Day 52 – Sunday 19 July - Kurrimine Beach to Mission Beach - 35 km
I was disappointed to see the heavy clouds as I arrived on the beach for my last sunrise photo at Kurrimine Beach (this year anyway) - although the reflections were worth a photo.
Above: Kurrimine Beach at 6:46 am
My decision to go for a 3 km walk was rewarded as the sun eventually found a way through the clouds, to turn the water golden.
Above: Kurrimine Beach at 6:59 am
We were on the road by 8:30 am for our 33 km drive to Mission Beach. As we were clearly too early to check in we strolled casually around the excellent Mission Beach market. Our purchases included one pineapple ($4), two limes ($1), one jar of relish, two coffees and two jam donuts.
We were on site at Mission Beach by 11 am and fully set up before lunch.
Above: Our Mission Beach site
After lunch we checked out the beach that is about 50 metres from the caravan.
Above & Below: Two views of the beach very close to our camp site
While on our walk we watched a group of people fall out of the sky and land safely on the beach.
Above: This is not on my Bucket list
Later we fully inspected our (chicken) meat raffle that I won last night. It included the following products: marinated honey soy chicken, marinated lemon pepper chicken, marinated honey mustard chicken, bacon parcels and crumbed chicken rissoles. All packages were in their own cryovac bag.
We had some of the marinated honey mustard chicken for dinner and it was excellent.
Day 53 – Monday 20 July - Mission Beach
It was the first clear coastal sunrise of the trip and I was in bed asleep - the luxury of knowing that another one will happen soon.
😃
We finally got our act together and cooked bacon and eggs on the BBQ. At 9am it was sunny, no wind and around 18 degrees.
Then exercises .....
Then coffee ......on the beach............
It was time to visit the Visitors Centre - so we did - and received lots of good information.
Then we visited Mitre 10 - as all good blokes should do. Next was Woolworths as we need some veggies to support our chicken stir fry tonight.
We also had time to talk to a local farmer - probably 25-30 years younger than us. Gee, that sounds young. He moved his family from Sydney suburbia to an organic farm just outside Mission Beach. They grow bananas and pineapples and a number of other fruit & vegetables. He wants to set up a 'farm stay' area on his farm where people like us can either pay-to-stay or work-to-stay-for-free.
He loved a chat.
After lunch we went Cassowary searching - to no avail. Our main research area was a very pretty walk through 'Lacey Creek' rainforest.
Above: Creek in 'Lacey Creek' rainforest
After coffee we had our regular afternoon beach walk where I found an activity to add to my 'bucket list'. It looks a lot of fun.
Above: Harnessing the wind to have speedy fun
Below: Dunk Island not far away
Day 54 – Tuesday 21 July - Mission Beach
The gentle rain arrived late last night and delivered enough moisture to be dripping off the trees as I decided it was pointless trying for an early photo.
We pottered around for a while and then decided to check out the Cafe at Bingil Bay - a few km away. It was excellent. We smiled at the many signs indicating how precious the endangered Cassowary is regarded. We are yet to see one.
I also discovered plenty of exotic birds but it was a dull day for good photos. We saw Olive Backed Sunbirds, Woodswallows, Kookaburra, Forest Kingfisher and an Australasian Figbird (or two).
Above: Male & female Olive Backed Sunbirds (about 10 cm high)
Below: Female and male Australasian Figbirds
We returned to camp and then walked the short distance into town to buy a few postcards, taking a photo of the artistic poles and a mosaic 'Blue-Spotted Fantail Stingray' in the nearby park.
Above: Two views of two poles
Below: Mosaic 'Blue-Spotted Fantail Stingray'
After lunch Shirley wanted to stroll down the foreshore path to check out the properties near the beach. Somehow we ended up in a very dense rainforest with a board-walk. Our casual stroll became a 4.5 km walk. However it was an enjoyable walk.
Above: Rainforest very close to Mission Beach town centre
It was time for an afternoon coffee and some relaxation.
The superb sirloin steak from the Silkwood butcher again provided an excellent dinner. The wind kept blowing and the waves rolled in.
Day 55 – Wednesday 22 July - Mission Beach
The day again started gloomy with the occasional light shower. The overnight low of 17 degrees ensured that it was not cold.
The weather did not justify a beach walk so we had an exploratory drive to South Mission Beach and places remote. We stopped at a road-side stall and bought two 'cooking' bananas - because we never have before. I scored another photo of a Rainbow Bee-eater who was happy to pose in two positions.
