10.44 142.35 Somerset Bay 65km 6.5to18.5 great to eventually paddle into the pass! Camp at two thumbstones with noisy frogs, not crocs (yet…)

It took me a while to realize that since some days the tide was going the other way round…ebbing to the south, flooding to the north…it was quite strong all days. But as I was paddling almost 12 hrs every day anyway from dawn to dusk, what you gain in one period, you’re losing in the other…

The entrance had some tidal race movement, but luckily it was streaming into the right direction! I got flushed through with 10 km per hr without moving my paddle…heading to Somerset Bay for the night.

I haven’t had much time to read about where i was landing, so I mistook the thumbstones first from the distance for campsite marks…

There was a car parked on the beach with fresh wheel marks, but no sight of any people. The car owner was probably out with a boat. I was checking around a bit more in last light, but the camp in the woods was not too inviting. I rather found a flat spot close to the thumbstones, on clean white sand. It just turned out it was no sand but almost dust…skeleton dust??

Lous noisy frogs were giving a concert that night, as there was a river flowing on the beach close by. But I felt just fine having finished the east coast! It was the first camp on the mainland after weeks, an I was glad that besides on my last two islands I didn’t see any crocs…and this bay and passage seemed to be croc free as well. But there was a kangaroo hopping on the river mouth! I need a picture of those…