Graptolite - Cook's Look

14:34.27S 145:02.72E Sunday 17th August, North of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

We arrived at Cape Bedford late evening Thursday but Andante had already moved on to more sheltered waters at Cape Flattery. We anchored there anyway but it was a bit bouncy. There were one or two lights on the beach probably from Aboriginal fishing camps but otherwise the bay was deserted.

On Friday we arrived at Lizard Island where there were already a few boats we knew. Lizard Island is a very attractive place with granite hills and a coral lagoon, reef and really good beaches. We parked up in Mrs. Watson's Bay. The eponymous Mrs. Watson was attacked here by unfriendly natives and she had to escape to sea in a big tub used for boiling up sea-slugs. She and her child and a wounded Chinese servant drifted northwards to another little island where they died of thirst.

Captain James Cook named Lizard Island when he used the excellent view from the hill top to find a way out through the reef to the Coral Sea. The lizards they found there are related to Komodo Dragons but a bit smaller. We stumbled on one on the return climb from Cook's lookout and it posed for photos for us.

Saturday night was Andie's (Tallulah Ruby) birthday and we had a beach barbeque (actually a fry-up) with singing accompanied by guitar and didgeridoo.

We set off this morning at 05:00 to overnight at Flinders Island.

M