13 July 2014
LOYALTY BEACH
It was an early start this
morning as I wanted to watch the super moon set over the sea. So I joined Flora on the beach and we both
watched the full moon start to set over the horizon. What a fizzer – too many clouds and it
disappeared very quickly as the sun rose over the trees. It was interesting watching a sunrise and moon set simultaneously.
We came across a dead taupe
coloured snake as we walked to the beach.
After everyone was up we set out to explore the area around the top
end. We drove back along the road to
Pajinka and turned off to Somerset ruins.
Our first stop was Sunset Beacb.
It was a beautiful camping spot that we had not known about. Just across the water was Albany Island. Mangroves were growing at both ends of the
beach. There was a small cemetery just
off the beach.
We then continued on to
Somerset Ruins but there was a car bogged down on the sandy track. There were the remains of a shack and a
memorial stone to one of the Somerset’s plus a cross that was unmarked just
before the sandy track.
As the track was
very soft sand Min decided to turn back as Bob was hesitant on driving on
sand. We would also have had to drop our
tyres to continue. So we drove back and
took the alternative route to Chandagoo Point.
The vegetation was very scrub looking.
We were surprised at the amount of rubbish left behind by others. You could see the effects of the harsh
climate here. The seas were choppy. We were looking out at the Coral Sea. Mangroves lined the sea edge below the
clifts. We could sea a lovely stretch of
sand with something lining the edges.
The trees were not numerous but very wind swept. We had lunch here then walked down the track
to the beach to investigate what we could see.
There was rubbish on top of rubbish as far as the eye could see. It had all been brought in by the sea but it
was all rubbish left behind somewhere else by humans.
We then drove to Muddy Bay through very jungly vegetation. We
couldn’t get to the sea as the mangroves were between the sea and us. Two aboriginal fathers and sons arrived to
hunt for sting ray whilst we were there.
They had not brought any spears so cut a branch and fashioned it into a
spear and set out towards the mangroves.
They told us as the tide was coming in the sting rays will be coming into
the mangroves and easy to find. We asked
whether they were concerned about the crocodiles in the mangroves. They told us they were not worried about
them.
On both the way out and back
in we saw a wallaby and its joey jump across the road. We also finally stopped at the ruins of the
Jardine Homestead at the intersection near the croc tent.
As usual we all went down
for the sunset but it was a bit of fizzer tonight.
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