As planned, the next day we went back on the island. This time we chose to
stay the full day on it. A good opportunity to mix bush walking and beach
activities.
The 13 kms of walking tracks, the proximity of creeks, rainforest and eucalypt
forest provide an ideal situation for nature watching. One option is
the full track around the island. If you chose this option it should take
you around 4 hours to complete it. Several shorter options exists. You
can chose to take your picnic up to Muggy Muggy or Coconut beach or as
we did, go up to Mt. Kootaloo, enjoy the scenic lookout and come back
to relax on the beach for the rest of the day.
You can start the Mt. Kootaloo walk from the jetty, walk along the beach for
a while, then pass along the air strip. At this point you will have to
go through part of the resort to reach the beginning of the forest part
of the walk. It is also the place where you can find Edmund Banfield's
grave who made the island his home from 1897 to 1923. Banfield was a writer
that popularised Dunk Island with a series of
four books which received world-wide distribution.
His most well-known book, 'Confessions of a Beachcomber' is still in print
today.
The walk up to Mt. Kootaloo is pleasant and quite easy. There are several
lookouts on the way but nothing equivalent to the stoning view you will
have from the submit. You reward is an extraordinary panoramic view on
Dunk Island beaches and the surrounding islands.
After a rest you should be ready to go back on your steps and complete your
day by sunbathing on the beach or choosing any other activities you would like to try.
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