No sleep for Seaforth

We spent a little while at Seaforth, where the beach at low tide stretches on and on.  Miniscule crabs dig tiny balls of sand out of burrows and every morning there will be millions of these little holes, protected by shy microscopic crustaceans.  Look up, and in the the distance there are small islands dotted about the place - these are the Whitsundays.

The water here is clear and very warm, but to be safe, you should swim within the stinger nets, which, on this beach, border only a very small area in which to swim.  Each day I ponder the decision to either swim should-to-shoulder with little kids in the stinger nets or risk it and swim in the open water.  More often than not, it falls into the "too hard basket" and so we have only swum a couple of times.

It has been windy so no boating, however we have enjoyed taking a long daily walk along the sand, and, if we're feeling energetic, to the closest island just offshore (about 40 minutes away) which has a passable track at low tide.

The moon rises over the sea which is a spectacular sight, and people try to fish even though there is little hope of catching a feed.  Plenty of boats launch each day,  but these usually take off at great speed towards the Whitsundays where there is more promise of catching a feed.

We enjoyed our stay here (relaxing atmosphere, kids running around due to school holidays, blokes clinking beers and talking shit, and a small but useful farmers market).... with exception of the abundance of midies, mozzies and curlews.  These noisy, invasive, large, strange birds will hang about your camp and, being notcurnal, call to each other incessantly during the night - every night.  Right now it's breeding time, so they are particularly noisy.  Every night is a night without sleep.  There is also a variety of ducks (who may even be spotted at the beach which is a strange sight) who are tame, and can be aggressive towards each other now that they too are breeding.

We also visited Cape Hillsborough National Park, albeit briefly.  Its boardwalk provides excellent views of mangroves, rainforest, and other interesting things. 

Read point 2 of the sign below; it cracks me up!