We came to stay for a couple of
days and a week later we are still here. It’s a beautiful island and despite
the rolliness with the swell that enters the anchorage usually at high tide we
decided to stay until a new window opens for a trip to a nearby reef. We got
good references on Eddy Reef from the scuba dive operators and would like to
stop there on our way to Cairns.
Dunk Island is part of the Family Group
of islands and is located about 2 miles east of Mission Beach in the continent.
A water taxi runs frequently and brings people for a day visit or a camping
trip, but access is very easy by boat, and some people come on their own little
boat or even by canoe. There is a resort that is not operating since damaged by
cyclone Yasi (February 2011). Plans to re-open the resort are slowly
underway, nobody knows when but nowadays the Sunset Bar is open and operates on
weekends offering quite good food to be savoured under the shadows of the palm
trees in beautiful Brammo Bay beach.
Having dropped anchor on a Saturday
afternoon we soon went ashore and enjoyed a beer while chatting with the bar
owner. He was busy preparing what looked like yummy hamburgers and we promised
we’ll come back for lunch on Sunday. Next day was weather perfect and the beach
bar was crowded. There was live music playing reggae nicely. We ordered the
special of the day for lunch, a very well served portion for 2 of prawns with
homemade sauce and 2 cold coronas. There might have been about 18 large tiger
prawns and we ate them all, what a treat. After that we had a very relaxing
time at the beach before heading back on board.
Next
day was a work day for Oscar as he decided to go searching for a fix for our
engine oil leak. It was easier than he anticipated. Having taken the water taxi
to Mission Beach, rented a car (they came to pick him up at the beach) and went
on search of needed spare parts and tools. In Tully he found them together with
detailed explanations from very friendly staff. Having finished early he
decided to visit Innisfail, a lovely country town where David from Seabreeze
had recommended a professional mechanic that gave Oscar excellent advice.
Having
finished earlier than expected there was time to visit Woolies for some needed
fresh items before taking the water taxi back to Dunk. With the right tool and
parts he got right to work that same day and in half an hour the engine was
running and no leaks! We couldn’t thank David enough for the invaluable help
and hope we’ll see Seabreeze around sometime soon!
 |
| Island Spirit Water Taxi |
 |
| On the way to Mission Beach |
Tuesday
came and weather was still perfect. We went around the island with the dinghy and found
a nice spot for spearfishing. Oscar went looking for lobsters and I went
snorkeling looking for nice and colorful fish, we found neither but the snorkeling was nice anyway in a quiet and amazing surrounding. The bottom was covered by a mix of small coral heads and
lots of rocks, just the right bottom for lobsters, so Oscar was happy to stay
in the area.
There
are a couple of fishermen trawlers that come some days to spend the day at the
anchorage setting sail again at 6.00 PM as they fish all night. Thinking of
tiger prawns, Oscar took the dinghy and went to have a chat with one of the
fishermen, he came back with a bowl full of prawns, extremely fresh and at a very convenient price.
We
had prawns for dinner the next 3 days (chili prawns, Spanish rice with prawns
and prawns with cocktail sauce), great dining!
We
are now watching the forecast and it seems we can leave Monday morning for a
couple of days at the reef. In the meantime we continue enjoying the beautiful
surroundings and the amazing sunsets.
G.
No comments:
Post a Comment