If you
are
already staying in Port Douglas you may have wondered about the night light that you
can see blinking
over the ocean from
Flagstaff Hill
and Four Mile Beach.
Yes, it is the Low Isles
Lighthouse,
still operating
more than a
hundred years after it was built in 1878.
It was the first
lighthouse in far
north Queensland, and like Port Douglas it was hit by a
tropical cyclone in
1911, which
devastaed the island and the buildings (most of which were later
restored).
Low Isles
consist of two islands - the larger, mangrove-covered
Woody Island
(an important habitat for birds and other animals but there is no
reason to go there so the tours won't take you); and the much smaller
Low Island - a real coral cay (and the home
of the
lighthouse).
You can
walk around it in 10 minutes - that's how tiny it is! There is a research station
and a
weather station on the island too.
And there is a walking
track
with lovely views over the sandy beaches and the surrounding ocean.
Like
always
on tropical islands, there are also a lot of birds, the most
obvious ones are
terns that fly around everywhere.
But the
best
things are of course swimming and snorkelling.
There are no dangerous sharks
or crocodiles
near the
island, and a stinger suit will protect you from jellyfish.
The corals are very close to the
island,
right off the beach, so not much swimming is needed, which is ideal in
case you are not a too confident swimmer.
If you are into photography,
don't
forget to bring an
underwater camera!
There are some fantastic views
over both
soft and hard corals,
giant
clams, sea cucumbers, molluscs, sea snails.. Even dugongs,
manta rays and large
marine turtles
can be seen with some luck.
Fish
alone come in hudreds of species including wrasse, sweetlip,
rabbitfish, clowfish, damselfish, angelfish and parrotfish.
Trevally
and giant trevally are also present, but fishing is not
allowed near
the islands of Low Isles.
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