Fitzroy Island (Australian Diaries)

Located a mere 45 minute ferry ride from Cairns, Fitzroy Island stands out with its small mountain peak and clear waters.

Arriving early at the ferry port, we had a pleasant gander around the many boats till we reached ours, conveniently right at the end of the last pontoon. From October to April/May the waters around Queensland are filled with jellyfish, some rather dangerous. This means it is important to wear a - not so flattering - stinger suit. Having secured these, we settled down for the boat ride, met with blue skies and a very pleasant breeze to counter the blistering heat.

To set the scene, we decided to go the day after New Year's Day. I was still feeling a little worse for wear after enjoying a fun fireworks watch and late night as well as a nibble of shepherd's pie from our staff house. Having not had meat for over five years, I would soon realise this was a terrible mistake.

Arriving at Fitzroy was a sight in itself. The pier stretches out from a beautiful resort, and a mountainous peak rises up to the sky. Up until this point, my friend had assured me the hike would be a nice, relaxed stroll around to the lighthouse. Seeing this mountain, I started my day unprepared and a little worried. My trusted Crocs now seemed a silly idea to wear.

Due to the island boasting a scenic hike and snorkelling, it was well equipped with lockers and a general store. Storing our items for later, we set off on what would potentially be the worst and best hike of my life.

Arriving at the starting point, you are met with a sign that shows a longer and what appears less steep climb to the peak. Thinking it was better to get the climb over and done with, we chose the steeper route, hoping the ascent wouldn’t take us that long.

Now I myself am not a seasoned hiker and I do not want to in any way deter this hike. Earlier last year, I managed to climb Snowdon, Wales, and this hike was far easier. However, I do suggest the following advice to anyone visiting Fitzroy Island;

• Do not attempt this climb very close to New Year's Eve if you have also enjoyed a few too many beers

• I would not recommend wearing Crocs, but would instead suggest some sensible footwear

• It is probably a bad idea, as I discovered, to try and complete this hike when the temperature is in the late 30s and humidity is over 90%

• Do not attempt this climb the day after eating meat again for the first time in years

Given the favour of hindsight, I did in fact not do any of the above and spent a good portion of the climb itself trying not to vomit. However, it did allow a chance for many stops and water breaks along the way, which meant taking in the breathtaking views.

It was near the peak, whilst I was eying up a particularly nice bush to potentially expel my guts, we stumbled upon what we believe to be a Goanna/Monitor Lizard. These big reptiles can be somewhat dangerous, but given my need to reach the summit, I was not too phased. We carefully edged our way around the creature as it mumbled in annoyance and crawled off into the undergrowth.

Reaching the peak was a great moment. The panoramic views made you feel on top of the world, and it gave me a chance to sit whilst my world stopped spinning. On the walk down we were both in agreement that we, personally, were glad we chose the steeper path for the way up. It was far shorter and had better footing than the way down.

Near the bottom of the walk you have the chance to veer off to see the lighthouse. Although we did not do this (we had accidentally run dry of water) it looked worth the detour as did the turtle sanctuary, which we also didn’t have time for on this particular visit.

Collecting our mask, snorkel, and - annoyingly - our stinger suits, we made our way to Nudey Beach just along the walkway. This walk does entail a few rocks to clamber over and if we were to do the trip again, we would probably have left our stuff in the lockers so we could snorkel back round to the main beach area (important: check this is safe to do so and you are confident in your swimming ability before doing the same).

Within two minutes of entering the lovely warm water, we spotted a blue spotted ribbon tail ray chilling out on the sandy bottom. Further along, we had barely made a few kicks with our fins before arriving at blue corals and fans. The corals couldn’t quite compete with what I had experienced in the outer Barrier Reef, but it was still very cool to be able to easily dive down and peer under the rocks.

Hidden amongst the corals were giant clams and swarms of colourful fish. Peering our heads up periodically, we were delighted to see how close we still were to land and continued our exploration. Making our way back to the beach area near the pier, we continued our snorkelling, keeping an eye on the time for our ferry back.

Just as four o’clock was due to hit, we saw in the distance a collection of dark grey clouds descending over the mountains. As if like a wall of opaque grey, the rain slowly made its way over to the island as we hurried to be let on the ferry. Towels over our head, we braced ourselves for the rainstorm and thunder as it made its way onto Fitzroy. Due to our perfect timing, we were near the front of the queue to be let onto the ferry and were able to plant ourselves in some window seats for the journey back to Cairns.