Posted October 1, 2023 about
about September 18, 2022
Heading onshore for our first visit to Keswick Island, we landed easily on the nearby Basil Bay Beach. Long, wide and protected, this was easily the nicest beach on Keswick Island. Behind the beach, there was an embankment topped with Australia’s “whispering” pine trees, known as she-oaks.
Below, a few photos of Basil Bay Beach. (Click any photo to enlarge.)
Looking down the beach near the inner headland, I noticed something strange on the rocks. We walked over for a closer look and were surprised to see a giant octopus perched on the boulders. Not a real one, but an artistic creation, made up of netting and natural materials. It was striking, but how very strange to find it here.
Walking up a ramp to the top of the embankment, we discovered, lo and behold, a sign for the Art Trail! This certainly explained the octopus. With that came a change of plan: we’d do the Art Trail today.
We followed the path to a visitor’s hut, spotting more artworks along the way. We soon discovered free map brochures with descriptions of the art pieces, just the sort of information I’d hoped for! (The Art Trail had just opened which explained the lack of information online.)
Behind the shoreline trees was a wide lawn area. Here, we joined the paved path that wound up a hill through tended grounds, serving as both the trail walk and a golf cart road. This was to be the site of an eco-resort (which sadly, as of this writing, seems to have been stalled).
What an interesting and unique-looking place this was! A combination of bushy native forest and manicured grounds, peppered with creative artworks and ocean views. Then there was the wildlife. We heard squealing from a colony of fruit bats, chattering cockatoos, and the haunting whoop-whoop cries of local birds called pheasant coucals.
Below, a few photos of the walk and some of the art works . . .
My favorite discovery of the day was the long-legged birds called Bush Stone-Curlews. They stand nearly 2-feet tall and prefer to walk in small groups rather than fly, reminding me of the little dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. They disguise themselves by freezing motionless and pretending to be a branch. At night, their wailing calls emanating from the bush can sound pretty eerie.
What first caught my attention was a bird that scurried past us, suddenly realized it was out in the open, and then froze instantly, doing its best tree branch impression. And it did look like a branch, but the problem was I had watched it go by us before freezing into position. It seems underestimating the intelligence of humans is also something this bird tends to do.
I felt almost sorry for the bird, that “awww, sweetheart” response when someone tries to do something and pathetically fails. So we pretended to be oblivious, fooled by the “branch” as we walked by. In the coming weeks I would discover another fun thing about these birds: their large round eyes are expressive. One time, getting very close to a curlew, another was watching and had an actively worried expression on its face. That is the first, and so far the only, time I have ever seen a bird look worried. Wary, yes. But not worried.
We walked to the top of the hill, admiring more art pieces along the way. Walking down the other side of the crest were lots of butterfly-attracting trees and flowers. We certainly saw plenty of butterflies, but it seemed most of the blue tiger butterflies I was seeking had migrated south.
I did, however, find one of my two favorite art works of the day, a sculpture depicting butterflies on flowering stalks. Further down the hill was my other favorite sculpture: two whale tails, perfectly placed overlooking the sea. It was compelling in the way it captured the feeling of this area. Finally we walked further down to enjoy a view of the Egremont Passage between the islands, which we’d be going through the following morning.
Alas, what comes down must go back up; so we turned and began a rather steep climb back up the road. A golf cart soon came up from behind us, and I made a wish that we’d be offered a ride. Wish granted! It was a caretaker who not only offered us a much-needed lift but gave us a tour of this area with stops at some beautiful viewpoints.
We also got to see what’s called the Beach House, the official rental property on the island. I was taken with its deck and view of the bay. Immediately I started envisioning having the fridge stocked; then arriving with a few books with plans to spend a week reading, sitting on the beach, swimming, hiking, contemplating the art work, watching birds and butterflies, meditating, and being unplugged. The area had such a peaceful, pleasant feeling that spending time here would feel rejuvenating.
We got a ride back to the beach and talked about buying some Keswick honey from the caretaker, but we didn’t have any money with us, nor a container in which to put the honey. We figured we might come back the next morning to do so.
Taking the dinghy back to Legacy, we passed a couple on paddle-boards who were oohing and ahhing at the coral beneath the water. We took notice but had no plans to snorkel until we moved further north. Our focus now was on land-based activities, trying to see some of these islands as best we could. Underwater exploring could wait until the Barrier Reef. –Cyndi
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