Nara Inlet

Nara Inlet is a long, narrow, fjord like anchorage at the south western side of Hook Island. It's a favourite anchorage for the boats here in the Whitsundays because it offers almost all round protection from winds and a usually calm anchorage with plenty of room for 1 more boat when the weather turns nasty.

The entrance is best negotiated between the navigation markers as there are sand banks that extend northwards from the port hand mark at the entrance. Although you may see some vessels cross this, they are usually shallow draft vessels with local knowledge on a rising or high tide.

The best protection in Nara Inlet is all the way at the end of the inlet where there is enough space for about half a dozen boats to swing, with gorgeous views of the sourounding lofty hills. When it is raining, there are numerous small waterfalls that meander down the hills into the inlet, making it beautiful even in grey, wet conditions. It is possible to take your dinghy right up to the base of the southern and largest waterfall on a high tide for a quick shower. What a unique treat! This far up Nara Inlet, the shelter is excellent even in quite strong winds.

When conditions are only strong to fresh, the rest of the inlet also offers great anchorages. Obviously the further you go towards the end of the inlet, the better the conditions. In very heavy south to south west conditions, such as the front of a big thunderstorm, conditions can get a little lumpy inside. If that's expected, consider Cid Harbour as an alternate anchorage which provides excellent shelter from winds from most directions excepting north-west.

Aboriginal caves

At the end of Nara Inlet, there is a small walking track leading up to a cave that was used by local aboriginals as a shelter and hunting/foraging base. Inside the caves are a series of genuine paintings. The paintings are probably not more than a few hundred years old, but evidence exists to suggest the caves were in use for at least 9000 years! Stone tools have been found at the site that were collected from a stone quarry on South Molle Island. You can view this stone quary during the walk to Sion Kop on South Molle Island.