Bowen's Beaches: off the tourist circuit

Cape Edgecumbe points north into the Coral Sea. Its western side borders Queen's Bay, Bowen's longest and best known coastal spot. The eastern side is corrugated with tiny bays and beaches that are not so well-known to tourists. Several one-lane roads (I use the term loosely) cross the cape and join up with walking tracks that link the bays.

Each bay has its own personality. These two are only about 100 metres apart, separated by a rocky ridge.

Murray Bay

Clear water and fringing reef

And the odd rock pool

Cautious wildlife

And a short distance south along the track ...

Pandanus and she oaks are characteristic of tropical beaches

Living sculpture

Pumice washed in from somewhere in the western Pacific Ocean

Pied cormorant on the lookout for lunch