The following day we went for a walk up to the lighthouse whose keeper had instigated its restoration from a vandalised ruin. He was a yachtie with a lifelong passion for lighthouses. Exclusive holiday stays are catered for in the small huts. We walked over the headland and saw something in the creek but did not think too much off it. After a while the whine of a vehicle in low gear was
heard climbing the track. Curiosity and the view made us keep our ground. Could have knocked me over with a feather when a bright pink army duck rounded the side of the hill.
The driver pulled up and said "gidday". He asked if we
were yachties and a discussion of the weather ensued in earnest. He skippered charter boats for big game fishing outside the Great Barrier Reef. You would think he had forgotten what he was doing today as all the tourists on board had to share the precis of the weather. That morning Murray in his interpretation of the situation (often different from the official one which he would
read later) had talked about a change in three days time. The driver said his season had been ruined by the conditions and that he was taking a punt that this break in the weather would eventuate and was making his boat ready.
On the way back we turned onto the narrow track which lead to the cove at the foot of Bustard Head. What an exquisite secluded beach with soft waves washing onto a gently sloping beach. Kayak heaven.