Our first stop was at Lake McKenzie, a jewel of the
island. It is a perch lake (perched high
up in the sand dunes). The lake can hold
water because after centuries a think layer of organic material has built up on
the bottom of the lake (and many others on the island) so that it can retain
water. It was a beautiful lake with a
lovely, white sand beach, and water that went from a vibrant turquoise to a
deep blue (where the sand dropped off to deep water).
Most of us had a great swim (or at least fun wading). After about an hour we trooped up to the bus
where we had tea and biscuits (cookies).
When walking up the path we spotted a long row of
caterpillars, wandering nose to tail, on their way somewhere. There were several of these lines…some up to
five or more feet long.
It was fascinating how well the buses managed in the
sand. And there was a lot of sand. And they sometimes left massive ruts.
Our next stop was Wanggoolba Creek. This creek is sacred to the women of Butchulla
tribe. They came here to give birth or
when they were not well. The men were
forbidden from coming to the area. If they
came and saw the creek their punishment was to have their eyes put out (same
thing for the women if they saw a place sacred to the men).
The water was so crystal clear that it was hard to even tell
that there was water in the creek.
Along the walk there were great King Ferns…
and a massive staghorn fern.
After lunch at a resort on the east side of the island we
headed down to 75-Mile Beach. This beach
is 63-miles long (according to the guide...although Google says it is 75 miles). The beach is pretty much a dead straight run
with only one small area with enough coffee rock that we needed to make a
detour.
The beach is also considered a roadway and all normal
Australian rules of the road and speed limits apply. In this case, the speed limit was 80
kilometers per hour or 50 miles per hour.
And it felt like Amy went the limit the entire way.
This beach is gorgeous but cannot be used for swimming. It has many riptides that carry anything they
catch out to a current that runs the length of Australia. So you would swirl back to the beach, like
some riptides but would end up in Antarctica if you missed the tip of
Australia. And, if the riptide doesn’t
do you in one of the sharks will. They
have Great Whites, Bull, Blue and Tiger sharks…all the types you want to stay
away from. Sort of too bad because it is
a gorgeous beach.
After about 20 minutes or so down the beach we stopped and
the bus was boarded by a pilot who have a pitch for their flightseeing
tour. And we bit. Turns out the beach is one of only two (so
they say) in the world that is also a runway. They never told us the name of
the other and we couldn’t find it on google.
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Video of plane taking off.
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The flight took us along the beach to look for marine
life. Mary saw a large ray but nothing
else was spotted. And we could see for miles down the beach.
We also flew over sand blows. These are areas in the forest that have been
scoured clean of vegetation leaving huge patches of sand.
We also saw several lakes, including Butterfly Lake. It gets its name because it is shaped just
like a butterfly.
We got a good view of the crowd at Eli Creek.
We also flew over the wreck of the Maheno.
We also flew over the wreck of the Maheno.
After we landed, we joined the group at the Pinnacles.
Next stop was the Maheno wreck…very photogenic.
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And then we were off for the other main event of the day, a swim in Eli Creek. This freshwater creek is fed from groundwater on island and over one million gallons flow from the creek into the ocean every hour. And the water is crystal clear.
Just before leaving the creek area we spotted a dingo
wandering round the beach and parked cars.
A few more people opted for a flight so they took off and the rest of us in the bus headed back up the beach. We eventually stopped to pick up the fliers. The place we stopped had some fishermen fishing in the surf. And they were being visited by another dingo.
A few more people opted for a flight so they took off and the rest of us in the bus headed back up the beach. We eventually stopped to pick up the fliers. The place we stopped had some fishermen fishing in the surf. And they were being visited by another dingo.
From there it was a bathroom stop and then the long drive
back to Kingfisher. What a great day.
At the resort general store we decided to pick up some
supplies for a couple of dinners as the restaurants are pretty expensive and
very heavy on fish, which neither of us eat.
So, mac and cheese it is for the next couple of nights
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