Year 2 -7 July 2025–Hinchinbrook Channel –-Dunk Island
I need two extra crew members from Cairns to Indonesia leaving about the 14/15 July 2025. If anyone is interested please contact me as soon as possible.
It was a better day when we woke with promising signs of some sun. It just looked a better day. There was still no wind really but it was fine. We had breakfast, tidied up and the upped the anchor and left. We motored up the last of the Hinchinbrook Channel and then we were out. We headed over towards Goode Island which was off Cape Richards. Due to lack of wind we had to motor.
Goode Island looked a pleasant small wooded Island with a long sandy beach. We decided not to stop and headed on to Dunk Island. Dunk Island, is an island within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) off the Australian east coast, opposite the town of Mission Beach. The island forms part of the Family Islands National Park and is in the larger Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. It used to have a resort here with famous visitors such as Sean Connery, Henry Ford 11 and various Australian prime ministers.
The island is surrounded by reefs and has a diverse population of birds. The Bandjin and Djiru peoples once used the island as a source for food. Europeans first settled on the island in 1897. Dunk Island was used by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. In recent years the island and its resort facilities (which was a reasonable sized resort) have been adversely affected by both Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi and has not opened since.
Dunk Island is by far the largest island in the Family Islands National Park, all of which consist of granite rock. All of the islands were part of the mainland before the last sea level rise began 8,000 years ago. Dunk Island covers 970ha, of which 730 ha is national park and the rest is freehold. Its topography varies, with sandy beaches and rocky shores, slightly undulating slopes, foothills and steeper semi-rugged terrain. Mount Kootaloo is the island's highest point, at 271 m above sea level which William and Nicola climbed.
There are over 100 species of birds on Dunk Island, including rare and vulnerable seabirds. During the summer months, the island becomes a breeding site for terns and noddies. The lack of predators, along with a plentiful supply of food from the surrounding reef waters, make it an ideal nesting site. Dunk Island is also home to reptiles such as pythons, tree snakes, geckos and skinks. The island's fringing reefs and surrounding waters are home to an array of marine life such as sea turtles, dugongs, sharks, corals, fish, shellfish and crabs. Purtaboi Island (the small island directly out from Dunk Island) is closed and inaccessible for guests from October through to April each year due to the crested terns nesting on the island.
The traditional Aboriginal owners of Dunk Island are the Bandjin and Djiru people, who have lived in this area for tens of thousands of years. After the sea level rise, they paddled to the islands in bark canoes to gather food and materials. The Warrgamay and Dyirbal name for Dunk Island is Coonanglebah, meaning "The Island of Peace and Plenty". It received its European name from James Cook, who sailed past it in the Endeavour on 8 June 1770. He noted that it was a "tolerable high island" and named it after George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (a former First Lord of the Admiralty).
We arrived in Brammo Bay on Dunk Island at about 1.30am and anchored. We had a salad lunch and then had a rest. We then got the dinghy down and headed ashore. There was a lovely large beach with golden sand. We walked along the beach and saw a number of buildings of the old resort in various states of repair. The beach had lovely palm trees along its edge and an airstrip which must be used as the grass was cut. There was a walk up to Mount Kootalu which William and Nicola decided to climb. Mark and I wondered along the beach and there are camping areas you can still camp. There were some campers there with their tents. You could walk to the other side of the Island and there was nice beach and other tents. There was a new bar/café area which was not open but it looked new. It was a beautiful situation and position. As we walked along the beach I saw a black dorsal fin swimming along the beach- there are clearly sharks here!!.
It took a while but William and Nicola returned and we came back to Stormbird for a sundowner and it was a wonderful sunset. Mark warmed the last of the chilli with broccoli. It had been a good day with little wind. We are hopeful it will be different tomorrow. I think we will start early as we have over 60 nm to get to Fitzroy Island.
The picture of the day is the crew on the beach at Brommo Bay.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com