Minjerribah for Breakfast

Sunrise was a moody affair this morning with light winds and glassy conditions for a paddle from Raby Bay to Minjerribah for breakfast at "The Barn".

A Cleveland Point we surprised what may have been a hump backed dolphin as we silently glided over to get a better look at what creature was breaking the glassy surface of the bay - video footage to come.

We paddled past the reef platform and mangroves on the northern side of Peel Island, watched by a beautiful Brahminy Kite and  a very large sea eagle who was on the hunt for breakfast.  The mangroves along this stretch are home to many different shore birds as well as a creche for our local fish population - plenty of wildlife to keep you interested.

13 km's later, we found ourselves parked on the beach between the passenger jetty and the Research Station.  There was a flock of large birds closely watching our arrival which turned out to be (Royal) spoonbills.

The northern end of the beach provides some habitat for migratory birds. Along with the spoonbills, there were pied oyster catchers, a white heron and the ubiquitous "bin" chicken.

A short walk to the shops for breakfast - pays to keep an eye up along the path that leads around the point as there are often koalas in the surrounding eucalyptus trees.

We paddled over to Goat Island on the way home to get a good angle for the wind which never came. There is a stealth campsite on Goat Island with high tide access - and a nice surrounding reef.  Another 13 km flat water paddle saw us come home via the southern side of Peel Island.