Mackay to Cooktown

We fuelled up and left Mackay for the first part of our 1600 mile passage to Darwin.
This region is the famed Whitsunday Group of islands. The area is scattered with small islands making for an easy cruising ground very popular with the sailboat fraternity.
After having sailed the Gulf Islands in Canada and the Hauraki Gulf in NZ they are a bit of a disappointment. The islands are barren, some with small fringing reefs but not enough to make for great snorkelling. The Great Barrier Reef is quite a bit further out. The winds are the SE trades which make for great sailing if you are headed north but would be a chore going south. The anchorages are generally very rolly and often exposed to rough conditions.
Our first night was in the rocking rolling anchorage on the southern most Brampton Island.
Our second night was more comfortable in the beautiful Whitehaven Beach—according to the guide books one of the top 4 beaches in the world—would dispute that, but it was lovely with fine white sand. We had a lovely long walk onshore and left early the next morning for an overnight to Magnetic Island, off Townsville.
We had a great day there chancing on a Koala Sanctuary. Paid the entry fee including the extra $14 to hold the koala—the government in this country seems require businesses to expensive permits for anything they can think of. He was very docile and half asleep—they sleep most of the day and spend the rest of their time feeding from the eucalyptus gum tree which they live on. He was lovely and soft if not a bit smelly. We also got to hold a small salt water crocodile and various other exotic Australian creatures. Just before we left the park they brought out a pail with wet bread and we all held handfuls out for the lorikeets (parrots) who had been waiting up the tree and swarmed down landing all over our bodies.
Our next stop was Cairns which had been our intended port of arrival. We tied up at the lovely fancy marina, built, along with a waterfront of restaurants and park with a paddling pool with fountains. Very different from the Cairns Tony and I had spent time at many years ago. We had owned a beach front duplex there—oh if only we still did--worth lots of money now!!!
Cairns developed as a major tourist area, but as all tourist places in the world is suffering from the world recession. The high Australian dollar which is $1.07 to the US compounds their problems. Locals are complaining about the lack of government foresight in diversifying.
We restocked with vegs from Rusty’s amazing market and delighted in the variety and prices. Also more wine but are missing NZ prices---the difference in the rate of the dollar makes a huge difference. Went to the night market where we ate Chinese—seems to be an overabundance of Asian food---and we had, also Asian, a massage.
We met Brian on Furthur, which is a power boat from Seattle, who kindly filled our dive tanks—saving us from having yet another country charge us to certify them yet again!!!
After an extra “hang out day” which, given the pressure we feel to put on the miles to get to Darwin is a luxury right now, we headed off once again.
This time to the Low Islets arriving in time to snorkel—with a light wetsuit, it still is not really warm. The visibility and coral was reasonable but the fish were not plentiful. The highlight was the enormous giant clams which were incredible but compared to Fiji the snorkelling is disappointing.
Next morning off again now to Cooktown to experience yet another place that Tony I had spent time at in 1973.
When we had arrived we found a spot in a tight anchorage where sandbars dictate the harbour. If, as we did you need to be in a position to leave when you choose as opposed to when a very high tide allows, there is very little space. As we came in we learned to ignore the depth alarm screaming as we had one foot under our hull and found a spot with not much more than that. It appeared when we consulted our tide tables we would be OK for 6 days after which we would be sitting on the bottom at low tide. We did not intend being here that long.
Situated on the Endeavour River it was where Captain Cook managed to get his boat into after hitting the reef and holing the hull. They careened the boat and repaired it but were forced to stay for 48 days as the wind was too strong to leave—we could attest to that!! He had climbed a nearby hill to find a way out through the Barrier Reef but when they tried to set south they were forced north with the strength of SE trade winds, we could attest to that too!!
His journal included descriptions of their first sighting of a wallaby—described as a greyhound type animal with a long tail which bounded rather than ran!! They did not mention crocodiles so am not sure if they were this far south at that time—must look that up when we have internet again.
Cook developed a relationship with the locals despite having a few issues due to the lack of communication. They did mention that they had given clothes and trinkets which were just left as the people did not value such items.
In the late 1800’s it was the centre of a huge gold rush where 30,000 people, 18,000 of them Chinese, came to find the gold in the fields 300km away.
Assuming Cooktown would become a major town in Australia the wide streets accommodated an impressive bank and of course the dozens of liquor stores, brothels and many of the Chinese planted market gardens. The Catholic Church investigated building a cathedral but when the quote came in settled instead for a convent which became a prestigious boarding school for girls.
As the goldfields depleted most people drifted away and the remaining population lived there until 1943. At that time Australia was under threat from Japan in the war. As most Australians were already in Europe fighting the Germans they were prepared to defend only the southern part of Australia.
The decision was made to evacuate Cooktown including the aboriginal population. They suffered greatly as they were sent south for six years with no warm clothes and many died from the conditions and exposure to disease.
After the Americans entered the war they came to Australia to defend the north. Many existing roads were built during this period.
When the town was reopened some hardy souls returned and set up a small town where the real Aussie Bushmen made their lives. When we visited in 1973 it was a rough outback town populated with these characters.
Since then it has been seen as a tourist mecca for those wanting to experience the north as it is a gateway to the untamed Cape York Peninsula. There is great fishing for the exotic barramundi and the home of many salt water crocs. Sadly the tourist bust has meant that the town has many of its homes and businesses for sale. We are here in the peak of the dry season (tourist season) and there are many caravan parks and motels with very few occupants.
The forecast was winds 25-30 knot for the next few days so we opted to stay stranded in Cooktown rather than Lizard Island, our next stop.
We stayed four days and “did Cooktown”. We climbed the hill that Cook had, visited the museum and went up the river to find the crocs. We found one which was about 10 feet long sunning on a beach and a small one on a branch also sunning himself. We kept our fingers and toes well inside the dingy.
We ate barramundi at a local restaurant—an overrated fish—it is a muddy estuary fish and I do prefer salt water fish.
We explored every store—there was a great selection of camping outdoor equipment. One store sold everything from tractors and cement mixers to baby high chairs and clothes—definitely your old style general store. Was fun to wander through and see things we have not seen for years in our somewhat sterile lives.
Ken was sorely tempted to buy a lovely fishing rod a local man was making but at $400 although well priced is beyond our budget right now that we are still faced with “must do” boat projects.
A couple of days later Will and Margaret on Atlantia came in after a particularly rough passage and it was great to see them again—they managed to anchor in the channel where they had a couple of feet under their 6 foot draft.
We all went ashore the next day as it was still too rough to contemplate leaving. They went to the museum while we went to the botanical gardens, about the only notable place we had not been.
We then took them up the river “croc hunting”. Our crocs from the previous time were not there but Ken with his practiced hunting eye was able to spot an enormous one up on the bank. He was partly hidden by the grass and we were unwilling to climb up the bank for a closer view but he was easily 15 feet or more. We found a couple of smaller ones as well and so were well pleased with our venture.
The next day, Saturday, was market day and we got a few more vegs—my favourite, passionfruit were 10 cents each so I was happy with that!!! A couple of women had two small joeys—baby wallabies which had been rescued when the mothers were hit by vehicles. They had fashioned pouches for them where they will live until about 10 months old after which apparently they become family pets as they stay near the families. They were incredibly cute.
Ken purchased a didgeridoo from an aboriginal family. It is a small trunk of a gum tree which has had the centre eaten out by white ants. It is not decorated so at some stage Ken may varnish it but in the meanwhile can have some fun with it.
I have not been able to post this blog and will have to do it in when we find the internet.