Australia, Road Trips, Travel

Blissful days in Ball Bay

Suzanne

Queensland Roadtrip Pt6

What a fun name, we thought.  It tickled our fancy and sparked our playful side. We came across Ball Bay while searching for an idyllic place to relax for a few days.  Luckily for us, we had found that perfect place.

It’s always a relief to decide where we’ll camp.  There was more than one enticing place to camp.  We looked forward to the luxury of a beachfront camping site, positioned in a National Park.

Where is this beautiful Bay?

Ball Bay_edited

Tucked away just north of Mackay in Tropical Queensland, Ball Bay is situated in Cape Hillsborough, which is a coastal outcrop of land that thrusts itself towards the Great Barrier Reef.

With rocky headlands, rich rainforests, white sandy beaches, and eucalyptus forests plunging down to the brilliant blue ocean below, Cape Hillsborough is mainly designated a National Park.

Unlike many of Australia’s other best National Parks, Cape Hillsborough is simple to get to, with sealed roads and clear signs.’

The preserved landscape and incredible views this place showcases are almost second to none, and one of our new favourite Australian beaches is situated amongst all of this.

Here are some of the reasons why.

Sunrise on the beach_1_edited

Most mornings, we woke up in time to watch the sun rise over the horizon.  Casting a warm glow over the beach gave us that “we are happy to be alive” feeling.  For me, it gave me more incentive to head up and over the hill to check out the next bay.  This short walk made the journey more enjoyable than the destination.  A whale lay beached at the next bay, though I didn’t linger to look closely.  My curiosity doesn’t stretch to dead animals.

It was a different story for locals, as many of them made their morning ritual walk to the bay to see if the dead whale was still there.  We abruptly halted swimming because we knew sharks were abundant due to the whale carcass.  Having spotted one or two.  We valued our limbs more than a dip into those bright blue waters.

A beach to ourselves_1_edited

At the far end of the beach, it seemed more “wild and untouched”, where we were more likely to find a crocodile or two.  We were not looking; we were just observing from a distance.

Further down the beach the bush area was dense and crocodile friendly
Longview of the beach low tide

Our view as we headed back to camp after walking the length of the beach. We were about to encounter a smaller being, much cuter than any crocodile could be.  The pleasant surprise occurred when we encountered many sand bubbler crabs trying to escape our curiosity and intrusion.  To view what we saw, do check out my popular video on Instagram

It wasn’t only the sand bubbler crabs keeping us entertained.  We also had regular feathered visitors, making their presence known, usually around mealtimes.  No, we didn’t feed them, and I can’t see how our food would be of any nutritional value to their diet.

The friendly kookaburra_edited

Later in the day, when it was too warm to wander down the beach, we took refuge under the palm canopy.  We took a pleasant stroll to stretch our legs.

Ball Bay is all about the sunrises.

Cape Hillsborough National Park sunset_edited
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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

45 thoughts on “Blissful days in Ball Bay”

  4. I’ve never heard of these places you’re taking us too. This really is a massive state. Your images are, as always, fabulous. I think my fave – and it was hard to pick – is the beach through the trees.

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      1. We’ve been living on the Sunshine Coast for nearly 3 years & still only been as far north as Agnes Water. We are planning to drive to Cairns but probably not until I’m no longer working a day job.

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  8. What a gorgeous place, Suz, in all kinds of light! I’m glad you didn’t feed the kookaburra – I hate it when (uneducated?) people do that. So sorry to read about the beached whale. So sad. Not sure how the locals expect it to “disappear”, maybe with an extreme high tide.

    The beaches sure are beautiful in Oz, but what I miss the most is its incredible wildlife! Even the crocodiles. 🙂

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    1. Liesbet I’m in agreement the wildlife are fascinating even the crocodiles. Folk need to have a healthy respect for them and remember it is us that are the visitors in their environment.

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  13. Susanne, that water looks so inviting, but sharks and crocodiles – yikes!! I loved your photo and the video of the crabs, their movement mesmerizes the mind. Your photos capture the peacefulness of the bay and I can see very well why you like spending time here. So nice to meet another water person…nothing calms the soul quite like sea air, azure waters and sunshine.

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    1. Thanks for commenting Suzanne and yes I can’t resist a peaceful beach to spend time on. Especially walking or swimming though the latter wasn’t possible for all the days.

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        1. Okay, never knew that the brownie/guides sang a song about the kookaburra. Very inquisitive bird and will snatch the food out of your hand if given half the chance.

          Good to hear from you Josy and your trip to Spain looked amazing. We enjoyed Spain very much.

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