A Week At Lizard Island 16th - 22nd August

Without any doubt Lizard Island is the highlight of our 2015 sailing season. It is a wild, wonderful place with incredibly beautiful scenery in which ever direction you look. When we left Albany two and a half years ago (16 sailing months ago) one of our goals was to sail as far as Lizard Island. Back then this destination was so far in the future that we didn't give it too much thought. Now we have achieved one of our main goals, so some thought will have to be given as to what we intend to do next. In the meantime this is our Lizard Island.




Mrs Watson's Bay

As we left Cape Flattery Lizard Island was just visible in the haze to the north east. It was a quick sail in 15 - 20 knot SE winds and we arrived in Mrs Watson's Bay at 11.30am. The stark granite mountain scenery dominated the eastern side of the island and huge slabs of granite rock lined parts of the bay. It reminded me a little of the rocks in Ataturk Channel as you enter Albany Harbour. This is a beautiful, secure bay to anchor in. The water is crystal clear and the reef easy to see as we motored in to claim our little piece of paradise. With 13 boats in the bay there was plenty of room and we managed to find a spot close to the beach. Lizard has a wide valley that funnels the wind into Mrs Watson's Bay from the SE and magnifies it into strong bullets at times so we wanted to get in close to make the dinghy trip ashore was less splashy and more comfortable. I discovered the art of standing in the dinghy holding onto the painter in order to avoid most of the spray as we took Lily ashore.

After lunch we decided to go ashore and investigate the possibilities for walking and exploring the island. In the next bay we could see the refurbished resort, but we knew that only residents were welcome there. At $2000 per night I guess the guests have a right to have the place to themselves. We discovered that several walk tracks left Mrs Watsons Bay taking hikers to various destinations on the island. The first afternoon we took the track beside the airport runway to the Blue Lagoon on the southern side about 2kms from our anchorage. The track took us up the valley and it became obvious that this island is quite different to any we have seen in Queensland so far. There is a huge swampy area that is green and lush and set between the rocky hills you can't help but think this is an ancient scene. There is a lot of history here.




Chinaman's Hill Lookout Walk

A Visit to the Research Station

We met some of the other boaties on the beach in the evening and they informed us that the Research Station conducts tours of their facility on Monday mornings at 10am. Six of us met on the beach ready to walk the 3kms along the sandy track in the warm morning sunshine. As we walked along, Doreen and Neil, Robyn and Mark and Peter and I got talking and couldn't believe it when we discovered that we had all spent time in WA. Doreen and Neil had worked in shearing sheds around Esperance and Robyn and Mark had lived at Grass Patch (near Esperance). We had lived not far away in Lake Grace and here we were with 13 other boats at Lizard Island and we had all spent a part of our lives within a couple of hundred kms of each other. It is a small world!!

At the Research Station a young man conducted the tour which began with an introductory video. He then showed us the experiments being conducted and explained his own research project which was to do with the ability of corals to recover from bleaching episodes caused by warming water. It was a very interesting morning and well worth the effort expended to get there. We found that we had mobile coverage there and access to the weather forecast is available as well.

Everyone was interested in the Crown of Thorns Starfish
 

Cook's Lookout Walk



On top of the world. The view from Cook's Lookout

An early start on a beautiful, still, sunny morning saw us on the beach ready for the Cook's Lookout walk. It was obviously going to be strenuous and the first third of the walk lived up to expectations. Clambering up and over steep rocks and narrow rocky paths kept the heart rate up and soon rest breaks gave us magnificent views over the island and anchorage. The second third of the walk lead along the ridge top and through thicker vegetation and cyclone damaged forest. Two category four cyclones within two years have reeked havoc on the  landscape and the buildings of the resort. People have told us that before the cyclones the forested parts of the island were thick and shady and that the resort buildings could not be seen amongst the trees. Ragged, broken trees now dominate the landscape.

This is supposed to help......just don't look down!

The final third of the walk took us up the grassy slopes to the highest part of Cook's Lookout. What a view when you get to the top. Incredible! We appreciated the views, added a rock to the cairn, rested a while and boosted the energy levels with a snack and drink. A small wooden box was located next to the rock cairn so we opened it and found a visitors book which we signed. This one was brand new and the navy had left it there only two days before. A blurb at the front of the book  informed us that the previous one is located within the resort. Kapok trees were in full flower as were many small plants growing among the rocks which added colour to the pretty walk. This is a great walk.

