# Far North Queensland 3 -- Mission Beach, coastal area



## moloch05 (Sep 23, 2008)

In this post, I will include photos from the coastal areas of Mission Beach along with photos from a short day trip inland to Murray Falls State Park.

Mission Beach is a beautiful place with Dunk and the Family Islands a few km offshore. Although there is a great deal of development underway, so far Mission Beach has escaped the enormous resort complexes that destroyed Port Douglas.

Dunk Island







The Family Group of islands and Hinchinbrook Island (big island in distance)






The beach of Mission Beach. Stingers were absent in the winter so it was safe to swim.











I found three species of lizards in habitat like this:






These included Coastal Snake-eyed Skinks (_Cryptoblepharus littoralis_) that fed from just above the high-tide line down and around the tide pools.











Their range overlapped that of Wall Skinks (_Cryptoblepharus virgatus_) and both species were found on the coconut palms that lined the beach. Both can be seen in this photo:






The gecko _Nactus chevreti_ was also found just above the high-tide line.











Once again, Red-throated Rainbow Skinks (_Carlia rubrigularis_) were numerous. These little skinks seem to be the most abundant reptile in the wet tropics of north Queensland. I found them from above the high-tide line through rainforest, wet eucalyptus woodland and up into the montane areas of the Atherton Tablelands.











A lifer to me were these Brown Bicarinate Rainbow Skinks (_Carlia storri_). I saw two on rocks one afternoon but never again could relocate these for better photos even though I visited the same area on four more occasions. I think that they must spend much of their lives beneath the leaf litter.











These Closed-litter Rainbow Skinks (_Carlia longipes_) were common around the cabin where we stayed. Males are brightly coloured during the breeding season. We must have been there too early and all of those encountered looked like these:











I saw this monitor near our cabin one afternoon. Both Gould's (_Varanus gouldii_) and Yellow-spotted Monitors (_V. panoptes_) are found here and I believe that they are hard to separate in this area. The monitor had an yellow, unbanded tip to the tail.











A fisherman told me that a week before my arrival, he found a Saltwater Crocodile eating a Green Turtle on this beach. He said that there were many marks in the sand and it appeared that there had been quite a struggle ... or perhaps the croc was just spinning to rip off chunks of the turtle. I saw many distant turtles but no crocs. 






Mudskippers were common near the mangroves:











I also saw this huge wader/shorebird known as a Beach Stone Curlew. It is a cousin of the Double-striped Thick-knees that some of you may have seen in southern Mexico or Costa Rica. These birds eat crabs.











A Shining Starling colony. These are native, rainforest inhabiting birds that form huge, noisy colonies.











Australian Rustic:






I also went on a day trip to Murray Falls State Park. This park supports rainforest along a river but the surrounding slopes are drier and covered with grass and eucalyptus. The water in the river is freezing but it is a good place to snorkel with many native fish. I saw two species of rainbowfish here along with many grunters. 











I saw both Eastern Water Skinks (_Eulamprus quoyii_) and these barred water skinks (_E. tenuis_ or _E. brachysoma_) on rocks along the river.











Wall Skinks (_Cryptoblepharus virgatus_) were also frequent on rocks.






I saw a few Black-throated Rainbow Skinks (_Carlia rostralis_) up on the drier slopes.






An interesting, large scorpion:






Regards,
David


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## froggyboy86 (Sep 23, 2008)

Great photos once again David, the gecko photo is my favourite. Have you seen many frogs around the Mission Beach area? 

Aaron


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## moloch05 (Sep 23, 2008)

Thanks, Aaron. The next post later this week will include frogs. I will need help with the identification of a couple.

Nactus seems to be pretty common at Mission Beach. 

Regards,
David


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## saratoga (Sep 23, 2008)

Another fantastic post David

thanks

Greg


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## moloch05 (Sep 23, 2008)

Thanks, Greg.


I was told on another site that the monitor was a panoptes.


Regards,
David


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## itbites (Sep 23, 2008)

What a stunning area! Fantastic pics as always


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## jordo (Sep 23, 2008)

Nice pics. Mudskippers are such interesting animals, and a great example of evolution


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## No-two (Sep 23, 2008)

Looks nice  I wish I got to travel as much as you.


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## borntobnude (Sep 23, 2008)

looks like you had a great time in MB do youdrive or fly up. my father faught long and hard with lots of others to keep woolies out ,lucky for him he passed away in november before it was complete . you may of met him in your travels he was pres of the surf club , ran the bar , and opperated a shuttle bus from cairns to MB again top pics , murray falls / upper is the best free water slides around bit ruff on the duds 
rodney


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## moloch05 (Sep 23, 2008)

Thanks, all.

Rodney,
When our kids were young, we used to drive to Mission Beach ... 30 hours from Wollongong. Now, the kids no longer go with us so we take advantage of sales when they occur and buy cheap tickets to Townsville or Cairns.

I may well have met your father since we have been visiting Mission Beach since 1986.

Murray Falls is a great place for kids. I took mine there a number of times to raft across the natural water slides.

Regards,
David


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## Kathryn_ (Sep 23, 2008)

Pretty lizard, pretty lizard, pretty lizard, GIANT UGLY SCORPION OF DOOM!!!! 

*Shudders*

Great pics, but eeeeeeuuuuuugggghhhhh. I know it's childish and irrational but I just can't stand them!


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## bundybear (Sep 23, 2008)

great pics, looks like the place to be
cool colours in the rainbow skink and monitor
those curlew's are cool birds too, i know someone who has a bush curlew as a pet.
it follows him around the yard, sits at his feet, loves a pat and scratch.
i reckon it thinks its a dog sometimes the way it acts.


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## moloch05 (Sep 24, 2008)

Thanks, Kathyrn and bundy.

Kathyrn,
They are rather fierce looking but they are shy and only too happy to run away. I like the appearance of whip-scorpions even more. 

bundy,
What an interesting pet. I wonder if it calls at night? Their call is beautiful but so loud. 


Regards,
David


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## Kathryn_ (Sep 24, 2008)

> They are rather fierce looking but they are shy and only too happy to run away. I like the appearance of whip-scorpions even more.



I actually think whip scorpions are kinda cute, in an alienesque way - though it could just be sympathy after seeing that little one get tortured in Harry Potter  Regular scorpions just look so *nasty* - no animal needs more than one set of weaponry! Why do they need pincers AND a stabby-tail AND venom?! It's completely unreasonable!  

I held a pair of big black tropical scary ones in Singapore a few years ago, after being assured that if I was stung it would only feel "like a bee-sting". It was anti-climactic, they were just like big prickly bugs. Big, prickly, really fantastically ugly bugs.


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