Mission Beach
View our accommodation section on
Mission
Beach.
Approx 2 hours drive
south of Cairns you'll find a stepping stone to the great islands of the
Hinchinbrook Channel.
Mission Beach is
comprised of communities stretching north from the Tam O'Shanter Point
through South Mission, Wongaling, Mission Beach, Clump Point to Bingil
Bay. Mission Beach takes its name from the Aboriginal Mission established
in the early 1900's.
Local residents boast
that visitors can still find their own secluded coves with their own
pristine beaches for the day. Beach & rainforest walks in World
Heritage Wet Tropics, White Water Rafting, Tandem Skydiving, Horse Riding,
Fishing, Sailing and Sea Kayaking are some popular Mission Beach
activities. Water based activities include visiting the Great Barrier
Reef, Game Fishing, Sailing and Kayaking scuba diving and snorkeling.
A small community, the
area is both friendly and accommodating.
The
Islands
Dunk | Family
Islands | Gould Island | Brook
Island | Hinchinbrook Island
DUNK ISLAND
Dunk Island is probably one
of the best known of Australia's tropical islands. Dunk Island is about
4.5 km offshore from Mission Beach and 36 km north of Cardwell. The
National Park covers 730 ha. An airstrip, resort & farm cover the
remaining 240ha in the north-west.
From the sea, a mosaic of
shades of green is visible. Over much of the island, a relatively open
forest of eucalypts is accompanied by an under-storey of rainforest plants
including many palms and thick, looping, coiled lianas.
Thirteen kilometres of
walking track encourage exploration of most of the island's many habitats
and provide an introduction to some of its diversity of animal life
including more than 100 species of birds. Proximity of creeks,
rainforests, eucalypt forest, rocky shore, reef flat and mangroves
provides an ideal situation for nature watching and allows an insight into
the importance of these island national parks as wildlife refuges.
An air service connects
Dunk Island and the mainland, and a regular ferry service leaves from
Clump Point jetty. Taxi boats are available from Wongaling Beach. A boat
ramp is located at Mission Beach. Brammo Bay, on the northern end of Dunk,
offers a protected anchorage in south easterly winds.
FAMILY
ISLANDS back
up
The
Family Group are a chain of islands extending approximately 14km in
length and are located offshore of Tully Heads and Mission Beach. Dunk
Island is the most northerly lying island and the largest of the Family
Group. The southern islands include Wheeler, Coombe, Smith, Bowden and
Hudson Islands and are all national parks covering 11 9ha. Thorpe and
Bedarra (Richards) Islands to the north are privately owned.
The prevailing
southeasterly wind and swell have also formed sand spits on the
northwestern landing points. Living coral and rubble demand care when
anchoring.
Permits are required for
camping on Dunk, Wheeler and Coombe Islands. Camping is not permitted on
Smith, Bowden or Hudson Islands. Tables are provided on camping islands
but there are no toilets or walking tracks. Drinking water should be
carried.
BROOK
ISLANDS back
up
This
cluster of four small, densely vegetated national park islands lies
30km north east from Cardwell. An extensive fringing coral reef, linking
the three northernmost islands provides excellent snorkelling. Care should
be taken to prevent damage to coral when anchoring. Good fair-weather
anchorage is found off the northwestern end of North Island. Camping
is not permitted on the Brook Islands and no facilities are provided.
The Brook Islands are
extremely important as the nesting place for a colony of more than 20000
Torresian imperial-pigeons. Arriving in September to breed, they colonize
the islands till about February when parents and offspring return to
Papua New Guinea for the winter. Care should be taken not to disturbed the
nesting grounds. Simply walking through a nesting colony can cause young
birds to leave the nest prematurely, only to fall and perish on the
ground.
Summer is also the
breeding season for black-naped terns which lay their well-camouflaged
eggs on sand and shingle where they can be crushed underfoot, even by
careful walkers. To protect these vulnerable birds, visitors during the
breeding season should avoid landing on the island. The marine park area
surrounding Brook Islands 5OOm from shore is zoned Marine National Park B.
This means 'look but do not take'.
GOULD
ISLAND back
up
This 830ha national park
lies 4.5km northwest of Cape Richards and 17km northeast of Cardwell. Most
vegetation on this mainly granite island is eucalypt woodland but patches
of rainforest occur in gullies. Gould Island is noted for its flocks of
noisy sulfur-crested cockatoos, their gleaming white plumage conspicuous
against the dark green vegetation. Turtles and dugong may be seen
surfacing as they feed on the extensive sea grass beds in the shallow
waters to the south and west.
A camping and picnic area
on the western beach has pit toilets and tables. Water can be obtained
from a small creek at the northern end of this beach. This creek is
usually dry between August and December when water must be brought to the
island.
HINCHINBROOK
ISLAND
back
up
Hinchinbrook is
Australia's largest island national park and is separated from the
mainland by the narrow Hinchinbrook Channel.
Mangroves fringe the
shores of this deep channel which is scoured from sand and mud by strong
tidal currents. Rising 1142m from the centre of the island is Mt Bowen,
largest in the chain of rugged granite mountains.
The spectacular north
face of Mt Bowen drops 1121m in cliffs and forested rocky slopes almost to
sea level. From here a narrow, 8km long strip of sand, stretches north to
connect with Cape Sandwich and Cape Richards. This is backed on the
protected western side by extensive mangrove forests.
Information on the
Islands was obtained from the Queensland Department of Environment.
