Searys Creek, Rainbow Beach

During April 2012, we visited Searys Creek, a beautiful freshwater creek in the Great Sandy National Park near Rainbow Beach, Queensland. 

The kids adore the adventure of swimming along this bush creek with a white sandy bottom - even with the eels!  Our tip is to arrive early and you will often find yourselves the only people there.  The water is always "crisp" but on a hot Summer's day it is divine.

At Searys Creek you can enjoy a little piece of what Fraser Island is famous for...without leaving the mainland.  The water is fresh and clean ... the reddish colour of the water is due to tannin from the tea tree leaves.

You can even discover the remants of an old wooden bridge - we assume from when this was the main road into town for loggers?

Winter bliss at Rainbow Beach

Late afternoon in front of the lifesaving flags looking towards Inskip Point. Still people on the beach enjoying the last of the sun's warmth.

We're experiencing the most glorious sunny weather in Rainbow Beach for the June-July school holidays.   To make this idyllic place even more perfect, it is very quiet.  It appears the crowds have decided to stay home and sadly they are missing out!  

Winter is a lovely time to visit Rainbow Beach.  On the beach it is warm enough to wear togs (swimmers) and shorts.  OK, the water is a little chilly, but the kids don't seem to notice.  Some are wearing wetsuits, but many aren't.   The beach is beautiful for lazing like a lizard soaking up the warm sun, reading a book or building sand castles and beach cricket.

We have enjoyed azure-blue skies, warm sunshine and little wind almost all day, everyday.  Even when the wind gets up, we can find a beach that is sheltered from the prevailing wind.

One of the most memorable features of this area are its striking colours - nature has perfected its palette in Rainbow.  Sand cliffs of many colours from bright white to yellow and blood ochre, capped with dark green Banksia forest before a rich blue sky arcs endlessly above. 

And of course, it is the best time of the year for bush walking.  The sand expanse of Carlo Sand Blow has been magnificent and the temperature perfect for an explore all around its extremes.  We have joined many backpackers and other visitors to watch the fiery sunsets over the waters of Tin Can Bay inlet.  Today, below the coloured sand cliffs we met a group who had walked from Freshwater where they had camped for the night.  They said it would take about six hours to walk from Freshwater, north along Teewah Beach to Double Island Point and then along the glorious sweeping Rainbow Beach to the township.

Daytime temperatures in Rainbow Beach have been about 20 - 22 degrees Celsius.

Rainbow Beach lifesavers

Rainbow Beach surf lifesavers patrol the beach in front of the surf tower on weekends from September to April and all week during school holidays.  Always swim between the flags for your safety!  No cars are allowed to drive through the the safe swimming area.

Rainbow Beach is a 23 km long, curving beach located in Wide Bay, stretching between Inskip Point (which is opposite the southern tip of Fraser Island) and Double Island Point. The open bay faces north-east and the beaches in the bay face variously north, east and north-east as they swing around between the two points.

Beach craft | Pandanus People

The Pandanus palm is one of the iconic plants of the Sunshine Coast.  Around Rainbow Beach, Pandanus palms cling to perilious positions along the ever changing sand dunes.
Our beach craft Pandanus people were made from the phalanges of the large fruit, bleached by the ocean and washed up onto the beach.  At some stage a worm or insect has bored holes through the flesh -- often in incredibly fortuitous positions!   We could not believe how easily they looked like funny little people.

We added some creative touches to turn the stringy fibres into arms, skirt and even plaited hair.  The outer case of the Pandanus phalanges is so fibrous it is even used as a natural dental floss.

To finish our beach craft, we glued the Pandanus onto a cork board.

More about Pandanus tectorius

Pandanus plams found on the Sunshine Coast have a large orange fruit made up 40 to 200 wedge-like phalanges.  The Phalanges contain the seeds, can remain viable for many months while being washed around the ocean currents.



The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and is a major source of food on some island nations. The tree's leaves are often used as flavoring for sweet dishes (you might have seen Pandanus often featured in Alvin's dishes on MasterChef . The leaves are used by Polynesians to make baskets, mats, outrigger canoe sails, thatch roofs and grass skirts.

