It pissed rain through the night and by the looks of the lush vegetation on Hinchinbrook the weather does this often. The dinghy was half full of water when we got up and needed draining. Although we didn’t get the forecast winds it was still quite blustery up the channel. Just to be sure we re anchored as we thought we might have dragged in the night.
While it was still raining, I gathered water for the water tanks and cleaned the outside of the boat and the cockpit.
Once the rain subsided, we checked the crab pots and what a surprise nothing. I thought Hinchinbrook was full of crabs and crocs. We saw neither. The guy in the boat next to us said he had his pots out for 4 days and got one crab and it was a Jenny. We put our pots away.
Whiled away the afternoon on Mulligan Geo and reading followed by steak and salad for dinner. John is disappointed as TV reception is poor.
On Thursday John trawled a lure along the mangroves hoping for a Barra with no luck. So no crabs, crocs or Barra! Just rain.
The wind is still howling outside the channel and morning inside the channel was overcast and drizzly. We ventured out with the crab pots, baited with our skeletons from Lucinda and dropped them in places we thought might produce some crabs. We didn’t bother to fish, we were waiting to see if Wayne caught anything. He didn’t.
In anticipation of strong winds, we put another 10 metres of anchor chain out then worked the rest of the day on Mulligan Geo.
Nyeki and Beach Bum came over for happy hour though there wasn’t any sunset to watch.
At least we had TV reception so John watched cricket after dinner.
We woke up to a lovely sunny day. One of the ferries was getting loaded ready for its trip to Palm Island, the other was still tied up to its mooring buoy. I could see a truck, and a few utilities aboard.
After a few chores and MG work we took the dinghy under the sugar wharf and pulled the dinghys up the beach near the Lucinda General Store, deposited our garbage in the bin at the park then joined Nyeki and Beach Bum at the store for a lazy coffee and hot chocolate. The store has a reasonable supply of goods which we thought later we might grab a few basics.
After finishing our coffee, we ambled through the caravan park and checked out their freezer where the residents store all the fish skeletons. They are not allowed to fillet their fish near the water and throw the skeletons in as it attracts the crocodiles. (we have now entered croc country).
You can help yourself to a bag of skeletons anytime you need crab bait for your crab pots assuming its for residents of the caravan park. We thought we would help them out and later took a small bag to load up our pots when we went further up the channel.
We wandered further up the typically queensland ,wide streets of Lucinda crossing the cane train tracks to the Lucinda Point Hotel. According to Debra and Wayne the pub has been renovated and looked a lot better than when they were last here.
The five of us plus Morgan sat down and had a beer and ordered lunch.
John and I ordered a prawn and mango salad thinking as we were in north QLD it would be good. Well that’s the last time I order that particular dish, the prawns had been frozen and the mango was canned. The whole meal was flavourless. The other 3 ordered calamari and said it was nothing special. A couple of drinks later we visited the bottle shop where John stocked up on red wine then we strolled back through the caravan park picking up our crab bait from the freezer then onto the store for milk.
Curlew resting in the shade in the caravan park
Back on Ovive we upped anchor and hoisted the screecher and sailed up the channel to Heycock Island. The islands cloud covered mountains towered over us as we made our way up the channel, it looked like scenery from Jurassic Park. Rainforest and eucalypt forest descended down to the mangrove lined channel. I read that botanists believe Hinchinbrook has the most diverse mangroves in the country. They have identified 31 species of mangroves. I must admit I thought there were about 4 species.
You can walk the length of the island along the Thorsborne trail which takes about 4 days. Might have been good in my younger days but I’m not up to carrying a heavy pack now.
We dropped our anchor halfway between Heycock and Hinchinbrook islands. There were about 4 other boats already anchored up in anticipation of the oncoming bad weather.
Heycock Island
Deb and Wayne were already in their dinghy and off for a fish however they didn’t do any good. Only small Moses perch took the bait so lucky for them they were returned to the deep. Wayne found a couple of lures caught on the rocks on Heycock but was a bit wary of getting too close to shore in case of crocodiles lurking.
John put a line out from the back of Ovive but nothing was interested.
I spent the rest of the day working as we still had internet.
Up early as usual to read the emails and deal with them. When I went outside I noticed John had left his fishing line out overnight and it was heading for the prop. I left if for him to deal with as it was tight.
The decision was made by the three boats to head for Lucinda as the weather is likely to change earlier than expected and make this anchorage untenable.
