CHECKING OUT TIN CAN BAY TODAY....

 Day 2 of our visit to Rainbow Beach...

We had to be up early this morning and deliver the boat to Absolute Canvas who were making a boat cover for our boat.  They were recommended to us by the dealership in Bundaberg where Steve bought our boat.  He rang them to get a quote and then thought we should get a quote in Rocky as to have it made at Cooloola Coast, would also require costs in accommodation...

Well the quote in Rocky was well over $1000 more than our quote from Absolute Canvas and since they were highly recommended we would incorporate a holiday into the trip there.  Even paying accommodation for 8 days at Rainbow Beach, we still came home with an extra $400 as against paying to have it made in our home town.

Steve had been hoping to get the boat back by Wednesday but once they found out we were staying for a week, Steve (the guy making the cover) told us it would possibly be ready Thursday or Friday)  Steve was a little disappointed with this news as he had hoped to get the boat out on the water down here and check out the waterways and do a spot of fishing...

Once we delivered our boat, we decided to continue through to Tin Can Bay and check out the Dolphin Centre as we were keen to bring the kids back here to feed the dolphins when they come for their visit..

The dolphins that visit Tin Can Bay are a special kind of dolphins and they have been visiting here since the 1950s. It is also the home to the Australian Humpback Dolphin which is a river and esturine dolphin.  These dolphins require 18-20 mtrs of water to fish and shallow tidal creek areas where you can see them basking in the sun.  Their diet mainly consists of squid, fish and crustaceans.

At the moment they have a resident pod of 9 Humbacks led by the Alpha Male, Mystique - the rest of his pod consists of Patch, Ella, Squirt, Harmony, Aussie, Valentine, Chompy and White Fin.

The dolphins started coming to Tin Can BAy back in the 1950s when an injured dolphin beached himself on the sand at Barnacles Cafe.  The locals took pity on him and started to fed him.  This dolphin was well battle scarred and became known as Óld Scarry".  Once he was well enough, Old Scarry returned to the wild but regularly returned to the bay to visit the locals and enjoy a free meal.

The second well known dolphin at Tin Can Bay was a female, also called Scarry. In 1991, there was much excitement when Scarry arrived in the bay with a calf. The local school children named this one ‘Mystique’ who continues to visit the bay on a daily basis as the third generation to carry on this tradition.

Mystique is the alpha male of his pod and is also scarred from his many battles, including a battle with a bull shark in December 2007. Once again a dolphin sought refuge in the cove at Barnacles with volunteers feeding and caring for him around the clock for 10 days. Once he was able to hunt for himself, Mystique thanked everyone with an aerial display before heading out with Patch to return to the wild.

We were to learn more about these dolphins later in the week when we came to feed them..

This art work is located at Barnacles Dolphin Centre

The area where you assembly to feed the dolphins

There is a cafe located at the Centre

 Our mission this morning was to find where the Centre was and inquire about times and whether we needed to book to come and feed the dolphins..  Apparently you need to be at the Centre by 7am in the morning so that they can address you and instruct you on how to feed the dolphins as they are a protected species and then the feeding actually takes place at 8am. 

 Once we had checked it all out, we decided that we might as well have some morning tea here as it was well and truly mid morning...  We ordered hot choclates and banana bread. 

Before leaving Steve had to check out the boat ramp..  There were a couple of bigger fishing boats heading out so we were happy to watch them launch their boats...

From Barnacles, we decided that it would be nice to take a drive around Tin Can Bay and check out the sights.  On our way in we spied a painted water tower so this was the destination that we headed for to check it out...

Unlike a lot of the other murals and street art we have seen in our travels, this one seems to have been here for quite a long time, obviously before the current trend of painting water towers and silo's as tourist attractions around the country.  The art work was quite old and peeling in places.  The artwork however did tell a story, depicting the early history of Tin Can Bay, and we were pleased to have checked it out...

Although it was once the main southern access point for Fraser Island, Tin Can Bay has remained relatively unchanged. It is situated in a small, jutting promontory in Tin Can Inlet and consequently is surrounded by quiet, sheltered waters which are ideal for fishing and other leisurely water activities including boating, sailing, windsurfing and canoeing. Along the shoreline is an excellent boat ramp, a substantial marina, a jetty and fish market. There are safe places for family swimming, a number of coastal parks, picnic and barbecue areas, and playgrounds at Norman Point, along Oyster Parade and around The Esplanade.

Given the modern holiday development of many of the nearby towns (Rainbow Beach, Noosa, Tewantin) Tin Can Bay seems almost old fashioned. It is a tranquil and picturesque holiday destination for those who want quietness, relaxation and simple pleasures.

The drive along the water's edge was picturesque and we noted also that there seemed to be a concrete walk way or bike way which seemed to run for kilometres.  There were quite a few people making use of it.  

The bird life along here was also quite prolific and we stopped to take a few photos of the ibis..

There were several playgrounds and plenty of public amenities, along with lots of seating dotted along the track, as well as picnic areas and BBQs.  We decided to take a bit of a pit stop and visit the toilet as we had been gone on morning, and who knew when we would get back home...

We came across more public art as we drove along the esplanade as well as a very interesting mail box.  I love photographing quirky letterboxes, so of course we had to stop and photograph this one.  It seemed very appropriate for the town ship of Tin Can Bay, as this place is a boater's paradise.

Tin Can Bay seems to be the  perfect place to unwind and relax. Originally known by the aborigines as Tuncanbar, this peaceful bayside town is well known for its recreational fishing and boating pleasures. There's an excellent public boat ramp, as fishing is the major industry here, with prawning fleets based in Schnapper Creek.

Steve was very happy to check out the Inlet to try and locate the perfect spot to pump his yabbies, his preferred bait when fishing and then check out boat ramps as we hope to get the boat out into the waters here by the end of the week. 

Inspecting the sand banks...

They meet with his approval

We found these birds in the tree mating

There was a kookaburra's nest right up in this tree with baby birds..

The fauna was stunning along here

Whilst Steve was out on the mudflats, we could see the sky darkening and realized that rain was on the way, so we made a dash to the car as it was quite cold and neither of us wanted to get wet.  Steve still wanted to check out the boat ramp which was a little further along before we left to head back to Cooloola Coast to stop in at Woolworths and pick up a few groceries to see us through the week...

We did come across this cool little fishing shack.  It is buildings like this that endeared Tin Can Bay to us.  Whilst there are some lovely homes here, there are still quite a few of these shacks scattered among the more affluent homes along the esplanade. 

As we approached the boat ramp we were pleasantly surprised to see the number of boats that are just laying on the shore of the beach here...  Obviously the locals just pull them up above shore level and then just leave them there until they next visit and want to head out.  This just adds to the charm of this quaint little fishing village..

By the time we got to the boat ramp, the rain was coming down, so we didn't bother to get out of the car.  It also ended our exploration of this area, as it was getting wetter and colder by the minute.  It was now past lunch time, and we were feeling a little peckish and we still needed to do our bit of grocery shopping before heading back to the caravan park...

We headed back to Cooloola Cove to the little shopping centre there to pick up our supplies.  Whilst we were there, we found a really nice looking bakery, so we grabbed a couple of pies for lunch to take back to the cabin with us...

We arrived back there around mid afternoon.  The afternoon was wet, cold and overcast, so in the end we were happy to turn on the heater in our cabin and just chill out there...

There would be no walking down to the boat ramp at Carlos Point to watch the sun set this afternoon...