Jamella leafhopper dieback
The Jamella leafhopper has been responsible for the dieback and death of many Pandanus along the Cooloola coastline but has so far not been noted on Fraser Island.  The leaf hopper can be controlled with pesticides, but needs constant vigilance. 

Sand city and driftwood aliens

Winter at the beach is beautiful in its own blustery, bracing way.  It's a chance to appreciate the rich colours of nature not washed out by a harsh sun.  It's fun to walk along the beach rugged up against the chill and not bake in the heat.  Then it's home to a lovely warm shower, cup of tea and game of Monopoly.  Happily, we also had days that were warm enough to swim and lay on the beach in our togs (swimmers for non-Queenslanders!).

These images were captured by the children on an afternoon beach walk.  They were fascinated by the "sand city" - like a distant view of city skyscrapers.

Rainbow Beach has loads of driftwood washed up against the rocks.  The sandscape along the beach changes so often that it appears and disappears daily.   We love exploring the distorted, weathered shapes and discovering alien creatures.

And capturing bleached white driftwood against the black coffee rock.

Aquatic Centre for Rainbow Beach by mid 2011

Source: media release from the Federal Minister for Infrastructure Rainbow Beach will have a $2 million Aquatic Centre with a 10 lane pool and gymnasium by mid July 2011 thanks to community fundraising and Federal Government funding.

The project is expected to support 20 jobs during construction, as well as another six jobs over the longer term, delivering an economic boost for Rainbow Beach.

Senator Ludwig said, "This is about giving a real lift to the Gympie region by providing a much-needed year-round aquatic, sporting and recreational facility.  It will also increase swimming safety and awareness through the learn-to-swim and surf life saving training activities."

The Gympie Regional Council project is expected to include:

• Construction and fit out of the Rainbow Beach Aquatic Centre including a new pool and gymnasium facilities;
• Energy and water saving measures; and
• Art and landscaping which reflects the local Indigenous heritage.

Whale spotting at Rainbow Beach

Humpack whale fluke

Why do whales pass by Rainbow Beach from June to October?

According to http://www.abc.net.au/oceans/whale/spot.htm Each year most of the large whales in the southern oceans follow a general migration pattern. Summer is spent in the cold waters of Antarctica, where they feed on enormous quantities of the prawn-like krill. In Autumn, as the temperature falls and ice begins to form on the sea surface, the whales migrate northward to more temperate waters to give birth and breed before returning to Antarctic waters at the end of Spring.

Consequently, large whales are most likely to be seen in South East Queensland waters between June and October.  From about May to August and later, humpback whales migrate north along the east and west coasts of Australia to breeding areas off Queensland, Western Australia and possibly waters further north. From September to December they return to feeding areas in the Antarctic.

Sometimes humpback whales can even be seen from April to November depending on the season. 
Image from
http://www.abc.net.au/oceans/whale/spot.htm

From the high sand dunes along Rainbow Beach and from Carlo Sand Blow you can be lucky to see passing whales that have come into the bay for a rest on their long journey.  Particularly on their return journey, we often see a mother and her new baby calf playing and resting in the shallow waters along the beach.

The headland at Double Island Point is the best vantage point, as the whales pass by quite close to the shore.  Allow yourself plenty of time to sit and watch and remember some binocculars!

Which species of whales migrate past Rainbow Beach?

Humpback whales.  Check out this fact sheet which has a good illustration on the features to look for in identifying Humpack whales Humpack Whales of Eastern Australia.  The name humpback whale describes the motion the whale makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive.  They have a stocky body with obvious humps and black upper parts. The head and lower jaw are covered with small, round bumps on the front of the head called knobs or tubercles,

Most often you will first see their blow - a double spray of water.  You can also spot:
Breaching - leaping out of the water
Pec slapping - the pectoral fins, which are up to one-third of a Humpback whale body length, have rough edges are the largest flippers of any whale.
The tail and flukes - which are lifted high in the air as they dive.
This website has excellent info on whale species found in Australian waters and how to recognise them at sea http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/species/cetaceans/australia/index.html

Amazing photo of a Humpback whale and dolphin playing together from the Smithsonian website.

