We’ve spent the last few days camping at Dugong Beach in Cid Harbour. Cid is a popular anchorage (stopping point) with yachtsmen because it affords good protection from most winds, which equates to calm waters and a generally peaceful sleep after watching the sun set behind Cid Island.

The location is one that’s known some Australian history. The hoop pines that sometimes give the area a Scandinavian feel were logged and milled here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Later it had a role as a meeting and mooring point for Australian and US warships during the 2nd World War.

Yesterday we had a memorable and delightful day exploring the Cid Harbour area.

After a coffee and breakfast, we did one of the more challenging walks of the islands up to Whitsunday Peak on Whitsunday Island. From Dugong Beach, there is a track that winds its way along the coast to Sawmill Beach, offering glimpses of azure water through the trees.

This was the easy part, for after pausing at Sawmill Beach to check out some rusty remnants of the old sawmill, we started our ascent to the peak. Climbing through the dry rainforest with a high canopy was pleasant for the shade and dappled light. The track was long and steep, but well maintained. Although the vegetation lacked variety, we were quite busy enough looking where to put our feet to miss it.

We boggled at the effort the Department of Environmental Resource Management must have put in to build so many stairs from the stones available in the area. It’s a long and steep track that could’ve taken a small prison gang countless months to construct.

After coming to many points where we thought we must be nearing the end only to find the track just kept going up and up, we reached the summit sweaty and puffing. We were rewarded with some spectacular views in all directions. To the north, a vista overlooking northern Whitsunday Island and Hook Island. West to the Molle Group and South over Henning, Hamilton, Dent, Pentecost, Lindeman and Shaw Islands. Eastward we could see Haslewood and Border Islands.

On the climb down, careful to place the feet connected to our tired ankles and legs securely, we avoided any twists or sprains. The workout was complete after about five hours and we were back at our camp sitting under the shade of some pandanus trees, looking out over Whitsunday Passage from Dugong Beach, reading and snoozing after bathing in the cool balmy water.

Taking the boat a little way down Cid Harbour to have a look at the campsites at Nari’s and Joe’s beaches filled our afternoon. A little more intimate than the one at which we chose to stay at Dugong beach, they are smaller sites with smaller beaches and slightly less inspiring outlooks (still pretty good compared to most mainland sites). However, if you wanted a private experience, Nari’s beach you could occupy with a small group of about 6 friends or family. That is the main drawback about Dugong Beach; if you were not as lucky as us, you could reasonably expect to have the company of one or two other groups.

Rounding the daylight hours off perfectly, we watched the cloudswept sky above Cid Island get painted with the colours of sunset. And a delicious camp meal of lamb chops, mashed potatoes and zucchini salad later, we rested our weary bones and were thankful for the wonderful and happy day that had been.