A real post card showing the coral eating starfish Crown of Thorns
Unfortunately the weather is not always this good. Prevailing South East trade winds rarely stop blowing and the further north one travels in Australia the stronger the breeze becomes.
Tip for travelers. Listen to the evening weather forecast. If predicted wind strength for tomorrow exceeds 15 knots – stay onshore. Otherwise expect some spray. Perfect conditions are 5 to 10 knots.
In the above mock postcard, we had calm conditions, a blue sky and clear water. As for the coral – a year later it was destroyed by crown-of-thorns starfish. This was Ellison Reef off Mission Beach. The loss did not effect tourism. Good coral remains at the popular Beaver Cay location. Mission Beach is about one hour south from Cairns, by car.
It’s a rainforested region with low density tourism. Nice place.
