July 9, 1992--Dunk Island

[Thanks to a wonderful Aussie lady who checked us into our small hotel after our Karunda visit, wediscovered that our reservations for the next couple of days had gone awry. She was concerned that we might not have reservations because of the busy holiday season and made sure to check for us. Sure enough our reservation for Fitzroy Island did not exist and we found ourselves spending the night wondering what we could do. Bob contacted the travel agency in California but we wouldn't find out until the morning that they had handled the situation. Now Dunk Island was supposed to be an upgrade. I don't remember why the transportation to the island wasn't but it was quite an adventure.]

Thursday, July 9, 1992

            Our original reservations to Fitzroy Island have changed and we are headed for Dunk Island resort. We drive to Mission Bay to take a water taxi to the island. Our taxi is a small motor boat that backs up to the sandy shore. We roll up our pant legs and wade through the water out to the boat, suitcases on our shoulders. A short trip across the channel to the island and our taxi backs up to the island beach.

              Gilligan’s island comes to mind as we wade through the water again to shore. The island vegetation is deep green with splashes of colorful flowers. It looks like an island paradise.

              Although the resort offers tennis, golf, two pools and countless other activities, we choose to relax on the beach after a short expedition to the gravesite of the Banfields, the original beachcombers.

[A little about the Banfields: Dunk Island has attracted world-wide attention since the end of the 19^th century thanks to E.J. Banfield and his novel Confessions of a Beachcomber. Given only six months to live, the editor of the Townsville Daily Bulletin longed for a more peaceful life. On his first visit to Dunk Island in 1886, Banfield was immediately taken by its pristine beauty and chose to live out his remaining days there. Banfield and his wife Bertha established a small farm that quickly became self-sufficient assisted by the Aboriginal inhabitants. Banfield defied his prognosis and lived for another 26 years. In 1908 he published his novel which quickly became world renowned, establishing Dunk Island as an exotic island paradise. Banfield passed away in 1923, his wife ten years later.]