First thing though get the line off the prop. As it was John’s line I felt it was his responsibility to fix the issue. There was no way to get it off without going in the water. John stripped down to his undies, ( a good look , lucky I had no photo), donned a face mask and went in. He was out again mighty fast , he said the line was tangled around the prop and a 1 metre shark that bared its teeth at him was on the other end. He grabbed a knife and went in again, cut the line and luckily the shark took off with all the line released from the prop. John came out fairly fast again, refreshed from his quick dip and brush with one of nature’s meaner machines, glad it was him. Made me vow never to leave my line out at night.
The sail to Lucinda was a good one with both main and jib up, sometimes assisted by the motors.
Towards the end of the day there was enough wind in the right direction to push us straight to the end of the very long sugar wharf at Lucinda.
The conveyer jetty extends 5.76 km out to the entrance of the Hinchinbrook channel and allows Lucinda to receive the largest ships used in the raw sugar trade. Apparently, it’s the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere. Sure seems like it when you are navigating the shallow waters along it.
We dropped sails and lined up the automated lead light showing us the deeper water alongside the conveyer belt.
There wasn’t time to go further up the channel, so we anchored west of the derelict molasses wharf next to the barges that transport trucks and plant across to the Palm Islands. There was just enough room for us 3 boats.
Tonight was a curried chicken and rice made from the left over chicken.
John cooked us bananas on toast for breaky while we packed up ready for Megs departure. I was knitting madly trying to finish Riley’s jumper which I didn’t finish in time for her to take home. I posted it a few days later from Lucinda instead.
Megs had the bus, ferry, shuttle bus and plane booked, so in that order she ticked off the day. John and I travelled with them on the bus to the Nelly Bay ferry terminal and spent an hour having hot chocolate and coffee at a café before their departure.
It was a sad farewell for Grandma to see the little ones go although peace and quiet on the boat was welcome when we arrived back.
Soon as we arrived back on Ovive we up anchored and headed towards Rattlesnake island a distance of only 15 nautical miles.
Leaving Horseshoe Bay
The island is used by RAFF Townsville which conducts live firing with military aircraft on regular occasions. When they are not live firing, they sometimes conduct survival courses. There was no live firing today so we were able to go ashore no further than the back of the beach.
While John went for a fish Morgan and I strolled along the beach looking for shells but they were all broken and bleached. Nothing worth collecting. John didnt do any good with the hunting either.
I did find some unexploded ordinance though.
A better option was to join Deb and Wayne and Geoff off Beach Bum for happy hour on shore and watch the sun sink low over the horizon. A very pleasant way to finish the day.
This morning it was toad in the hole for breakfast, the two girls once again devouring the eggs.
A quick swim was in order before Megs, the girls and I caught the bus to Arcadia to the post office and to grab a few items for Megs to take home.
We met John back at Horseshoe Bay for fish and chips for lunch and as usual we ordered far too much. The bench seats and tables were the perfect spot to enjoy the delicious lunch.
Charli was sliding along the seat and came off the back end and smacked her head on the concrete. She had a sizeable lump and was in a fair amount of pain. We monitored her and she seemed to be okay, there was a lot of crying though, it must have hurt.
Back on Ovive we built some lego and played a few games, before heading back ashore to walk to the Koala resort for the lorikeet feeding. The Bungalow Bay Koala Village has its own on-site wildlife park. The park is very popular for back packers as accommodation must be very reasonable. You can stay in bungalows or camp in your tent.
At the designated time of 4:15 the lorikeets arrived, and a feeding frenzy began with everyone vying for the lorikeets attention. The girls loved it, we were trying to get the birds to land on the girls’ hands and eventually they did.
The lorikeets are fed grated beetroot and carrot instead of the honey and bread, it’s a much healthier diet more akin to their natural feeding habits.
Two peas in a pod
For Megs last dinner we had booked a table at Sandis restaurant where on Fri night they had kids’ movie night on the big screen. It was steak night specials, so we all ordered steaks for $25 each and $4 extra for vegies instead of salad. For that price the steaks were delicious, juicy, and tasty, the best meal on Maggie so far.
The kids were enthralled with the movie Dumbo, they were given Bluetooth headphones. A fantastic idea which didn’t disturb adult conversations. Riley and Charli were glued to the screen then following Dumbo it was Alice in Wonderland.
Charli’s headphones were slightly large so her koala was used as padding, its been another long day!
On the dinghy ride back to Ovive Charli finally decided she liked dinghy rides.
