A Fiesta of Frolicking, Fish, Feasts & Fun! | The Magic of Percy Island

Here we are, right where you left us. Sitting nearly 70NM SE of Mackay in the Percy Isles. Really not a bad place to be. Time to leave South Island and go and see what all the fuss is about on Middle Percy. After picking up the anchor it was a quick trip across the channel.

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Ahhhh the suspense!!

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Honestly, anyone who owns a boat and has travelled the Queensland coast has something to say about this place. What makes Percy Island so popular?? We had no idea what to expect or what was in store for us. What you should expect though, is a TON of photos. My goodness there was a good chunk to sort through.

For such a well visited cruising destination there is still a kind of… shall we say magic? Such a contrast to South Percy Island, the rolling hills of lush green contrasting the white and red sand dunes pouring into the aqua blue sea.

Magic. That does seem like the right word.

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West Bay. The most popular of the anchorages due to the famous A-Frame that stands proud on the beach. We had a late start to our cruising season but to be honest I would choose to travel at this time anyway. One of the most popular destinations and we were 1 of only 2 boats anchored.

Ahh the serenity.

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A white sandy bay, coconut trees overlooking the glorious blue water. If that doesn’t scream tropical island, I don’t know what does.

I mean seriously…. Just look at the colours!

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Having the beach to ourselves was insane. The A-frame, or Percy Island Yacht Club, stands proud in the middle of the beach. I think the history in the structure is what adds to the magic of the place. Everyone who passes through leaves a momento of their vessel and there is hardly room for one more! Ohhh you can just imagine the number of beverages shared under this roof and the shenanigans that took part on the beach (Therase I’m thinking of you here..).

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As we followed a trail over the island, we were picked up by one of the caretakers. John and Cate are doing a fabulous job of maintaining the island and were kind enough to show us their home. On the way back down to the beach we followed little signs that are scattered along the trails. Obviously we ran into a few of the resident goats and were also invited to the treehouse of one of the other few locals on the island.

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I could think of worse views to have from your balcony. So amazing!

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We explored, fished ( with minimal return), swam, harvested coconuts and enjoyed a few cracker sunsets!

It has been hard work to reach this point. The difficult times just make the coconuts taste that much sweeter!

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With some northerly winds forecast and more boats starting to rock up, it was time for us to shift anchorages. Of course we didn’t leave West Bay without leaving our little mark.

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White’s Bay is the pick of the northerly anchorages and gosh is it spectacular. The sand dunes were CRAZY! They seemed to roll on for days. And guess what??! There were only 2 boats here! WOO HOO!

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So far, we hadn’t had much luck with fish in the area. Our luck was about to change though. Nathan found himself a secret spot where you were guaranteed a bite every time. You simply dinghy over, throw a lure, then take your catch home for a feed. Easy peasy.

Heat up the pan, I’m ready for lunch!

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A mac tuna meant it was sushi for lunch! Guess that would have to do….. sometimes you have to do it rough when you live on the water…

Marinate the tuna in soy and char sui sauce before dipping in panko crumbs and sesame seeds. Fry until golden brown. Tastes like a wayyyyy better version of KFC.

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The next morning we headed back over to see what would be on the day’s menu….

SUCCESS!! Told you it was a good spot…

Ohhhhhh yeah. A shark mackerel meant it was time to fire up the bbq. Mackerel steaks for lunch.

This marinade is AWESOME. Awesome for beef steaks, fish steaks, vegetables…. whatever you want.

1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 large teaspoon mustard, 1 large teaspoon minced garlic, salt and pepper.

And voila! I think it is one of my favourite ways to eat fish.

I then proceeded to roll my ankle on a stray coconut in the cockpit so that kinda put a damper on lunch festivities…..

Oh the ups and downs!

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As pretty as it was over at the A-frame, this place is GORGEOUS! We ate well, had perfect weather and Nathan even managed to catch a wave.

White’s Bay, what a treat you are!

The other great thing is…. you can’t spend any money out here! Our bank account is loving us right now. Land just seems to suck it dry.

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I think we definitely made the most of our days here. My only regret is not exploring the underwater side of the islands. There aren’t the biggest selection of anchorages but it is well and truly worth the stop off. Especially if you get it to yourselves like us!

I can feel some good wind coming so it is time to keep heading north! We have the Whitsundays in our sights and really wanted to make it there this season. Find out in the next one if we made it and what lies in between..

Until next time.

Xx