Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
comes out on the El Arish-Mission Beach Road about 7km (4 miles) north of
the post office. When you come out, you can cross the road and keep going on
the 1.2km (less than 1-mile) Lacey Creek loop in the Tam O’Shanter State Forest.
A shorter Rainforest Circuit option leads from the parking lot at the start
of the Licuala Fan Palm track and makes a 1.2km (less than a mile) loop incorporating
a fan palm boardwalk. There’s also a 10-minute “follow the cassowary
footprints to the nest” children’s walk leading from the parking lot.
If you would rather see the sea than rainforest, take the 7km (4-mile)
Edmund Kennedy track, which starts below the Horizon resort at the southern
end of the Kennedy Esplanade in South Mission Beach. You get alternating
views of the ocean and the rainforest on this trail. The Mission Beach Visitor
Centre has free trail maps.
Ingrid Marker of Sunbird Adventures (& 07/4068 8229; sunbird.
adventures@bigpond.com) offers a range of sea-kayaking and trekking expeditions
that interpret the rich environment around you. No more than eight people
are allowed on each trip, so you get personal attention and time to ask
questions. Her half-day sea-kayak expedition (A$55/US$36 per person) journeys
around Bingil Bay. Night walks, starting at 7pm and returning around 9:30pm,
are held on Bicton Hill and are great for kids because they spot glow-in-the-dark
fungi, and frogs and shrimps in the streams (A$30/US$20 per person). Ingrid
also runs 3-day sea kayak/camping trips, and a 3-day Misty Mountain Trails hike
in the Tully River Gorge. They can be combined to make a 6-day trip, and prices
for both can be worked out with Ingrid according to your needs. Pickup from
your accommodation is included for all trips, and all food on the trip is locally
grown organic produce. Not all tours depart every day, so check with her first.
HITTING THE BEACH Of course, lazing on the uncrowded beach is what
everyone comes to Mission Beach to do. From June to September you can swim
anywhere, and the water is still warm; from October to May stick to the stinger
safety nets at Mission Beach proper (behind Castaways resort) and South Mission
Beach.
A DAY TRIP TO DUNK ISLAND If you’re a beachcomber at heart, Dunk
will fulfill your dreams. Just 5km (3 miles) offshore from Mission Beach, Dunk
was the inspiration for E. J. Banfield’s book Confessions of a Beachcomber. Banfield
moved to Dunk in the early 1900s to live out what he thought would be a
short life. He lived for another 23 years, which must say something about the
restorative powers of a piece of paradise. Ed and wife Bertha Banfield’s graves are
along the track to Mt. Kootaloo.
Thick bush land and rainforest cover much of the island’s 12 sq. km (5 sq.
miles), most of which is a national park. The island is renowned for its myriad
birds and electric-blue Ulysses butterflies.
Staying at the upscale Dunk Island Resort is a budget-busting experience, but
you can pop over for the day to snorkel, hike in the forest, or do watersports.
Dunk Island Ferry & Cruises (& 07/4068 7211) runs day trips for A$69
(US$45) for adults and A$25 (US$16) for kids ages 4 to 14 (free for younger
kids). The cruise includes lunch, boom-netting, a swing around Bedarra Island,
and free snorkeling gear (with a A$20/US$13 refundable deposit). Daily departures
are from Clump Point Jetty at 8:45 and 10:30am. You can also get to
Dunk by the water taxi (& 07/4068 8310), which runs 5 times a day from
Wongaling Beach. The round-trip fare is A$29 (US$19) for adults and A$15
(US$9.75) for kids ages 4 to 14. Ask at your accommodation about transfers
between Clump Point and South Mission Beach.