Day 275. Cape Hillsborough

Wild about the Cape….

This morning Bec was up and out the door by 6am. She desperately wanted to see the kangaroos on the beach; our whole reason for coming out to this wonderful part of the coastline. Scarlett and I slept in, and finally decided to climb out of bed at around 7:30am. Such a relaxing morning….

Turtle tracks leading up the beach from the water

Bec was gone for hours, and finally returned to the van at about 8:30am. We soon discovered that her search for ‘roos on the beach’ didn’t go so well. By the time Bec had reached the beach at just after 6am, the kangaroos had already been and left. Apparently there were roo tracks on the sand, but no roos. We later found out that Bec was too late, as they come down on the beach right on sunrise – which just happens to be at around 5am! Bugger!

All was not lost though, as Bec still enjoyed a morning walk along the beach while taking in the beautiful scenery. During her walk, she found turtle tracks leading up from the water’s edge and up to the tree line. She followed the tracks, and they zig-zaged along the beach before finally returning to the water. It looks as though a turtle had come up to lay eggs, but couldn’t find a spot that suited her. Although Bec didn’t see her kangaroos on the beach, she was excited that she found signs of a turtle coming onto the beach to nest.

The day was heating up, so we went to use the Air-Conditioner - as you do, but as soon as we went to start the thing it made all sorts of grinding noises. We quickly turned it off, and I soon discovered that the fan had dropped down and was rubbing on the cowling. It must have shifted when we bounced along the 8kms of dirt road from Airlie Beach to here. So now we found ourselves in a bit of a dilemma; Would we survive the last few weeks of our trip without the Air-Conditioner? Bec didn’t think so….

'Holidaying' really is hard work!

I bit the bullet, and climbed up on the roof of the van to start pulling apart the Air-Con to see if I could fix it myself. To cut a long story short, I found the problem and after a bit of heavy handed persuasion I was able to convince the Air-Con to play the game. To Bec’s relief, the Air-Conditioner is now running just like new – if not better!

This afternoon we went for a drive with our friends; the Barkla family, and found a ‘mangrove boardwalk’ not far from where we are staying. It really wasn’t what I was expecting, but at least it got us out and about. We all went exploring and soon found an old aboriginal fish trap out on the mud flats. It was good to laugh and play with the kids – except for poor Isabel who fell over on the Oysters and hurt herself. I’m glad to say that after a little bit of TLC, and lots of cuddles, she bounced right back and is now ready to tackle her next adventure.


Lucy, Scarlett, Sarah, and Isabel

After dinner and way after dark, we drove around the corner to ‘Smalley’s Beach’ where we went exploring for Turtle Tracks. We were really hoping to see a real live turtle make its way up the beach to lay its eggs. Apparently the rare and endangered Flatback Turtle nests in this area, and Bec’s discovery this morning had everyone really excited. We all wanted to see this fascinating part of the turtle’s lifecycle, and were willing to do almost anything to do so.

There was a full moon, so we didn’t even need torches; but it was the weirdest feeling. We were walking along the beach in the dead of night, and we were casting ‘shadows’! Unfortunately we didn’t see any turtles, but the ambiance caused by the perfect location and perfect weather made for an unforgettable evening….

Thank you Cape Hillsborough, you really are a hidden gem!

posted by Shane