Thursday, May 28, 2009

Rainbow Beach

This morning was a perfect day. Definitely too nice to stay inside - especially as I have spent the last week shivering and aching with the flu and hardly daring to poke my nose out the back door!
I drove over to Rainbow Beach to see what the last lot of rough weather has done to the beach. Most of the walking tracks down to the water are closed as the drop-off down the sand banks is just too steep. The Surf Live Saving Tower is now perched up on its stilts and not too much else!
The rocks south make this part of the beach impassable to all traffic.
The sea was calm this morning although the water is still discolored quite a way out. There are always a few surfers sitting out on their boards and waiting for a wave.
The view south towards Double Island Point shows the cliffs of colored sand that give this place its name.
Right of center in this photo the sand cliff rises to Carlo Sand Blow.
The Sand Blow is a place where the sand has moved back from the cliff and now pushes back over the hill and down into the valley on the other side. It is visible even from the other side of the Bay. There is a well-made walking track along the ridge above the town and up to the top of the Sand Blow.
The views out toward Double Island Point are great. There were crows calling and soaring up there this morning.
Facing the other way you can see right across to Tin Can Bay. The land in between is part of the Great Sandy National Park. A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo flies high above the bush.
Further south and towards the southern end of the bay is Cooloola Cove.

9 comments:

  1. G'day Mick,
    What a lovely spot you are in up there. I'm glad the weather's lifted along with your spirits.
    Regards,
    Gouldiae

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  2. Great post. It brings back lovely memories. My SO and I were there in 2002. *sigh :-))

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  3. Hi Gouldiae - a beautiful day like yesterday makes everything look better and its certainly a beautiful place.
    Hi Gwendolen, glad the memories are good. Come again!

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  4. Hi Mick, thanks for sharing these beautiful views & hope the fresh air has done you some good.

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  5. Thanks Frank for your comments. Fresh air is always good - just a pity its a bit too cold for swimming for me at least!

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  6. Hi Mick
    Stunning Blue colours, and great cliffs of sand.
    Lovely series of images.
    .
    The weather you mention, of course, is what built Fraser Island. Perhaps not on this particular occasion, but that loose sand washed out to sea, will end up there eventually.
    You probably know all about that, being a local, but others might not.
    Cheers
    Denis

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  7. Hi Denis, the movement of sand is of constant interest to those of us who live along the coastline. I know what washes out has to build up somewhere else but right now the interest in Rainbow Beach is more on what is washing out! No-one can ever remember quite so much erosion along the beach and of course beach access is of vital importance to those who want to drive there! (Beach driving is too complex to get into here!) The sand that built Fraser island must also have built much of this whole area since it is predominantly sand - hence the name the Great Sandy National Park.

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  8. Hi Mick,

    They are beautiful photos you have posted of the sand blow. It looked like a great day - no surf though.

    Cheers for the great pics

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  9. Thanks T! Yes very flat surf - but possibly a nice change after the previous week.

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