saved a bit of them.

Cardwell is not the easiest place to restock. The conditions have to be perfect- calm water, no wind and a high tide. Today was a tough day at the office. We were exhausted after we finally raised the anchor to find a calm anchorage for the night.

We finally dropped anchor at Scraggy point in the Hinchinbrook Channel just as the sun was going down. We went to Echo Bach for sundowners and took our 3 crabs and a salad. We ate 6 mud crabs between 4 people - what a crab feast.

26th Hazard Bay to Haycock Island – Hinchinbrook Channel 19nm

It was time to leave our beautiful Orpheus Island and head further up the coast to our turn around destination of Dunk Island. We go through the Hinchinbrook Channel which is one of the world’s largest mangrove wilderness areas in the world. It is a haven for mud crabs and crocodiles.

The entry into the channel is not easy and goes past the sugar port of Lucinda at the mouth of the channel. It is very shallow water and for yachts with deep keels it can only be entered on a rising tide. High tide was not until approx 1pm so we left Orpheus at 10.30 for the bar crossing at approx midday. It was only a short run and I put the lines out not expecting to catch any fish as it was during the day and mackerel like to feed early morning or in the evening. It was not long before the first fish was on. I landed that and then the second fish was landed and then the third and then the fourth. It all happened in the space of 30 minutes. 

I guess you could call that a school of mackerel

We now have fish for a week and good carcasses for mud crabs.

The bar crossing at the mouth of the channel was fairly easy and it is a long way in alongside the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere. The sugar terminal is built way out into the sea and stretches 5.6km. It follows the curvature of the earth and dips 1.2m over its length. Two years ago it was battered by Cyclone Yasi and the conveyor belt protection was ripped off in many places by the large waves. It is hard to see anything like this being built in today’s environment with the huge cost of labour. It just would not be economical.

 The sugar loading terminal at Lucinda - Mouth of the Hinchinbrook  Channel

We arrived at Haycock Island just after lunch and had to clean and fillet the fish. I gave two of the fish to Graham on Echo Beach to help their provisioning of fish for the next week. We set off shortly after and set the crab traps for the evening.

My friend Bob “Chalkey” Gray arrived from Cairns in his yacht which is a Bavaria 42. They are on their way to Magnetic Island Race Week. It was fantastic to catch up with him on the water and enjoy an evening of drinks and chats and tall stories from our PNG days which just get better with age.

 Sunset at Haycock Island - Hinchinbrook Channel