Day 18 - 3 June - Seisa to Loyalty Beach via Thursday Island - 5 km

 Today we took a package deal tour to Thursday Island a.k.a TI. At $199 each it was way beyond our usual budget but we probably will not ever visit again. Today was also Eddie Mabo Day and the guidebook suggested there would celebrations there.......Wrong!!!!

We grabbed a quick breakfast from the kiosk, a breakfast wrap and coffee, wrap  excellent! coffee not! and took our bikes over to the tour operator's yard for security and then headed to the jetty.

The MV Trinity was there unloading. This is the boat we are sailing back to Cairns in next week.  looks luxurious doesn't it. we will probably have to work for our passage.

 At the jetty we met up with Barry, Ruth & Renee who were part of the family group we watched crossing Gunshot Creek last week. They are staying in the same caravan park. Ruth has been trying to persuade us to take a helicopter flight over the tip in order to make her cost viable however it is really beyond our budget. There were 7 others on this trip

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The boat was a large shark cat with twin 250 outboards skippered by Tom a nice young bloke. We zipped along until Possession Island which has a marker commemorating James Cook's visit claiming possession of the region.

 

 We reached TI at 10.30 am to discover that Mabo Day is public holiday and not much was open. We got wander about the shopping centre looking for the elusive butane cyclinder for our stove. We also got to tour the island in a beat up taxi. While the island setting in very pretty in an acqua colored sea is a pretty boring place. The 3000 residents are mainly public servants heavily centred on fisheries, quarantine, health and education.

The highlight of TI was the fort on Green Hill built to defend against Russian invasion around 1900. Paranoia must have been rife through the colonies because similiar installations dot our coastline, Fort Queenscliff and Popes Eye on Port Philip Bay are other examples

We had been recommended the crayfish pies at the bakery but these were gone by the tme we had lunch.

Saw this tree frog outside the Horn Island museum.

 One for you Brent.  Saw this drum at the Horn ?Island museum.  would have stolen it for you but it would not fit in my panniers.

 After lunch we had to quick trip to Horn Island to visit a museum containing some Islander culturals artefacts and WW11 remnants. it was mildly interesting but poorly organised and a bit amateurish.

Leaving Horn we saw some small crocs basking on the mudflats but were unable to get close enough for good photos.

 We saw this wreck/boat that had been used to bring illegal immigrants to Thursday Island.

Just after 4.00 pm we were back at Seisa where we collected our bikes and headed to the supermarket and then to Loyalty Beach Camping Park. 

Tony diverted to another shop to look for the gas cylinder. Joe had broken his Kindle early on in the trip and so when I was at this shop and they had second hand books I bought a few for him.  This was the one he liked best.

 Set up camp right on the beach at Loyalty Beach.

 Got some good shots of the sun setting.

 Had tea and hit the restaurant for a few beers.