Double Island Point lighthouse at sunset

At the southern end of Rainbow Beach is Double Island Point, which is about one hour drive from Rainbow Beach via Freshwater Track and Teewah Beach.  To reach the Double Island Point lighthouse, park at the very end of the beach and then walk up the signposted track about 600 metres.  The beginning and end sections are quite steep, so you do need energy, water and hats.  We were lucky to see masses of Blue Tiger (or Blue Wanderer) butterflies in the She-oak (Casuarina) trees.  Blue Tiger butterflies migrate each year from North Queensland to South East Queensland around March-April.

Double Island Point lighthouse is still an important functioning lighthouse.  When it was built in 1884 the lantern burnt oil, then in 1923 vaporised kerosene, later it was converted to electric power and in 1992 it was automated and converted to solar power.

Lichen grows on a rock with one of the historic lighthouse keepers' cottages in the background.  Noosa Parks Association volunteers are undertaking the huge task of ridding Double Island Point of introduced weeds and revegetation with native plants.

Excerpt from Accidental-Greenie eco blog: Have you ever sat on the beautiful beach at Noosa or walked through the National Park and thought "thank goodness there is no high rise in Noosa"?

In 1969, Noosa Council had approved a high rise development on the beach side of Hastings Street and in the late 70's was proposing a 12 storey limit on the other side of Hastings Street.  Today, there is a three storey limit.  How this happened is the story of two legendary couples, Arthur and Marjorie Harrold and Bill and Mavis Huxley, and the volunteer organisation they founded, Noosa Parks Association (NPA).

Queensland's Noosa and Cooloola National Park region works its magic on all who are fortunate to visit.  Noosa is one of our most valuable tourism destinations because the concrete development has harmonised with the natural beauty of rainforest scrambling down coastal headland to pristine beaches.

We also have these people to thank for there being no coastal road around Noosa Heads and the existence of the Cooloola section of the Great Sandy National Park stretching from Noosa River to Double Island point.  In the 60s and 70s, this area was destined to be ripped apart for sand mining and when the miners moved on, suburban development would have moved in.

The NPA and the people that have volunteered their time and hearts since 1962 are true legends of conservation.  Today, the NPA is regarded around the world as a shining light for successful community environmental organisation.  Unlike well known single issue battles such as the Franklin and Gordon River, the NPA has relentlessly fought and won successive battles over 40 years.



If you are looking for the best water bottle, visit Biome in Brisbane for a wide range of drink bottles, glass water bottles, stainless steel, leak proof and BPA free water bottles.

Favourite treats - where to eat in Rainbow Beach

One of the delights of a beach holiday are the special treats after a busy day in the surf and sun.  Creme de la Creme gelateria at the new Plantation Hotel is a popular bribe to entice the children off the beach.

Our visit to Rainbow Beach is not complete without an apple turnover from the bakery in the main street.  Often used as a bribe for help in the garden.

Fire on Fraser Island

As dusk fell today, the glow magically appeared from this fire that has been burning on Fraser Island for a couple of days.    The air has been heavy with the smoke all day, but it was not until evening that we could actually see the fire.  The tiny light across on the right of the fire is car headlights way up along the coast of Fraser Island.

Aborigines used fire to manage vegetation on Fraser Island for thousands of years.  According to the Fraser Island Defenders Organisation (FIDO): "We know that Fraser Island Aborigines used fire by the comments of Captain Cook, who passed along the main beach in the hours of darkness on 18 May 1770. He said, "Our course at night was guided by the great number of fires on the shore". Thus Fraser Island would have had relatively frequent, low intensity burns which would have resulted in a landscape with "a park like appearance". That is the description most early explorers gave to describe the lack of a dense understorey in the Australian bush."