This one on Anna & Tessa’s list is ‘Explore a new part of Rockhampton/Tamworth’ for their respective towns, so following suit, this would be Mackay for me, however I feel like I’ve exhausted the best parts of Mackay, so I extended this to the Whitsundays. One place I’ve always wanted to check out was Horseshoe Bay, Bowen. I’ve always heard it’s beautiful and it did not disappoint. On Jill Day (the 19th of the month) the weather was glorious and seemed like the perfect day to do this. As I had a morning appointment in Mackay, and it’s approx a 2.5hr drive, I did not get there until about 11:45am and ended up staying until 4pm.
I first checked out Gray’s Bay, which Coral Cove Resort overlooks - I’ve also heard great things about this resort, so I hope to stay there one day.
I then checked out Horseshoe Bay where many were soaking up the sun and having a fresh dip in the crystal-clear waters.
Here I discover a walking trail. The trail was 4.5km return. The trail first took me up to an amazing lookout of Horseshoe Bay.
To the right of a trail was a 500m trail to a WW2 Radar Site. This was actually a steep and rough path, made even more challenging because it was Frock Friday and I was wearing a dress, however I was grateful for the sun coverage my dress provided as it was a hot and sweaty walk.
After scaling up and down the WW2 trail the trail then veered to the left to Murray Bay. Another beautiful bay. Seriously never seen waters such a beautiful blue. It was at this point I got confused and was not sure if the trail went any further, so I walked back to the beginning.
Reassessing the trail sign and talking to a bloke there, the helpful bloke explained that the trail does go right through to Rose Bay but you can also drive around to Rose Bay. He also told me I should check out the Bowen Jetty.
So, I drove around to Rose Bay, where I found the trail again. The trail took me up to a lookout over Rose Bay - there were many stairs!
Then feeling I need to finish the trail completely, albeit in a disconnected way, I made my way down to Murray Bay, now coming out at the other end.
I then made my way to the Bowen Jetty. I was so grateful for this recommendation as I would not of known about it otherwise. The jetty looked historic, and after googling, I found out it was originally completed in 1867, so yeah, I think that fits the category of historic.
It was a beautiful and serene walk along the jetty, made even more beautiful from the sight I saw. There in the water alongside the jetty was the biggest turtle that I have ever seen in the wild. I had to do a double take as my eyes didn’t believe it. It popped its head up a couple of times as if to say hello. People often say that animals are sent to us in the way of signs from our loved ones, whether I believe this or not, I like to think it was a sign from Jill and it was the perfect way to end the day.
I would have absolutely loved to take Jill here, as I don’t think she has been there before. With her love of beaches, she would have been blown away by the beautiful bays and she would have loved the challenging walking trails. I would highly recommend to anyone to check this place out. I would definitely love to go back and explore further. When I do this next time, I will be wearing more appropriate hiking clothes and I will definitely be throwing in some swimmers to get into that beautiful clear water.
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