Great Barrier Reef

We missed the reef diving trips at Cairns and Cape Tribulation, so took the opportunity here at Mission Beach to show the boys the Great Barrier Reef.

Harry

It was yucky weather on the surface, but the swell was manageable and the visibility below was okay. We saw some amazing coral and fish and some giant clams. John pretended to get his hand stuck in one. He thought it was funny, but we (novices) did not.

It was an amazing dive (three actually) and only 45 minutes from Mission Beach. We haven’t agreed on which is better: Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo Reef on the west coast. Perhaps we should visit there again to refresh our memories!

Cyclone Yasi in 2011 was one hell of a hit to this part of Queensland. One of the strongest cyclones recorded, it crossed the coast right here at Mission Beach and the eye of the cyclone continued through to Tully. This is the reason for so many of the buildings in Tully being fairly newly built. As is the case in Mission Beach. This is a beautiful piece of coast, with houses built right on the beach front. No wonder they all look so new. They are mostly post-Yasi built. It made me wonder what the insurance premiums are like up here.

The weather gods have frowned on us today, and my tan will continue to be a shining light in the Sun Sense campaign. John and the boys boarded the kayak and headed to Dunk Island, four kilometres off the coast. I took the water taxi from the next beach up the coast (Wangilong) – but they omitted to tell the passengers they had to wade through thigh deep water (for tall people) to reach the boat, but hey, I’ll dry out.

Dunk Island used to be a resort Island, but was pretty much ruined by Cyclone Yasi.

Dunk Island Resort. Holiday anyone?

A mining magnate millionaire, Peter Bond, bought the private property part of the island (the rest is National Park) and has refurbished a few units for his family and friends. I hear they have big parties here. They also maintain the airstrip and allow the public to use the walking tracks outside the private property. So we wandered along the beach on a grim day that threatened rain, only delivering a light shower.

The jetty at Dunk Island looking back to Mission Beach on the mainland

The boys had a great time building stone cairns. I have to put both their photos up – or suffer the consequences.

Fergus counted 20 stones in his best. This one was an early attempt.

Harry’s cairn – a slender structure.

We indulged in a reef and beef burger stack for lunch at the café that operates out of a container on the spit here. Big feed.

The demise of Dunk Island as a functioning resort has a huge effect on Mission Beach. This is the peak of the tourist season in this region – but you’d never know it. There’s a lot of For Sale signs around here.

The cassowary is an endangered bird found (so long as they haven’t become extinct) in the region from Townsville north to Cardwell. They call it the Cassowary Coast. Like they’re everywhere. The cassowary was supposed to be likely to be sighted on the 10km walk I did through the forest round the back of Mission Beach while the boys went on a bike ride through the same area. Remembering of course not to stop for more than a few seconds (no joke) or the mozzies will start their feast. Not a cassowary to be seen. So, back at the camping ground, where there’s plenty of humanity, out pops a cassowary and its chick. Then comes the dad, who wanders through everyone’s tent and trailer. What a treat!

Cassowary at Mission Beach

A small note to self – do not go for 10km walks in mosquito infested rainforests again. What starts out as a wide track, ends up as a tiny, muddy track with thorny vines ready to grab you as you pass. Do not expect husband to be waiting for you where and when you specified. Enjoy the wine after these activities more than usual.

Random item for today: it rains so much around Tully (highest rainfall in Australia) that they mow their lawns every 10 days. Imagine being a mower repair man up here. You’d be taking holidays in Monte Carlo.

It certainly is lush and green around these parts and it was bumper to bumper crops of bananas and sugar cane today. We decided to have an educational (no historical displays !!) morning at the Tully Sugar Mill. From the beginnings of the harvested cane…

Sugarcane!

all the way through the process of extracting the sugar and filling up the big B Doubles with the finished product. This place is like being on a movie set – from the 50s.

Tully Sugar Mill

See the steam rising out of the grates over the drains? I kept expecting Marilyn Monroe to pop around the corner. I think it was built in the 20s, and not much seems to have changed.

Inside the refinery

I keep hearing that Midnight Oil song going round in my head – the sugar refining company won’t help you – but I’m sure it’s all happy days here. The mill works for 24 weeks a year from June to December, then shuts down and does maintenance. The smell is an unmistakable sugar kind of smell. Sort of. Or maybe just a weird smell. I could still smell it the next day in different clothes and after a shower. Once the sugarcane is harvested, they have to extract the sugar within 8-12 hours before the content starts to decrease. I never knew that. The mill works 24 hours a day ploughing through the stream of cages full of freshly harvested cane.

Sugarcane on its way to our table

They are very environmentally friendly. The huge plumes that puff out of the chimney stacks aren’t icky polluting gases. It’s actually steam. They burn some of the waste product and produce enough power to supply the entire mill, plus put some back in the grid that powers about 5000 homes.

Furnace at Tully Sugar Mill burning at 500 degrees

Pretty impressive. They reckon that sugarcane puts more carbon back in to our world than trees. Maybe one day we will have sugar cane forests everywhere!