Inskip Point, QLD. Part 2:

Sunrise at Inskip Point

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise and set off on foot to explore the western side of Inskip Point for quail. Inskip Point used to be an excellent area to spot rare Black-breasted Button-quail but we, and another birder we met, had no luck in finding any. Sadly, we didn't even see a single quail platelet.  

The ferry to Fraser Island pulled in after we rounded the point and returned to our campsite for a late breakfast.

Ferries to Fraser Island leave from Inskip Point.

We drove out to the Bymien Day Use Area. Next to the parking area there is a secluded picnic area, an information sign and pit toilets. The walk to Poona Lake starts from here. 

Freshwater Road is an unsealed 2WD Road into Bymien Day Use Area.

Bymien Day Use Area

Lace Monitor at Bymien Day Use Area.

First, we walked the Dundathu Circuit which is only 250 m but well worth the detour as it is an attractive piece of lowland rainforest and we saw both Bassian Thrush and Large-billed Scrubwren.

Russet-tailed Thrush

We proceeded along the Poona Lake Walk which is a Class 2, 4.2 km return walk. We met a fellow birder and blogger along the track and exchanged information. Robert writes the blog 9001 BIRDS and was particularly keen to tick the Black-breasted Button-quail box but as we had also dipped out we were not of much help. We enjoyed the walk through a variety of Kauri Pine, Hoop Pine, Strangler Figs and Piccabeen Palms. There were a number of interesting fungi growing alongside the track.

Poona Lake is picture postcard perfect and was well worth the walk in.

Poona Lake

On our drive back to the campground we stopped at the Drinking Water Depot and Dump Point on Clarkson Drive, just past Zircon Street. This is an excellent free facility provided by the local council for tourists as there is no drinking water available on the Inskip Peninsula.

Drinking water facility

There are no showers at Inskip Point but I enjoyed a swim in the tranquil ocean which wasn't too cold even at this time of year.

In the afternoon we went for a walk in a clockwise direction around Inskip Point. First we crossed the road to the beach on the western side of the point. Here we saw a pair of Beach-stone Curlews. They are listed as vulnerable in Queensland so it is always great to see them. We noticed that there were a lot of crabs on the sandbanks and they were providing an easy meal for a variety of shore birds including the Beach-stone Curlews, Sacred Kingfishers, Eastern Curlews and Bar-tailed Godwits. 

The western side of Inskip Peninsula

Beach-stone Curlews

Sacred Kingfisher

At the point we were delighted to see another pair of Beach-stone Curlews.

The second pair of Beach-stone Curlews that we saw.

 Mangrove Honeyeaters were common on the peninsula and in our campground.

Mangrove Honeyeater

Details for Camping at Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area:
Where: 252 km, about 3 hours 15 minutes, north of Brisbane. 80 km, 1 hour, north-east of Gympie. Sealed roads until the entrance to the campgrounds. There are five Campgrounds to choose from. 
Access: M V Sarawak Camping Area is usually 2WD accessible, S S Dorigo is mostly 4WD with some 2WD near the entrance, Natone, M V Beagle and The Oaks Camping areas are 4WD high clearance areas with no towing.
Facilities: Pit toilets. There are industrial bins near the entrance to each campground.There are no showers. No water in the campgrounds. Free drinking water is available from the Water Station in Clarkson Drive, Rainbow Beach. We had phone reception at M V Sarawak. No boat ramps.
Allowed: Dogs on leash. Fires: bring milled firewood, put fires out with water not sand. Low decibel generators allowed until 9 pm.
Prohibited: Other than dogs, no pets, including birds. No digging your own bush toilets. Portable toilets can be emptied at the Dump Point in Clarkson Road, Rainbow Beach near the Water Station.
Fees and Booking: Standard Queensland National Park Fees: $6.15 per adult. Maximum booking is 30 days. Book online, by phone 13 74 68 or at the Visitor Information Centre on Rainbow Beach Road. This is a very popular camping area. Book well in advance for peak holiday times and expect huge crowds.
Cautions: There are biting sandflies here please wear protective clothing or use insecticide. The pit toilets get overused and some are smelly. Be very particular about camp hygiene such as washing your hands.


Birdlist for the two day trip: White-bellied Sea Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Whistling Kite, Eastern Osprey, Australian Brush Turkey, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Pied Cormorant, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Beach Stone-curlew, Eastern Curlew, Torresian Crow, Australasian Grebe, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Bar-shouldered Dove, Spangled Drongo, Little Egret, Rufous Fantail, Australasian Figbird, Noisy Friarbird, Australasian Gannet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Silver Gull, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Mangrove Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Sacred Kingfisher, Magpie-lark, Masked Lapwing, Australian Pelican, Crested Pigeon, Eastern Yellow Robin, Large-billed Scrubwren, Little Shrike-thrush, Grey Shrike-thrush, Welcome Swallow, Crested Tern, Russet-tailed Thrush, Varied Triller, Little Wattlebird, Eastern Whipbird, Golden Whistler, Willie Wagtail, White-breasted Woodswallow.