Double Island Point

I have lived here for 10 years and during that time I have only seen Double Island Point from around Rainbow Beach. It is the most southerly point visible along a long line of beach which curves away to the south east. So although the other parts of the National Park that I visited with Sarah and Graham were interesting and beautiful, the high point of the day for me was to finally see Double Island Point close up.

We reached it by traveling from the south along the beach. After so many miles of sandy beach this rocky headland is magnificent. This photo is looking south from the point.

This photo is looking to the east along the southern edge of the point. With sunshine and a blue sky the sea is a mixture of blue/green  colors.

I am told that this area south of the point is a favorite place for surfers. There were two people surfing there that day and both appeared to be on longer boards.

Of course, I was looking forward to going to the top of the Point and seeing the lighthouse up there. I had been warned that it was a steep climb - and it was! The track was well made - but the lighthouse is at an elevation of 96 Meters (314 feet). (And, unfortunately I am not as fit as I would like to be!) This is the view south from about half way up.

There are also views looking down the steep rocks to the sea below.

Finally, I made it! The lighthouse was built in 1884, flashes every 7.5 seconds and has a range of 26 nautical miles. It was automated and demanned in 1992 and now runs on solar power.

The view from up there is fantastic! This photo is looking northwards. Rainbow Beach is just beyond where the sand blow over the hills is visible.

This photo looks right up towards Fraser Island which shows just where the very low land of the peninsular rises. This is also where the channel is between the island and Inskip Point and if you enlarge the photo you can just see the bay waters as a silvery line behind the first line of land.

Thanks again to Sarah and Graham for a truly wonderful day!


Were there birds around the lighthouse and the Point? Of course! Did I get photos of them? No! I was too concerned about making it up and back under my own steam! So for this week I am showing some Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.
White Cockies fly over my house every morning. For the last few days some of them had been dropping down into my back yard. They had already eaten (or demolished!) the fruit on my Passionfruit vine so I wondered what they were getting at now. When I walked out to where I had a better view I saw them on the ground beside my little Kumquat tree. (This is a  citrus tree with very small fruit that has a sweet rind and flesh.) I grabbed the camera and walked down there to chase the birds off and to get what photos I could manage in the half-light of early dawn. There were eight birds in total and each had a Kumquat! Needless to say there were not too many left for me! Some Cockies were up on the fence and one was swinging from the top frond of the palm tree. Feet hold food just as well as beaks!

One extra bold bird stayed on the fence to make sure I really was chasing them all away.

( Just for interest - do others remember to change camera settings when you are rushed and just trying for any photo possible? I know my camera is capable of much better low light photos but that morning I just left it on automatic and was happy for anything I got.)

For more photos from around the world visit Our World Tuesday 

and for more birds visit Wild Bird Wednesday.