DELAYED POST – DAY 4

TRACK NOTES
Mulligan Falls to George Point (Grade: difficult)
Distance: 7.5 km Time: allow about 2.5 hrs hiking time

Friday 4th August 2023
Well, I had a very good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, at about 5am I woke to a little rain, this is always a bit annoying as packing up in the rain isn’t any fun, as well as the wet tent thing. Anyway, it was already raining and too early to get up and leave, so I just rested some more. Jaci took the other approach and got straight up and packed up, unfortunately the outer layer of her tent didn’t escape the rain but everything else went OK. She then headed to the falls for a quiet swim, with company of the eel she thought she saw. Eek!

The rest of us got up around 7.30 and David put up the tarp we had bought for exactly this reason. We enjoyed a little breakie and a cuppa out of the rain under our new shelter. Thanks DB. He has a new skill to learn when we go home, as he wasn’t entirely happy with the pitch of the trail but it successfully kept us dry. We had all packed up the inside gear in our tent, then headed down for another swim before getting the rest done. The water was fresh but also beautiful. We weren’t in any hurry this morning as we didn’t need to leave until 10am, as the creek crossing later in the morning was tidal with a Croc warning. So we just enjoyed the morning at the falls. We were hoping for sunshine but you can’t have everything. It did stop raining so that was a bonus. So we eventually got packed up and on our way by about 10.15am.

My recollection of the walk to George Point from 2021, was that it was an easy walk for about 1km through the rainforest and then a quick 5km along the beach. I had forgotten we had many creek crossings (which may have been because there was less water last time) and swamp forests to negotiate. It was a lovely walk with a little croc awareness required. A bit of shoes on, shoes off for some tricky tree climbs and trunk travels, but all in all, another day of adventure.

There were no signs but it did feel a little like croc country. We finally walked out to the beach to be faced with a strong headwind. Uggh! And to go with that, because it was only 1 hour since high tide, the sand was really soft. Anyway, we were all very strong now and our packs a lot lighter, so we just mosied on our way, enjoying the last of the serenity the island had to offer. There were waves, albeit a bit brown and yucky, and there was an abundance of driftwood in many different sizes, from small logs to whole trees. It was spectacular.

We continued along to the creek crossing and arrived a little early, 11.30am. Jon had suggested we cross at 12.15pm and that it would be about knee deep. We watched two American boys cross at 11.40am and it was still up to their waist. So we enjoyed our last little morning tea and chat whilst we waited for the tide to go down.

At 12.15pm we walked out on the sand bank and then over to the deeper creek we had to cross, it was probably about 10m wide and it slowly got deeper until our knickers got a little wet. Alice and Jaci held their packs over their heads to avoid getting them wet, but Ange and I were ok. We quickly moved across the water with our eyes up the creek keeping watch. We got safely to shore, dried and dressed ready for the next 4km walk to George Point. We had tried to return Jon’s call a little earlier and thought it was just to check on us but I later saw a message from him, which said to wait a little longer to cross the creek as the wind was holding the tide in. Oops! Missed that message.

We then soldiered on quickly and made it to George’s Point by 12.50pm (pick-up time was 12.45pm). Everyone was on the boat as David clambered on, one of the American’s was holding it just out a little from the shore. Silly me had put my long legs back on forgetting about getting into the boat. I struggled to get my shoes off quickly, and as I tried to roll up my legs, Jon said “Hurry up Fiona, a boat isn’t meant to be on the shore”, so I threw my shoes on to the boat and waded knee deep into the water, and straight on the boat. A little wet, but on and ready to go. We were off in a flash and on our way back to the mainland. David had been a bit concerned about getting on the boat and thought once we turned the corner to George Point we might have had to walk further up the channel to calmer water, as it was quite rough and the waves consistent. When we rounded the corner it was ok but getting on the boat and departing needed to be quick all the same. I was last there as I was still capturing the moments of the trip on film.

The trip back to Lucinda was a little bumpy but it was only 10-15mins so it was all good. We alighted at the jetty, said our thanks and goodbyes to John and headed to the Resort for a shower with real soap and white fluffy towels.

We then headed to the Pub for a well earned fresh food lunch and a de-brief with the girls. Jon joined us for a drink and chat. He had nicely paid at the bar for our first drink which was really nice. He really is a great person, passionate about his island and his guests. It was a fun afternoon of stories and banter, with a little business advice for him as well. He had already taken on board the request for a warning at Zoe Bay should the tide be higher than 3.7m and windy, advising the two front camps could be inundated with water and blocked from the main camp. He did say what we had already thought “That the crocs would not be out in that weather and surf, they should be holed up at the end of the estuary”. That was welcomed and taken on board.

About 3.30pm we hopped back in the car for the two hour drive to Townsville. On the way we had a quick stop at the TYTO Wetlands at Ingham – a birdies heaven. After about half an hour and a little bird watching we were on our way again.

We have accommodation at The Billabong Lodge Motel tonight in Townsville. A brief stop at the shop for some supplies for a small dinner. After a bit of re-shuffling of things in their bags, the girls were ready to depart in the morning. We left our gear in the car and didn’t worry about that tonight.

The girls and I enjoyed a little platter of fresh veggies and hummus, and David had an omelette for dinner. We then lay on our beds and went through a slide show of our adventures on Hinchinbrook Island. It was lovely to see each other’s photos and share the adventure once again, as when we get home Alice and Ange may already be on their next adventure in Europe.

Everyone was feeling very happy with the outcome of their last week and a little sad to be finished. We have an early start in the morning, so it is off to sleep at about 11pm. No time to write the blog but hopefully I won’t forget too much.