The Delights of Hinchinbrook & Dunk Islands

We left Orpheus Island at approximately 0700 and headed the 15-ish NM to Hinchinbrook Island.  As pictured in the previous blog, we hooked up a shark on the way, so that was quite enough excitement for the morning!  Our first stop was Zoe Bay.  For those of you unfamiliar with the area, picture a mountainous island with its peaks shrouded in cloud, craggy and old and jagged against the sky, and cloaked in rainforest.  You half expect to see the trees trembling from the footfalls of a T-Rex, or a leathery-winged Pteranodon riding the air currents…

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Tucked in the eastern side of the island, there’s a gorgeous bay with a stretch of yellow sand lined with palms, and the rugged mountains a grey-blue backdrop rising beyond.  Being open to the sea, and with south-east trade winds dominant at this time of year, Zoe is tenable in only the calmest conditions.  We braved the somewhat less-than-calm conditions (rolly and bouncy) for the rewards to be found on land. We weren’t the only ones in the anchorage.  The Young Endeavour was also there, (running a youth development and sail training program) ferrying young people to shore.  Shortly after anchoring, we dinghied our way in, making use of the southern creek to get us close to the walking track. The tide was quite low and still going out, which left a wide beach with soft sand that would create difficulties for launching the dinghy later. 

As we were disembarking the dinghy, we noticed a lionfish (butterfly cod) in the shallows, right where we were stepping into the water.  Lionfish have long feathery barbs which are venomous and, as warned by the 100 Magic Miles book, cause a ‘severely distressing sting … which can last for several days’.  Glad we didn’t step on the bugger! 

Hinchinbrook Island is a National/Marine Park, and its overnight visitors are restricted to those (only 40 people at time) who have organised a permit to hike the Throsborne Trail.  Hikers walk from campsite to campsite, so it’s never very busy and low numbers limit the environmental impact.  We moved through a campsite to get to the walking track and ended up chatting to the women who were camped there.  They told tales of giant mosquitoes, swarms of midges, steep and treacherous climbs, and the threat of crocodiles, and said they’d had to book their permit about a year in advance.  And, in spite of all that, they were having the time of their lives. We coated ourselves liberally with insect repellent before continuing on… They didn’t have any croc repellent…

The track to the waterfall is through patches of rainforest and eucalypt.  We found that the young people from the Young Endeavour had taken up residence at the waterfall/swimming hole, so we decided to continue up to the lookout.  There’s a treacherous bit of rock towards the top, where you use a long, knotted rope to help you climb up through the steep boulders.  Some of the crew of the YE were just ahead of us, and happily assisted Jamie with the climb.  The views from the top are spectacular and worth the effort. (By the way, you can click on the photos to make them larger, and scroll through with the arrow on the right side of the page.)

Going back down was another story.  Jamie baulked at climbing down the steep section using the rope.  The Young Endeavour guys were long gone.  After several failed attempts to get Jamie down, Alison discovered an alternate route and Jamie was able to shuffle down on his bottom.  Scary situation averted! My heart rate eventually returned to normal…

After all the excitement, there was nothing better than hopping into the clear water that pools under the waterfall.  It wasn’t as cold as I remember, but the spotted perch were still there, keen to have a nibble on anything resembling an extremity! We all swam right over to the waterfall through the clear green water. This is a beautiful, special place, that feels somehow lost in time, and we were so glad we could visit it again and share it with family. 

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Back in the bay, we discovered Goolara and Mischief had anchored.  As much as we would have enjoyed catching up with them again, we had done what we’d come here to do, and we were less than keen to spend the night here, so we headed out and north to Shepherd Bay, which proved flat and comfortably protected from the SE wind and swell.

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We enjoyed the next couple of days around Hinchinbrook before making our way over the top and down the channel a ways to Cardwell.  We dropped Dave and Al at the bus station and said our goodbyes.  It was great having them aboard, and sad to see them go, but they were keen to get back to their caravan in Townsville and continue on their Top End trip. 

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After a little shopping at the Iocal IGA, we were underway again, motor-sailing through a glorious glass-out to Dunk Island.  It was here that we caught up with Mischief, Indigo, Tamanu and Tregonning again.

Dunk is a beautiful island with a camping area, great walks, and the ever-present reminder that island resorts are not good investments.   For years now, the resort has stood derelict after a cyclone caused massive damage.  I did some googling and discovered it sold again in 2019, (after then-owners defaulted on loan repayments) with the new owner pumped about redevelopment plans.  Then COVID struck, and it appears nothing has happened.

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Still, we enjoyed our time there, catching up with friends, wanders along the beach, doing some of the walking tracks, a safari over to South Mission Beach for re-provisioning, and a music night (which was the highlight for Jamie).

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