Lucinda is just a small seaside town with a population of about 500. It is roughly half way between Townsville and Cairns with the southern end of Hinchinbrook Island overlooking it.
I have copied and pasted the following from the Queensland Holidays site http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-to-see-and-do/lucinda-jetty/index.cfm
Situated near the southern end of World Heritage listed Hinchinbrook Island, the Lucinda bulk sugar terminal boasts the longest service jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. At 5.76 kilometres in length and supported by more than 660 concrete and steel pylons, the jetty is nothing short of an engineering masterpiece with its length actually following the curved contour of the earth.
Sugar takes 22 minutes to travel along the conveyor from the on-shore storage to the shiploader. The single berth can accommodate fully loaded Panamax class vessels and the major cargo destinations are Canada and Malaysia.
The jetty enables Lucinda to receive the largest ships used in the raw sugar trade. Adjacent to this amazing structure is a small service jetty which is popular with anglers who don't have their own boat. Pelagic species such as Spanish mackerel, giant trevally, queenfish, northern bluefin tuna are assured and some anglers have even been lucky enough to land small black marlin.
As we were driving into Lucinda, my gaze just happened upon a tree which was sporting a large nest containing a beautiful chestnut and white bird. STOP!!!! I cried. Ian is used to this behaviour from me by now and he dutifully did a U turn so I could get a photo.
A passerby noticed us both photographing this beautiful Brahminy Kite and stopped to have a look.
It turns out he was a fellow 'Birdo' and he put us onto some good bird spots around town, including 'The Spit' where Collared Kingfishers were to be found.
We were soon headed out there with the Kingfisher on our priority list. There were lots of others to distract us and after wandering out in the midday sun, getting burnt and eventually seeing a Collared Kingfisher hiding in a distant mangrove, we decided to find some accommodation and we would head back tomorrow.
We went back into town, booked into a motel and looked out the window in time to see a Kingfisher fly by and perch on a nearby post. I got lots of photos but felt cheated. It was much more rewarding to go out into smelly mangroves at low tide and stalk a bird till it gave in and let itself be photographed than just find it posing next to your motel room!
Not giving in to the easy conquest of the Kingfisher, we set out early next morning to the Spit. This time we donned hats and applied sunscreen.
Among the many residents of the Spit were the cutest little Red-capped Plovers that you could ever see.
Ian soon located the little fellow. He wasn't much more than a head on legs! He looked like he might have only hatched 5 minutes before we got there. On a comparison for size, he was a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball.
Obeying instructions from his parents, he ran off. . . . . but in the wrong direction. Mum (or Dad - they both look the same) headed him off, none too gently!
Poor little fellow. Surely they didn't think he was on our food chain.
On seeing us, this little plover feigned the broken wing after luring us along the beach a way. Hmm, it must have young ones hidden somewhere.
Ian soon located the little fellow. He wasn't much more than a head on legs! He looked like he might have only hatched 5 minutes before we got there. On a comparison for size, he was a bit smaller than a ping-pong ball.
Obeying instructions from his parents, he ran off. . . . . but in the wrong direction. Mum (or Dad - they both look the same) headed him off, none too gently!
Poor little fellow. Surely they didn't think he was on our food chain.
He had had enough drama in his short little life so we moved away in search of some real prey.
Now Ian is no sissy when it comes to exploring, unlike me who likes to be a bit more sensible about it, especially since I had only got my shoes dry after cleaning off yesterday's mud.
And so Ian went off for something really elusive. . . .
while I went after girl's things
there must be times when Ian regretted doing boy's things
I was lucky to get him back!
Now, to find that Kingfisher. There he was perched on an architecturally appealing tree. And one of us didn't even get too muddy (this time) to get him.
If I think it's hard to get a bird in a tree, it's infinitely harder to get Ian there. I was lucky today and he was obliging.
I love him!
i love your sense of humour petra could read your blog everyday, when are you going to write a book love val
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