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DUNK ISLAND, OR WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT...continued |
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The resort itself was completely smashed. Roofs and windows blown away, apartments filled with sand, as was the once-delightful piazza and swimming pool. The gardens were gone. The Parks Service was in the process of chain-sawing down the few remaining trees on the spit, as most were leaning over at funny angles and clearly unsafe. Totally heartbreaking. |
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The Activities Centre was hard hit. Opposite it, the jetty was shredded and no longer connected to the shore. Unfortunately we had to sit and look at this sorry sight for four days due to a frightening weather forecast. Here is an extract from the ship’s log: |
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Above: main pavilion, piazza and swimming pool; Right: ruined apartments; Below: Activities Centre and Jetty ruin |
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The big news is the weather forecast, the worst we have ever heard in Queensland. Today the wind has reached 50–60 knots at Cape Moreton & not much less at Double Island Point. A “very large high” according to BOM (“very large” is a highly technical meteorological term) is over the Tasman Sea while a frontal low is heading west towards the Queensland coast. This is not good. The forecast gave a gale warning for the region with winds of 33–40 knots, but the models obviously can’t handle 50–60. Also, 4–5 metre waves and a 4 metre swell are breaking dangerously off the coast. This is frightening, and it is moving north. Hopefully it will weaken before getting here. We are forecast for 25–30 knots. The anchorage is surprisingly comfortable (so far, will be interesting to see what happens when the seas rise). We are very grateful. |
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FITZROY ISLAND |
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26 – 28 AUGUST. We didn’t realize just how good the anchorage at Dunk was until we departed northwards, heading for Fitzroy Island. The wind had abated to a more reasonable strength, but what we didn’t know was that the island was sheltering us from the considerable swell that was still running. The waves and swell built on the way to Kent Island, where they became very ugly. We headed in towards the anchorage but had to pull the pin – it was untenable.
Instead, we spent the night at Mourilyan Harbour. This was comfortable although pretty crowded. Silting up from the cyclone made it harder than normal to find enough depth to anchor. |