Wind   SE  10 – 15  Sunny  23 nm

The morning dawned with little wind in the quiet bay so Morgan and I hopped on the paddle board and paddled ashore.

We glided over the top of two turtles which scooted off when we disturbed them, and viewed the very average looking coral. Onshore we wandered along the small sandy beach disturbing a shovel nosed ray basking in the shallows.

After a quick brekkie we pulled anchor and motor sailed across to Zoe Bay on the eastern side of Hinchinbrook.

 

 

Stump had the lures out and we got a large something on which he fought for 20 minutes, finally getting it to the boat to find it was  large black tipped reef shark about 1.3 metres long.  We had a lot of trouble getting the lure out without murdering the shark as Paul would put it, finally with the three of us working on it we freed the shark and got John’s favourite lure back.

So when the wind picked up we turned off the motors and hauled up the screecher.

Zoe Bay is a beautiful coconut palm and rainforest lined beach with a creek at each end of its long sandy stretch. The mountains rising in the centre of the island were sheathed in cloud and provided a dramatic background with Mt Bowen dominating at 1142 metres. We dropped the pick in 8 metres of water at the southern end of the bay and dinghied up the creek to the beautiful white sandy beach.

The mangrove lined creek was so clear you could easily see the bottom and hopefully any crocodiles in the vicinity. It is reputed that a crocodile has been sighted in the pool below the waterfall and Alan Lucas in his book says they are known to reside in the creek at the northern end of the bay.

We donned our hiking shoes or should I say sandals and mozzie repellent and started on the well signed track to Zoe falls. The walk was cool and quiet away from the ocean through palmed rainforest along the creek giving way to very dry schlerophyll which had some regrowth from recent fires.

 

The 20 minute walk was easy going and well defined with the only signs of wildlife the occasional scurrying lizard in the undergrowth.

 

 

The pool at the bottom of the falls was magical, the water clear as a bell. You could see the fish swimming around as if you were looking in a fish tank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three other people were there, two  having a swim so I thought it was safe for Morgan and I to enter the water. What a lovely refreshing feeling.

The couple also from a yacht anchored in the bay, said it was a short walk to the top of the falls so we headed upwards. It was a short walk alright but uphill all the way with some very steep and rocky inclines. At one spot there was even a thick rope to help you scale the rock.

The climb was well worth the effort as the view was stunning. In the distance the yachts bobbed at anchor and behind us majestic Mt Bowen towered behind the wispy clouds. Stump had a dip in the pool upstream as he felt the croc wouldn’t be able to climb that high up. We then  descended back down to the dinghy back through the cooling rainforest. Truly a magnificent place, where the mountains meet the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on O’vive we hauled the main and sailed south to Lucinda dropping the anchor just near the molasses wharf at 4:00. You wouldn’t call it a picturesque anchorage but as they say any port in a storm although there wasn’t a storm. Our current outlook being huge sugar storage sheds, barges and a wharf.

We put the crab pots in then dinghied ashore and walked around the sugar sheds and over the footbridge to the Lucinda general store.

I was excited to see a shop but it had very little in it, Stump bought some fishing tackle and we all bought icecreams.

All up it was a disappointing place as the town did not seem anything special and we had no  crabs in the pots. Fillet steak for dinner instead of fish.