Etty Bay is a relatively sheltered bay in

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf ...

with a long beach in the far north of the Australian state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. The beach is by road from the township of Innisfail, 20 minutes drive from Paronella Park and from the Bruce Highway. The final kilometre of the route is a scenic drive climbing over the

Moresby Range Moresby Range is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, 1,314 km northwest of Brisbane. It is part of the Coastal Wet Tropics Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for the ...

before descending into a picturesque bay. The Bay has a

Surf Lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

Club and a small caravan park.

Beach

The beach is a popular recreational area for surfing, swimming, sailing, boating and fishing. Etty Bay is known as one of North Queensland's most scenic beaches. The caravan park is on the beachfront and serves meals. The bay has sufficient amenities for day visitors. There are shaded picnic spots with electric BBQs on and near the beach. The Etty Bay beach is enclosed by rainforest that has a wide variety of wildlife and is suited to bushwalking. The beach is backed by a narrow tree shaded reserve, then to a steep forested slope rising up to behind the beach. The Surf Lifesaving Club, shop and toilets sit behind the middle of the beach. The beach is fine grain white sand. At high tide it is less than wide and at low tide over is exposed. Waves average and spill across a shallow bar. There are rocks on either end of the beach. A stinger net is located in front of the Surf Lifesaving Club.

Wildlife

Etty Bay is known as the bay where you can see the endangered

cassowary Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical ...

walking on the beach. The

southern cassowary The southern cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius''), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless black bird. It is one of the three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf ...

and chicks frequent the beach, wet tropic rainforest and caravan park. They are Australia's largest flightless bird and can be dangerous. Saltwater crocodiles are sometimes seen in the waters near the bay.

Monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are reco ...

s are also sometimes seen.

Swimming

The

Club was founded in 1935. The beach has a

stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

net installed for safe swimming during the stinger season from November through to May. This is a relatively safe beach with a usually shallow surf. Sometimes strong breezes build bigger waves which increase the surf and can produce a rip. It is best to stay in the centre of the beach in the stinger net area. The potential hazards are crocodiles,

Box Jellyfish Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in Fresh water, freshwater and Marine habitats, marine environments, predominantly the latt ...

and the deadly Irukandji jellyfish.

Fishing

Owing to the low beach slope it is best to fish at high tide and from the rocks at either end of the bay. Fish caught are

barramundi The barramundi (''Lates calcarifer'') or Asian sea bass, is a species of catadromous fish in the family Latidae of the order Perciformes. The species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, spanning the waters of the Middle East, Sou ...

, coral trout, mackerel, swallow-tail dart, flathead, bream, mangrove jack, whiting, small sharks and rays. Soft plastic and popper lures yield big fish, but bait such as squid and prawn also provide good results.

References

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External links

North Queensland Branch, Surf Life Saving QueenslandCassowary Coast Regional Council
Innisfail, Queensland Beaches of Queensland Bays of Queensland