In the course of our brief visit to Forrest Beach we did take the time to stretch our legs with a goodly gallop around this quite small, but lovely little seaside town, one we discovered had quite a deal in common with the much more familiar (to us, that is) Kurrimine Beach.
One unmistakable feature of this town is the strikingly impressive water tower which stands just beyond the two commercial buildings which comprise the Forrest Beach CBD.
Although this is a far cry from a Westfields, the town is actually very well served by a good supermarket, a chemist (housed in the tiniest little hole in the wall), a newsagent/post office/clothing /souvenir shop and a land agent. And let's face it, Ingham with all it has to offer by way of retail, is but ten minutes away.
Opposite the shops the local medical clinic stands in something of isolated splendour
right on the edge of the open expanse which is the town 'free' caravan and camping site, well not quite free, but very cheap. This park area is opened during the high season and an unpowered patch of this grass can be had for $10 per night with payment to be made at the local land agent's office. Although it was empty when we strolled by, this changed over the next 24 hours when we then counted eight vans parked across this very pretty paddock.
And all this is but a stone's throw to the beach front where, at this end of town, there is quite a bit on offer for the locals and visitors alike
at this spacious and well maintained seafront park area.
A real surprise for me came in the shape of the Forrest Beach Surf Lifesaving Club,
where, if the size of the clubhouse (seen here from the front) is anything to go by, there is a significant membership.
And then, another surprise, this time in the form of the magnificent mural which adorns one wall of the club boat shed.
Whilst the artwork could probably be best described as bordering on 'naive', the colour and form of the design do make a for a real picture, especially in this setting.
And we were impressed with the attention to local detail with the ubiquitous ibis and curlews of this part of Queensland
and the equally numerous turtles of the Coral Sea all rating a spot on the wall.
This beachfront playground is also home to an undercover public BBQ area where the roof shelter is supported on brightly painted columns.
It was here that we came across something which truly astounded us. This rafter mounted 'noticeboard' presented a continuous run of information relevant to local services and events.
We stood long enough to read the local bus and transport timetables, the availability of medical and dental services in the area and a few other equally informative items. And then this screen popped up and explained it all. What a wonderful initiative....caps off to the Hinchinbrook Shire Council.
Not too far distant, in the adjacent gardens, we came across the Forrest Beach memorial to the fallen and those who have served,
whilst a nearby pergola
and exercise area completed the scene. "Faster Lizzie, faster"!
Looking back from here across the park and all it offered, we had no difficulty in accepting what we had been told by the locals.....this place becomes a buzzing hive of activity on the warm weekends of summer and a real beach side escape for the mill workers and others from nearby Ingham.
With our attention still focused on the beach (and why not, this is what Forrest Beach is all about), we wandered the kilometre or so to the other end of town where we found public tennis courts and a quite large car park which led down to a small boat launching ramp.
Here access to the waters between Forrest Beach
and the nearby islands and beyond was made easy for those lucky enough to have a vessel in which to do so.
And for those not so well equipped? Well there is always a tramp on the sands or a ramble along this narrow trail which runs from this end of town
right along the shoreline back almost to the main town beach park we visited earlier.
Many who call Forrest Beach home enjoy uninterrupted views from their properties to the sea. Here, in this section along the foreshore trail, the homes are separated from the sand by an open parkland space,
whilst in other spots on the beachfront the occupants of groups of very comfortable looking houses
have much more direct access.
The emphasis placed here on the beach is clear. Many of Forrest Beach's streets have well signed walkways
which lead directly down to the sands.
Like most of these seaside towns, the standard of housing varies considerably. Older shacks and holiday houses
which I am sure could tell many tales of family fun
have been replaced in many parts of the town with much grander accommodation.
At the northern end of this elongated township, which quite naturally spreads itself out along, and parallel to, the beachfront, we found several pockets of delightful homes and gardens where the residency was clearly permanent rather than periodic.As we wandered away from the beachfront and into some of the back streets, the homes here,
whilst much more modest in the main than their beachfront counterparts, presented as very neat and tidy. We soon gained the overall impression that this is a town where the vast majority of those who live here take real pride in the appearance of their homes and surrounding yards.
I have to confess that this presentation has been very much in the nature of something of a whistle stop tour, but hopefully it has been sufficient to show you why we were more than taken with this delightful coastal Far North Queensland town.
We have both agreed that Kurrimine Beach will remain our primary refuge of annual winter warmth, but we have been searching for a few alternatives to visit along the coast as we move north and south with the seasons.
With its delightful long and golden sandy beach (with no mud at low tide), a caravan park right on the foreshore, a more than adequate pub a mere minute's walk away, adequate shopping both here and at nearby Ingham, a very pretty little town which offers good walks, and fine fishing potential, what's not to like about Forrest Beach? It is now firmly on the list.
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