Another lovely day dawned in northern Queensland. John cooked us bacon and eggs for breakfast, the girls having quite an appetite, so much that toast with blackberry jam was devoured after.
John and Megs headed out on a fishing expedition in the dinghy while the kids and I stayed on Ovive. I worked (MG) for half an hour then the kids and I baked a cinamon apple cake, had a puppet show and drew pictures.
The fisher folk fished on the southern side off Horseshoe bay close to the rocks but only caught a salmon catfish and several netting cod, none worth keeping. Deb and Wayne who were also out there caught a small coral trout. Not a very productive morning other than the cake.
The smallest catch of the trip
After lunch Megs, the girls and I went ashore for a beach walk. We strolled along the southern end of the beach collecting small shells, some with hermit crabs in and some dead crabs.
Most were thrown back in the water before we departed.
By then it was happy hour again so we enjoyed a few beers on the foreshore with Deb and Wayne and Geoff off Beach Bum. They had met Geoff last year when cruising. Geoff owns a Perry 43 cat, the same as Nyeki.
Back to Ovive for Balsamic sausages with mash for dinner and choc and golden syrup puddings with cream for dessert. Early to bed for those two young’uns after last night.
Today we had booked a car to tour around the island. At $149 for the day it was quite expensive. There were no mokes available, it seems its wise to book them a few days ahead.
We couldnt collect the car until 11 ;30 so Megs and the girls swam off the back of the boat to refresh themselves , no one was very game though.
The dinghy was lowered and the 5 of us hopped in and left Morgan to mind Ovive. She wasn’t allowed on the bus or in the hire car. Charli has decided the dinghy is too unstable and squeals every time we get into it thinking she is going to tip out. She appears to be relieved when we get to our destination.
We all caught the bus to Nellie Bay to the car pick up joint then dropped into the hardware so I could purchase some hose ends, before driving down to the picturesque Picnic Bay. Picnic Bay has sweeping beaches in a tranquil setting and with the wind minimal an ideal spot for swimming. The iconic jetty reflects the island’s long history of tourism. Apparently, the Butler family settled here in 1877 and started an intermittent ferry service, bringing holiday makers to the island from Townsville.
We strolled along the jetty looking down into the clear waters where several fish were spotted.
We purchased ice creams for all at the Picnic Bay hotel as it was too early for beers then back to Geffrey’s Bay to search for rock wallabies.
We drove along a skinny road to an obsolete jetty skirted by large boulders and stunted pines. There were no wallabies in sight as we parked but a walk further along the rocky track revealed some sitting atop rocks hoping for a feed. We had only a small portion of apple with us however a kind woman gave the girls some carrot to feed to the wallabies. The small furry marsupials were shy but became bolder once food was offered.
Lunch saw us at the Arcadia pub which had a pool. Patrons of the pub were allowed to swim in the pool so the girls had a swim while we waited for our order of Bangers and Mash, Thai Beef salad and fish and chips.
Stone curlews snuck in between tables hoping for a feed only to be shoed out by the staff. They are a very large ground dwelling bird living on insects and frogs , its a shame it has learnt to feed off scraps.
On the way back to Horseshoe Bay John dropped us off at the forts walk so we could look for koalas then went back to Nelly Bay to return the car.
We started the walk hoping the koalas weren’t too far away as the girls had already had a fairly full day. The four-kilometre return walk leads to historic World War II fortifications and infrastructure. As we passed walkers coming back we were updated on how far away the nearest koala was. Megs and I had walked the trail several times in previous years so we weren’t bothered if we didn’t go far.
We walked through through eucalypt and acacia woodland hoping for a glimpse of a koala in the stunted trees. We were rewarded about 500 metres into the walk with one very close to the track. The girls were eager to touch however he was sleeping, and we discouraged contact as koalas require 20 hrs of sleep per day.
He did move though, stretching, yawning and even opening his eyes. The girls were pretty please especially as Koala is Charli’s favourite animal. We walked another 100 metres and came across another koala higher up. Time to turn around and head back as we had one rather worn-out kid.
Back at the entrance to the walk we waited for a bus but according to the timetable one wasn’t due for 30 mins so we decided to walk back to Horseshoe Bay, Megan carrying Charli. The walk started along a rocky trail but then opened out to houses where we walked along the roadside picking frangipanis and leaves to amuse ourselves. By the time we were almost back to Horseshoe Bay the bus arrived, so we hopped on it and travelled the last kilometre to the pub. Who should we find at the pub but John and Debra and Wayne waiting for us.
