On arrival at Mission Beach we checked into the small, Hibiscus caravan park, where sites were separated by small gardens. The owners were a young couple who made us very welcome. The next day, they came around, offering fish freshly caught and filleted by the husband, to anyone who wanted some. Needless to say we all enjoyed fish for dinner that night, and were very grateful for their generosity. They also fired up their pizza oven and cooked pizzas prepared by guests, for anyone who wanted one cooked. They had happy hour and created a community feeling in their park which was really different.
The area is renowned for its population of cassowarys. The only one we saw is below.
We walked every path through every forest in the hope of spotting one of these creatures. When we were in the Daintree and still had no sighting, we were told not to despair.... We would definitely see one in Mission Beach.
In Mission Beach we walked and walked.
We even became excited when we tracked the recent spoor of the mystic bird.
Then there was an even more recent dropping, still warm we thought.
Alas! At the end of a long, hard trek, we were still sightless. The people in the caravan park said there had been one ON OUR SITE the day BEFORE we got there, and everyone else had seen it.
All I can say, is thank goodness we saw the fake one, and we had seven sightings of it. So there!
We drowned our sorrows, literally, in the warm waters off Dunk Island. We caught the Water Taxi across to the Island, which took about twenty minutes. We the had about four hours to explore and swim. We all had our own snorkels and fins and had a perfect day snorkelling, sun baking and reading on the beach.
There were obvious signs of severe damage to the now closed resort, which has been sold to a new owner who is gradually rebuilding it. There is nowhere to stay on the island so tourists are all day trippers at the moment. There is a kiosk open on certain days where you can buy drinks and some food, and otherwise , the island has five staff working and care taking and that's it.
Destruction caused by Cyclone Yasi
No marine stingers for this body which is wriggling into a full wetsuit!!
We had a great day.
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