We explored the Dales on a guided tour today, the entry to which was just up the path from where we’re staying. The Dales are a series of valleys where the inland rivers meet the ocean. There are a number of them, each with a different look and feel. The paths to most of them aren’t well marked so it was a good thing we had a guide.

Voey was coming with us but he hadn’t arrived in time for the start due to road closures so we left him a note and set off for Anderson Dale. 

The walk through the forest was accompanied with red, blue and robber crabs, including seeing about 12 robber crabs in one congregation. It was somewhat comforting to know that all the scuttling and scurrying was only from harmless crabs, unlike back home where you automatically think it’s a snake, no matter how rare. Also, the blue crabs have very hairy, tarantula-like legs that, when seen poking out of a rock crevice, would give you a heart attack if you didn’t already know they belonged to a crab and not a spider.

Anderson Dale was a narrow crevasse that cut out to the sea and offered nice reflections. Unfortunately it wasn’t safe to go swimming so we took our photos and headed back. We reached the turn-off point when Voey heard us and hurried back. He was about to head to another Dale and would have never found us.

Darling Dale was next. We never would have found our way to this one ourselves. It was beautiful, with infinity pools and a nice spot to take a dip. But again it wasn’t completely safe to go swimming. Glen went for a quick dip but didn’t go far. The other problem is that all around it are jagged, sharp rocks so grabbing hold of anything as you get sucked out to see is going to be painful if not impossible.

Hugh’s Dale Waterfall was our last stop. There are seven dales in total but these three are the most popular. Hugh’s Dale was a 300m uphill climb on a boardwalk, which made it easier in the humidity. At the top there’s a refreshing (read: freezing) waterfall that you can stand under and refill your water bottle from. A nice way to end the hike…except you then have to put all your clothes back on and trudge back through the sticky jungle haha.

We were then driven to LB4 (Not Much Of A) Lookout to have our picnic lunch, one of the ingredients a coastal succulent that was thrown into a salad. I love foraged food so this was right up my alley and I happily ate Glen’s leftovers.

From there we went to the Golf Course Lookout, which gave a spectacular view over the golf course (surprise!) but also the coast, the cliffs and the jungle. The water looked spectacular. Frigates and boobies wheeled and dived above and in front of us (the location is at the top of the hill) but we were mostly there to see the Golden Bosun. And we did! At least three of them. They’re so pretty with their understated golden hue.

Next we returned to The Grotto, as Narelle and Catherine hadn’t been for a swim in it yet. We managed to scare off a guy and a girl who were enjoying a romantic moment. We had a swim, took some photos, said goodbye to Voey and drove back to the accommodation.

In the evening we went to the girls’ chalet to have dinner altogether, consisting of mahi-mahi sushi, tapioca curry, and a tart. It was a really clear night too so we saw Jupiter and Saturn getting close to each other. I think on the 22nd they’ll be almost in alignment. Later I stood out on the balcony and watched the stars for a bit. We’re in a truly spectacular location.