My contribution to the cairn

 

  

Discovering the visitor's book

 



The navy blurb

Several boaties had told us that you could get mobile phone reception on a large flat rock about a third of the way up Cook's Lookout. We found that this was indeed the case and we made some phone calls to family and friends while up there. We even walked up on another occasion. It's not often you meet your daily exercise requirements making a phone call.


Devonshire Tea in Mrs Watson's Bay

Every second or third day as the sun sinks towards the horizon dinghies begin the trip ashore for sundowners on the beach. On one of these occasions we met Annie and Ronnie from Siri. Annie paints tropical scenes on driftwood and her paintings were beautiful. I particularly liked the sea turtles. Annie invited us to homemade scones, jam and cream on Siri the next day. So on a windy afternoon we made our way out the back of the anchorage to Siri and had a lovely time yarning and enjoying the best Devonshire Tea on Annies and Ronnies beautiful boat.

Later in the week we visited Robyn and Mark on Gallivant for morning tea where we enjoyed very yummy pumpkin muffins. I'm afraid I haven't yet mastered the vagaries of our gas oven so when friends come to Rene Mrs Arnott is called upon to supply the goodies. Very slack I know, but with only one small gas bottle we have to be careful how we use it. That's my excuse anyway!!

Water At Lizard

One of the best things about Lizard Island is the fact that you can get access to fresh water to replenish supplies. It comes via a hand pump that pumps water straight out of the ground. The water is fresh and clear and we found it very drinkable. The pump is about 250m along a short walk behind the beach. On Saturday we made our way to the pump with our assortment of buckets and bottles to collect water for our trip back to Cooktown. Seven other people were collecting water and I wished I had brought the camera as everyone filled their containers and did the washing. Sheets hanging in the trees, people waiting their turn at the pump and others using the pump would have made a wonderful picture. It is a great place to wash the hair as well.

Peter perfects the knack of priming the pump and ..............water!

 The walks are well maintained and invite exploration. Having spent the week keeping our eyes peeled for a glimpse of a lizard we had almost given up by the second last day. There was plenty of evidence of them in the lizard tracks observed on the sandy bush tracks. Our last walk up to the lookout on Chinaman's Hill we finally spotted one and got a good photo. Lizard Island is a beautiful, unique place. Aboriginal cultural history and European history make this an interesting destination. We loved it.

The Lizard



The Trip to Lizard Island 12th - 16th August

Hope Isles

Annie & Ronnie's 'Siri' at the Hope Isles

We said our goodbyes to Nigel and Sarah, next to us, in the Port Douglas Marina and motored out to begin the 47nm sail to the tiny, reef encrusted Hope Isles where we planned to spend the night. Port Douglas Marina has just constructed a huge new super yacht facility which has extended the marina berths and had me a bit bamboozled on our arrival as the marina plan in our 'Lucas' did not relate to what I was seeing. It is very impressive. The day was fine and calm and we motor/sailed for most of the way, gazing at the mountainous scenery and pretty bays along the coast.

The Hope Isles are interesting, especially if you arrive late in the day and the sun glares on the water. It is a place where it is imperative to have a view of the reefs and bombies in the water - that means arriving by 3-4pm and no later. We arrived at 5pm after a long slow day. Local knowledge would also have been an advantage in achieving an incident free entry into the anchorage. There is so much reef here and we overshot the easiest entry in, but I did my best to use my ex-rayless eyes to pick our way through the reef and bombies in order to anchor near the other boats. The glare made it difficult and after a couple of quick turns when coral began to appear under us, we finally dropped the anchor in 14m of water near the eastern island. Nine boats anchored in this tiny area for the night. I know why the Hope Isles got their name - you HOPE you don't run aground as you approach the anchorage. There are two courtesy moorings here, but both were already taken when we arrived.

A new day dawns at the Hope Isles

Next morning we saw that three of the others were preparing to leave, so we decided to tag along behind and find the best way out. Listening to them on the VHF informed us they had been here before and knew where to go. Actually it was quite easy as the sun clearly showed the reef in the water.

