Day 42 – Monday 30 August 2021 –126 Km

Etty Beach is our destination this morning & we are away by 8am to see if we can spot a cassowary, KKOG people have told us that it is the spot to see a cassowary. Etty Beach is only about half an hour away and is a beautiful small beach with a small caravan park at the end of the road. I catch a glimpse of a cassowary on the side of the road as we near Etty Beach, however, it is too dangerous to stop.  We walk the length of the beach & admire the large trees growing right to the high water mark. The rocks at the other end are equally as picturesque. We stop at a park bench in front of our car and have our morning tea. There are lots of cars with big caravans lining up to see if they can get a spot here, most are turned away. The caravan park is like a sardine tin already. We go for another long walk then afterwards try out the local fish & chips at the kiosk and again, sit & eat looking out at the sea. Alas, no cassowary.

We take a drive to Mission Beach, another half an hour south and go for a walk on the sand. There are 5 catamarans moored between the beach & Dunk Island that up-anchor & sail off as we watch. Mission Beach is picturesque & like Etty Beach, has warning signs about crocodiles & marine stingers. Every 100 metres there is a first aid kit for stingers. The coconut palms swaying in the breeze make these places look idyllic, no-one in the water tells us another story. We find a large timber sunning deck on the shoreline & lay on it for a while, both of us nodding off.

The scenic drive home past all the cane fields & banana plantations is worthwhile & we head back into Paronella Park & book in for another night tour, it was that good.  Back to the van then in no time at all it is time to be back at Paronella Park for the 6.30pm night tour. We meet the owner, Mark Evans, as we pull in and have a nice chat with him. The light show & music is just as good, but this time, afterwards we take a night walk to Teresa Falls down Lovers Lane. Teresa Falls are also lit up at night time and we spot a lot more fish & freshwater prawns in the small creek. The Falls are very special with the lights and we are the only people there. We meet Mark back on the way out and have another brief chat.

Back to the van & dinner, another great day.