I took the dinghy back to Ovive picked up Morgan and joined the others at the outside tables for happy hour. It was easy to have dinner onshore at the Marlin Bar, we ordered Arancini balls, steaks and crab ravioli. The fare was average, but I wasn’t overly worried as I didn’t have to cook. Megan bought the kids red fizzy drinks, their first ever and as far as they are concerned, their last. Charli was hilarious chattering to everyone about anything and even when we got back to Ovive we couldn’t get them to sleep. At one stage Riley asked ‘how long is it till morning’? Very unusual for them as they normally fall asleep quite fast.
Time to leave the marina and take the girls out to Maggie. We departed at 8 am after porridge for breaky to avoid the wind getting any stronger and whipping up the ocean. I wasn’t sure if the girls might get seasick, I took a tablet in case. Megs assured me all would be good.
Riley’s friend Evie was sad to see us go and shed a few tears as its unusual for her to have a friend so close.
The wind was blowing us slightly sideways as we motored out of our berth pushing us close to the boat on our starboard side. Megs pushed off our neighbour to keep us off but, in the process, dislocated her shoulder, she popped it back in however the muscles were still sore for a few days. according to the specialist she needs to have an operation , otherwise it will happen more frequently.
We motored out to Maggie as the wind was in the wrong direction for a sail. The swell which had been building for days slapped against the starboard hull making an uncomfortable ride. Megs sat on the pushpit seat out in the fresh air then she was joined by Charli looking somewhat green. Too late , the porridge came back up into Megs hands and then into the bucket.
I washed out the bucket then it was Rileys turn to feel unwell. They all sat breathing in the fresh air until we turned the corner round to Horseshoe Bay and the waters smoothed out. I am glad I’d had my tablet so I was able to deal with the sick without being ill myself.
Arriving at Horseshoe Bay at 11.00 we anchored reasonably close to the shore as Deb and Wayne had sussed out a spot for us not far from them. Apparently,a cat had just left. There were 55 boats in the bay so not easy to get in close, handy to have someone on the inside, so to speak.
We took the girls ashore, bought buckets and spades from the corner store and they happily sat on the beach collecting shells and making sandcastles.
Megs was keen to find coconuts so with the help of Wayne we raided some coconut palms behind the ice cream shop, fortunately the tree was easy to scale next to a high fence. We had enough coconuts for a while now.
Back to the beach where Megs sat and hacked away at the husk with the machete we had bought in New Guinea,
while the kids enjoyed more beach time and we sat on the tables overlooking the bay, downing a few beers. Actually only John , Wayne and Deb downed the beers.
Later in the afternoon we watched the sunset on Nyeki during happy hour.
The morning started with light winds so we refurled the screecher then just as Sandra and Doug dropped in enlisted their help to untwist the halyard.
We joined them for coffee and hot chocolate at the pool café before Megs took the kids to the water park again and I went and bought a few more groceries.
The five of us rode scooters along to the fish and chip shop on the Strand and had an expensive but tasty lunch on the windy sidewalk. The seagulls also seemed to enjoy our lunch.
The gelato icecreams after were somewhat large for the kids, John scoffed all of his.
Megs and I and the kids took our scooters all the way north along the Strand visiting a climbing frame then onto Jezzine Barracks Park.
The park is a 37-acre heritage precinct commemorating the military heritage of the Kissing Point headland through public artworks and signage and the restoration of significant elements of the Kissing Point Fort complex.
During WWII, Kissing Point housed training encampments. The area to the south-west of the fortification was renamed Jezzine Barracks in 1941, honouring the recent successful campaign at Jezzine in Beirut. the map of the battle of the Coral Sea was very interesting.
Townsville was the largest Allied operational base in the South West Pacific during World War Two and played an important support role in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Looking over to Magnetic Island
High on the headland the wind was blowing its full 18 knts throwing a little moisture into the mix to make us quite cold. We hightailed it out of there down to sheltered footpaths along which we scooted back to the Marina.
Morgan badly need a haircut so she was shaved up at the laundry area while Riley entertained Evie on Ovive.
Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner then a short walk to the Centennial Fountain in Anzac Park which commemorates the centenary of the separation of the colony of Queensland from NSW in 1859. The fountain is spectacular at night with its everchanging colours and the mournful cry of the curlews in the shrubbery.