Cape Flattery

The wind gradually built during the day and we flew along and found ourselves off Cape Flattery at 4pm, where we motored around into the north eastern bay behind the cape and dropped anchor with two other yachts. The wind was quite gusty, but the water was calm and the anchorage secure after a 51nm trip. A ship was loading sand off  an open water jetty on the southern side of the cape. There is a sand mine here, but we could only see the glow lights in the next bay as night closed in.

Loading sand at Cape Flattery

On Friday we took Lily ashore to a beautiful, long white beach backed by rugged, scrubby bushland hills. The beach was littered with shells; cowries, olives, cones and various snail types, but all were old and broken. Very disappointing! As the tide went out it exposed large areas of sandbanks so we scouted about and managed to find some live olive shells. It reminded me of childhood when our family went 'up north' shell collecting with family friends. Needless to say we put the shells back in the sand to live another day. Behind the beach fresh water oozes out of the hill in places and huge paperbark trees line the beach. It is such a pretty place. The beach turns into cliffs and it is possible to walk around them when the tide goes out. There are so many interesting rock shapes and colours.

We could see two derelict houses on the hillside above the bay, so on Saturday we decided to explore them. Obviously a cyclone had damaged the structures and they had not been renovated. Rubbish was scattered everywhere and no attempt to clean up had been made. Piles of new cladding had been delivered and remained in untouched heaps deteriorating in the weather. Such a waste!!

There are many camp sites along the beach which looked as though they were frequently used and sure enough, several groups of people set up camps on the weekend. Pity they don't all take their rubbish home with them. A closer look into the bush behind the beach reveals quantities of rubbish that otherwise spoil this beautiful place. Later, when I read about this area I found out that it was actually Aboriginal land. Hope Vale Aboriginal Community is situated near Cape Bedford not far to the south.



We called this rock formation Giraffe Neck

Up the hill for a better view


 

On Sunday we began preparations for the short sail to Lizard Island.

Port Douglas Magic 8th - 9th August

Port Douglas is behind the little hill

 

 

We had a leisurely motor/sail, and eventually sail, from Yorkey's Knob to Port Douglas. Book reading, gazing at the amazing scenery and lazing in the sun meant that on arrival at berth A23 in the marina we were ready for a bit of exploring. What a tourist paradise this is and obviously this is the high season. People everywhere! The town itself, only a couple of hundred metres from our marina, consists of predominantly cafes, restaurants, boutiques, travel souvenir shops and acres of tourist accommodation. Aside from the crowds of people, the gardens, streetscapes and buildings are quite lovely and wandering around is an absolute pleasure.

We have been told that the marina berths here are fairly shallow and to expect Rene to settle into the soft mud in the low tides we are experiencing at present. The channel into the marina is dredged and deep enough, as is the marina itself, but the berths have not been dredged for a while. (Not as bad as Conwy though Greg.) The bathrooms here are luxurious. Separate unisex bathrooms, new and clean and a pleasure to use. Only Soldiers Point, in Port Stevens, beats this one. You get music and flowers there.

Port Douglas

On Sunday morning we walked to the market we had seen advertised the day before. This is one of the best markets we have been to. It is huge and most of the stallholders produce their wares in this area. I didn't notice any of the Bali/Chinese trinkets and beads that usually predominate in markets today. I could have let my head go here. Luckily I had Peter to keep me on the straight and narrow. Where are my girlfriends for a bit of girl shopping when I want them?

Temptation at the markets

After the markets we wandered down the main street to the beach. This would have to be one of the loveliest beaches in Australia. The sea sparkled in the sunshine and the water had cleared out to a beautiful aquamarine blue. Half of Far North Queensland's population appeared to be on the beach or in the water. Half of those were soaking up the sun and brewing up a recipe for future skin cancer. Oh well, live for today!

While we were on the beach we could see the Low Isles, only 7.5 nm NE of Port Douglas, and watched the tourist boats making their way out for day trips. We have decided to take advantage of this gorgeous weather and leave Port Douglas tomorrow and begin our trip further north with a night at the Low Isles. Following a stop over here we intend to visit the Hope Isles and then on to Cooktown to ready ourselves for the final leg north to Lizard Island.

