Mission Beach

Oyster Moon
Paul Foskett & Rhu Nash
Thu 8 Aug 2013 08:51

Position 17 51.88S 146 06.47E

 

Mission Beach is a really small village with a load of restaurants and a 16 km white sandy beach.  Lots of holiday makers come her.  Weather is starting to improve, coming out of the wet season, sea is warm 23C, day temperatures around 27C and no stingers at the moment.  Still got the crocs though.  Here’s the beach, not often that you see a beach zonation.  There are three zones here, upper beach dry, damp part in the middle, wet part at the bottom.  All lined with coconut palms – just like being abroad.

 

 

Paul contemplating the ocean, Dunk Island in the background.  The weather has been really calm for the last few days and is predicted to stay the same for the next week or so.  To the south, Victoria and New South Wales, are having storms. 

 

 

You can just about make out the offshore reefs between the mainland and Dunk Island.

 

 

No idea what these squiggly trails are from – either worm or snail - grooves in the sand not casts.

 

 

All, or so it seems to us, the popular beaches in north east Queensland have stinger nets.  Paul contemplating the drum, minus net.  The nets are either permanent or like these deployed between buoys during the stinger season.

 

 

At the north end of the beach at Clump Point protected by a small causeway is a public slipway.  It way mayhem when we visited at about 2pm as all the ‘tinny's’ were making their way back in.  All very ordered though, everyone waiting their turn.  Paul watching the fun.

 

 

You see these first aid tubs everywhere.  They contain vinegar – if you get stung by any jellyfish you pour the stuff over the stings, the box jelly fish will be excruciating.  There is another jelly fish called irukandji, whose stings may not be obvious at first.  When you start getting very stressed and pass out they are!  Most people will carry vinegar with them  What we didn’t realise was the quantity of vinegar you are supposed to pout over a sting – 1 -2 litres in the first 30 seconds.

 

 

Seaward of the causeway, Clump Point itself is a rocky boulder shore.  Basalt and the only place that basalt reaches the sea, apparently.

 

 

Paul contemplating the ocean, again, in a very small empty sandy and rocky bay whose name I forget.

 

 

This area is called the Cassowary Coast…. Not seen any other than this.

 

 

One of the things that you love about Australia is the ‘clearness’ of the sky.  The stars shine really brightly and the blue of a clear sky is incredible.

 

 

Finally, we saw these stone curlews on the edge of the rain forest.  They remain really still.  Not quite blending in the landscape as they have previously.  Apparently, they lay a single egg. We have only ever seen them in threes so have assumed one is the growing chick.