Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
along the beach. The 8km (5-mile)
Licuala Fan Palm
track starts at the parking
lot on the Mission Beach-Tully Road about 1.5km (1 mile) west of the turnoff
to South Mission Beach. The track leads through dense forest, over creeks, and
comes out on the El Arish-Mission Beach Road about 7km (4.5 miles) north of
the post office. When you come out, you can cross the road and keep going on
the 1km (less than a 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 1km (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 (4.5-mile)
Edmund Kennedy track, which starts below the Horizon resort at the southern
end of the Kennedy Esplanade in South Mission Beach. You get 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 expedi-
tions that interpret the rich environment around you. No more than eight peo-
ple 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. All trips include
pickup from your accommodations, and all food is locally grown organic pro-
duce. Not all tours depart every day, so check with her first.
HITTING THE BEACH
Of course, relaxing on the uncrowded beach is why
everyone comes to Mission Beach. June through September you can swim any-
where, and the water is warm; October through May stick to areas with stinger
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 writer E. J. Banfield's book
Confessions of a Beachcomber.
Banfield moved to Dunk at the turn of the 20th century to live out what he
thought would be a short life. He lived on for another 23 years, which must say
something about the restorative powers of a piece of paradise. Ed and Bertha
Banfield's graves are alongside the track to Mt. Kootaloo.
Thick bushland and rainforest cover much of the island's 12 sq. km (4
3
⁄
4
sq.
miles), most of which is a national park. The island is renowned for its myriad
birds and electric-blue Ulysses butterflies.
You can stay at the upscale Dunk Island resort (see below in this section) or
just pop over for the day to snorkel, hike in the forest, or do all sorts of water-
sports.
Dunk Island Ferry & Cruises
(
&
07/4068 7211
) runs day trips for
A$69 (US$45) for adults and A$25 (US$16) for kids 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 depar-
tures are from Clump Point Jetty at 8:45 and 10:30am. You can also get to
