We’re heading north again this morning, planning on an overnight to push us further along so we reach the Whitsundays before strong winds next Thursday. We’ll be out of internet range for a day or two so we’ll see you out the other side!
The last week has been magical on Great Keppel Island, catching up with old friends, making new ones and exploring the island. It’s sad to see the resort in disrepair, but it means there aren’t many people wandering the trails. We found more feral goats than humans in our travels!
We made the trek to the lighthouse – an uninspiring building but housing a worthy light – and drank in the views. It was a good walk with enough steep climbs to get the heart rate pumping. The track took us past the old homestead – apparently it’s for sale if you have a couple of million spare?
The crew from Svendson’s Beach Retreat have also thoughtfully provided chairs, hand painted sign posts and motivational stones – they were perfectly placed to give us a breather and make us smile. The ridge line down to the lighthouse is exposed to the elements and the trees cling to the cliffs. It’s also home to a good sized herd of goats who watched us go from behind the scrub.
The old Homestead, a reminder of when the island was a cattle station.
View from Mt Kanut
Wreck Bay looking north from the Lighthouse.
We made it! And managed to sprint to beat the self-timber!
Thanks to the Svendsen’s crew for the smile 🙂
Hanging on!
The expedition through the mangroves of Leeke’s Creek was fun, if not for the company alone! A few ventured up to the original homestead on foot while the rest of us listened to Graham’s fishing stories 🙂 The clarity of the water was remarkable and unlike many mangroves this one has silky white sand.
“And the crab that got away was this big!”
And then there were the sundowners – good company, great sunsets and a wonderful sense of camaraderie. It’s endlessly fascinating to hear other people’s sailing stories of how they come to be cruising the high seas.
Enjoy your week and I’ll bring you photos from the heart of the Whitsundays for my next post!
Sundowner fire with the cruising crews.
Thanks, Sue, I’ve always thought I’d like to live on an island. Although I have a little more appreciation these days of the complexity of that life style!
Thanks for dropping by 🙂
A lovely post and beautiful photos, Helene. It’s a shame I can’t remember anything of Great Keppel Island, I was only in my early teens when my parents booked the cruise to visit the island. I’d love that homestead though. What fun it would be to live on an island.