Dunk Island and Hinchinbrook Island / Channel

Published July 6, 2019

After a very wet night at Dunk Island, the rain did not stop all night but on the bright side we filled our water tank with rain water that we collected and the salt and fish scales were washed off the boat, so there was a silver lining.

The rain eased as the morning went on and at 10.30am we pulled up the anchor and headed the 24 nautical miles to Hinchinbrook Island. The wind was quite light but right on the nose so we motored the entire distance, plenty of hot water tonight.

The rain kept coming for most of the journey and the swells increased for a while. By the time we were close to Cardwell the rain had stopped but still very cloudy skies. We motored up part of the channel and dropped anchor at Scraggy Point and will go ashore tomorrow.

We have heard there are lots of crocodiles here so keeping clear of the water.

Today we took the dinghy ashore to the beach at Scraggy Point to explore. There are some fish traps near the beach set up many years ago by the local aboriginals but no longer used. There is a camping ground set up for visitors and we found a walking track through the bush that came out at a flowing creek, but no crocodiles.

We pulled up anchor and motored up Hinchinbrook Channel it certainly is a big island and so green with vegetation right down to the water. This area is apparently the wettest part of Australia when it comes to rainfall and it shows with the health of the mangroves and trees in the area, green everywhere. After 11.5 nautical miles we dropped anchor at the southern end of the channel at Reis Point. It must be a local fishing haunt alongside the mangroves as there were fishermen in tinnies all around.

Haycock Island in the Hinchinbrook Channel

Ashore at Scraggy Point In Hinchinbrook Channel

Stream on Hinchinbrook inland from Scraggy Point

Looking for Croc’s Scraggy Point