Beatrice River - somewhere new to explore :)
Late June 2024
The resident Pied Currawong at Millaa Milla lookout.
After a very cold night the other week at Archers Creek near Ravenshoe in my swag I made my way towards Innisfail in order to drop into Babinda on the way home. On the way I stopped at Millaa Milla lookout for a hot chocolate and a break. The lookout was totally fogged in when I arrived but I was soon joined by the resident Pied Currawong hoping to receive a feed from me.
As I drank my hot chocolate I wondered if I could find a new spot to explore on the way home. I remembered that I had always wanted to make my way along Beatrice River but could never figure out how to get off the Palmerston down to it. I was told recently of a way that locals access the river so I thought I would try to find it.
Underneath the McHugh Bridge at Beatrice River, late June 2024.
I did indeed find my way down to Beatrice River off the Palmerston. You can see from this very large tree deposited on this rock at the rivers edge that water was recently much higher, probably during Cyclone Jasper and after.
Pretty much directly under the bridge a creek runs into the river and there is a small sandy area that locals use to relax and swim from. I know this first hand because when I arrived there was indeed a very relaxed naked local that had just exited the river after a swim in the freezing river.
A creek that runs into Beatrice River near the bridge.
Cameras and naked people tend to cause issues so I made a fair bit of noise before heading closer to the river. By the time I got to the small beach section some clothes had been put into use.
After a lovely chat with the young lady she decided to head off and I had the whole place to myself. I spent a couple of hours there and look forward to returning to explore some more.
At the edge of the sandy section used by swimmers….. and nudists ;)