19 – 21 August
Dunk Island
In addition to the first afternoon on the island we’ve
spent three full days on Dunk in what’s proved to be a very laid back time,
somewhat like a “normal” tropical island holiday. Our first day comprised a short group walk
around to an adjoining bay. This served
as a type of introduction to the island and its resort, the latter which is
undergoing a very gradual reconstruction after being destroyed by cyclone Yasi in 2011.
The walk was also a precursor to the following day which would be a complete
walk up to the highest peak and around the island.
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| The view from the resort out to the anchorage |
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| One of the resort's destroyed accommodation buildings |
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| More lovely expanse of beach |
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| Here's Leon trying to use his dinghy to troll for fish - unsuccessfully |
Afternoon drinks were ashore each day in an area
that’s been provided with BBQ facilities and outdoor tables by National Parks. Every day at 4pm there was a gaggle of
dinghies all brought up onto the beach next to the jetty. The weather remained reasonably calm for most
of our stay and made for very pleasant evenings back onboard.
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| The first night at Dunk Is, seen from our deck |
The next group walk was far more substantial. We took the track to the site of a WWII radar
station that had been installed on the island’s highest point, part of Australia’s northern defence system. From
there we walked around a loop that took in a great part of the entire island,
then back along the disused airstrip and through part of the resort. The whole lot consumed a very enjoyable few
hours.
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| Views from the site of the WWII defensive radar station |
The final day of our stay at Dunk was taken up with
the “formal” Rendezvous BBQ lunch. This
was a special one and we had seven crews participating. A good number in light of the commitment and
effort required in getting a boat this far north. The day was also a
celebration of Leon’s 70th birthday.
What started as a 12 o’clock lunch developed into afternoon drinks and a
quiet chat through sunset and then a bonfire on the beach after dark. For me, the reality of having reached our northern limit raised all sorts of reminders of returning to Sydney. In spite of the general party atmosphere amongst our group, I spent a good deal of the afternoon alone with my thoughts.
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| Happy birthday, Leon |
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| The Dunk Island Rendezvous - crews from Galadriel, Gypsy Princess, Seas the Moment, Mix'd Nutz, Nirvana's Kitchen, Kailani and Echo Beach |
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| Looking out over the bulk of the Alfreds Cruising fleet |
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| Our dinghies all in a row |
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| The Dunk Island beach and jetty |
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| For the record |
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| Sunset over Dunk Island |
I’ve enjoyed the four nights we’ve had here anchored
off Dunk. It’s been a very relaxed time
in a location that is most agreeable - like a tropical holiday in the middle of
a bigger tropical adventure. I doubt if
somebody planned it that way but it’s given us a chance to rest after months of
continually looking ahead to our next destination. This is the end of the line and it’s time to
begin retracing our steps.
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