17th, 18th, 19th October 2014 Etty Beach

We had heard a lot about Etty Beach but it was still a lovely surprise when we got there.
After setting up we went for a walk along the foreshore then had a  swim, the water was lovely clear and warm. Later we walked to the top of the hill we had just driven over, to the lookout., we wasn't there long and Merv noticed a cassowary walking down across someone's front lawn. It crossed the road near us then continued to walk down the hill, we followed at a distance not to frighten it, there was 2 cars that came along, we got them to slow, one lady I spoke to later told me her sister had lived in Gordonvale just down the road for 4 years and had never seen one, she couldn't wait to show her the photo. Latet that afternoon the same cassowary had walked into  camp and was happily sitting next to someone's tent eating a piece of pineapple, you are not supposed to feed them, the saying goes,  a fed bird is a dead bird, I suppose it was fruit and I don't think anyone would be game enough to take it away. We have been very lucky there is supposed to be only approx 1500 in the wild and we have had 6 different sitings.
18th Next morning it was out with the canoes again, we started paddling up the coast but there was quite a bit of swell so I suggested going across to the other side of the beach as there was a little shelter on the lee side of the hill. Merv was trolling with different lures but didn't get anything. The wind started to pickup so we headed in, a bit of surfing to get in as the swell and wind had really got going. We went for a swim, then out to Morilyan Harbour to check the ramp, on the way back we stopped at the bakery for the most delicious cream lamington. The wind has continued to pick up, getting quite nasty.
19th we take the boat out today around to Morilyan Harbour, we figured if it was too rough to go out we would fish the river. When we got there it was rough, nobody would go out so we anchored in the inside where there is a deep hole where the shipping boats turn, I caught a small cod. We then explored the river, no fish up there,  we didn't try for barramundi. Before we left we tried the hole again, I caught another cod, not quite big enough, meanwhile the weather is getting nastier and nastier. When we got back there was some really good waves coming in on the beach, the surf life savers were there and it seems all the locals had come down to enjoy the beach. The sound of the  waves reminded me of at home in Tassie.