Below: Cooking bananas compared to a regular (large) banana and a mandarin
We stopped at Woolworth for a couple of items and ran into a line dancing mate of Shirley's and a bowling mate of mine. They both happen to know each other.
Not much happened for the afternoon, particularly when we heard about the passing of a close friend. The sombre mood was helped somewhat by the cooking of a fine piece of corned silverside, with all the usual trimmings. However it was a quiet evening.
Day 56 – Thursday 23 July - Mission Beach
My sunrise photo was a non-event, thanks again to the cloud. A Laughing Kookaburra tried to brighten my day by having a good laugh as I took the photos below.
Above: A laughing 'Laughing Kookaburra'
It was a slow morning and I was able to get a photo of a Blue Tiger butterfly (Tirumala hamato).
Above: Blue Tiger butterfly
Below: Maybe a juvenile moth
After lunch we went Cassowary searching again and visited the Fan Palm section of the Licuala region. The magnificent fan palm fronds are up to two metres wide and reach up to 20 metres to the rainforest canopy.
Above: Fan palms in shade and fan palms in sun
There was very little fauna to be see, although we did manage to get photos of a Cryptic Honeyeater and a skink, maybe a red-throated rainbow skink.
Above: Cryptic Honeyeater
Below: Maybe a red-throated rainbow skink (Carlia rubrigularis)
We finished our rainforest sojourn with a mango & passionfruit smoothie.
Italian sausages from the Silkwood butcher provided the main component of dinner. They were very good.
Day 57 – Friday 24 July - Tully
Day 57 has been a super day.
Firstly I was rewarded for being on the beach by 6:35 am and watching the sun raise its head.
Above: 6:50 am at Mission Beach
After breakfast I was able to get another butterfly photo - as yet un-named.
We had decided to visit the Tully show that is on today and tomorrow. Off we went. Along the highway I scored my 'bucket list bird photo' of the trip - an endangered Cassowary. It was walking along the middle of the road.
Cars in both directions had to stop. We were in a prime position for a photo. We stopped for maybe 60 seconds while it walked down the middle of the road then wandered off into the rainforest. Our dream had come true.
Soon we were in Tully and we climbed the "Big Boot" - a memorial to Tully's highest ever annual rainfall - 7.9 metres in 1952. That is the height of the boot.
[For the record, Melbourne's highest ever recorded rainfall is LESS THAN ONE METRE].
Soon after we were inside the Showgrounds.
Above: Some of the prize sugar cane on display
Below: Prize winning bananas. The bunch on the far left weighed 78.5 kg
Above: An example of the prize orchids on display
Below: A 'Rare Fruit' stall - all of it edible
Click here if you wish to see more photos from the show.
For lunch we had a fish sandwich from the Rotary guys. It was excellent. Battered and fried as we watched. Shirley did not want a teddy bear so I did not try any of the shooting or ball-throwing contests.
The rest of the day was relaxation.
Day 58 – Saturday 25 July - Mission Beach
Day 58 had a much slower start than day 57 with us both emerging from our cocoon around 8:15 am.
Breakfast, exercises, phone calls interspersed.
I decided to do something with my 'cooking bananas'. They were about the texture of a raw sweet potato and very unpleasant to eat. Banana bread was out, so I used standard Cavendish bananas for that.
A web site suggested frying the sliced 'cooking bananas', so I did - with a touch of salt. They were excellent and about the flavour and texture of a roast potato. A bit weird really - but we ate them quick - with the help of two neighbours who asked what belonged to the excellent cooking smell floating from our site.
Left: Fried 'cooking banana' chips
Right: Banana bread
After lunch we drove two km to the Mission Beach jetty and walked the jetty and the adjacent pebbly beach. A Crested Tern sat long enough, between diving for fish, to allow a photo.
Right: Mission Beach jetty and pebbly beach
On the way back to camp we stopped at our preferred roadside stall and stocked up on Cavendish bananas (4 for $1), a paw paw ($1.50) and three 'Red Dacca' bananas. The Red Dacca taste similar to a Cavendish - maybe a slightly stronger taste - same colour and texture.
Around 4:15 we drive a few km to a friend's place (from bowls at home) and had an enjoyable couple of hours.
Above: Our Happy Hour view from the deck of our host
*** This chapter is complete - apart from minor edits ***
Last updated at 8:50 am on Sunday 26 July 2026
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