The Bally Hooley steam train runs past our back door

New Territory Trinity Inlet & Yorkey's Knob 31st July - 6th August



Mourilyan Harbour to Trinity Inlet



Departing Mourilyan Harbour

After much discussion and trawling through the various weather sites three of the yachts anchored in Mourilyan Harbour during the adverse weather conditions decided to make a break for Fitzroy Island or Cairns. We thought Cape Grafton, about 7nm east of Cairns, might be the place to go. It was to be a long days sail in windy, showery conditions, but at least it would be quick. The three of us left early and stayed within sight of each other for most of the day. Spirit of Biscay (Sarah and Nigel) sailed out to sea. We picked the middle passage and the other yacht, a Bavaria 39, stayed in closer to the shore. By 3pm we were off Cape Grafton and as we rounded the cape and sailed into the bay we decided that Cairns would be a better option as it was obvious that there was little shelter to be found here today. Bullets of wind gusted across the bay turning the water a nasty brown colour awash with white caps.

Lily sits safely in the cockpit on the way to Cairns



After motoring into Cairns Harbour we made our way inland as far as the entrance to Smith's Creek where on the opposite shore we found enough space to anchor for the night. It was very quiet and the water calm and still after our vigorous day's sail. We expected strong currents through this anchorage as spring tides were now in place. Wow! During the night we suddenly heard a loud grinding, grumbling noise that woke us with a start. The water was racing past Rene's hull, rattling and gurgling as it went. After leaping out of bed and staring into the darkness, thinking we had tangled up with something, we decided that it was the anchor chain straightening out as we changed direction with the tide. Nothing seemed amiss, but that was the strongest current we have ever seen.

In the morning we motored further up Trinity Inlet to explore a bit before catching the tide out and making for Yorkey's Knob about 7nm north of Cairns. Trinity Inlet is huge and has many good anchorage sites. There are however, many derelict boats and hulls lying along the shores and in the mangroves, the result of cyclones and neglect I suppose. Smith's Creek is completely crowded with trawlers, customs, navy, yacht club facilities and pile moorings. Interesting for a look, but not much room for anchoring.

Yorkey's Knob

Our view from Rene

The manager at Half Moon Bay Marina allocated us berth 6 which is very close to the gate and the facilities just beyond. It is such a convenient place to be and at $240 per week we decided to make this our stopover for the week. The entry was straightforward although the depth showed 2.7m as we approached the marina wall. Our draft is 1.8m and I kept a good eye on the echo sounder. The tide was well out so most craft would not have problems getting in here. However the Bluewater Marina next door, in the canal development, had very little water at the entry so a high tide would be necessary to access this marina.

Sarah and Nigel arrived just ahead of us and after a long basking in the showers and fresh clothes we all met on the yacht club veranda for lunch. Sooooo Lovely!!!

A courtesy bus from the marina to the Smithfield Shopping Centre is available to marina residents on Monday, Wednesday and Friday departing at 12 noon and returning at 2pm. It is great for reprovisioning, but with 2 hours you can't muck around. We will take advantage of it on Friday to stock up before our trip to Port Douglas on Saturday - weather permitting.

Sunbuses make hourly trips to James Cook Uni or the Smithfield Shopping Centre and from there a change of bus takes you into Cairns or to the Northern Beaches. On Tuesday we went into Cairns for the morning and that was enough as we are not into the full on touristy thing. Having mastered the bus timetable we decided to take a trip to Palm Cove (Northern Beaches) on Wednesday. This is also very touristy, but the beach is beautiful as is the beach front walk and jetty. Behind the road is crowded with apartments, multi-story holiday accommodation, cafes and restaurants. We were impressed though as the huge old melaleuca's have been retained, in some cases within the buildings, and the gardens are beautiful.

Trees inside the buildings at Palm Cove

We are thoroughly enjoying Yorkey's Knob. The yacht club is popular and we have had to wait for a table to become available for an evening meal on the veranda. The beach is lovely, the suburban gardens jungly and interesting and there is a very nice coffee shop at the small shopping centre down the road.



Holloways Beach

 



We have now entered new sailing grounds for us. In the next few weeks we intend to sail as far as Lizard Island where we hope to stay for a while before making our way south back to Townsville.



Some beautiful flowering trees in Cairns city

 

How clever is this? I still don't know how I did it!!!!