A Path Less Travelled...

In the early nineties, I took 'a path less travelled'. Often, I feel like taking that path again. It was a bittersweet experience...more sweet than bitter. Alone, I went to live on an island. An island, up until I was told about it, I'd never heard of or knew of it's whereabouts. The island, situated north of Mackay, catered for day-trippers, campers, overnight (and longer) guests and visiting professional fishermen en route to their last port of call, Mackay docks. Eight self-contained cabins dotted along the foreshore, camouflaged by the island foliage, didn't intrude into the island's ambience. Out from the main building that housed a licensed bar, dining area, kitchen and my accommodation above, swaying coconut palms fringed the shore of the small bay. The generator shed 200 metres away between the main building and the cabins, housed two diesel-powered generators.

From my bed, without lifting my head off the pillows, I could see the ocean. Early mornings, upon opening my eyes, often I'd be greeted by dolphins playing around the island boat, which I moored out where the sea floor dropped off at the beginning of the channel between my island and the neighbouring uninhabited island, less than half a kilometre away. There were three uninhabited island nearby to my island and another a few kilometres away.

Sometimes days would pass before I saw another human being. How I loved and enjoyed my solitude in paradise.

My two cats shared my island with me. Along the beach, they'd love to scamper, kicking up sand as they ran. A special game often shared was chasing each other up and down the palm trees. Not once did they innterfere with the wildlife or bird population of the island. Fearlessly, tiny yellow-bellied sunbirds constructed their spindle-shaped nest to hang freely from my window frame wherein they bred their little family of two chicks. Their nest was within easy reach of the cats but the cats took no notice. Why would they be bothered with birds, when for dinner each evening they could eat fresh seafood until it came out of their ears?!!

Often, like right at this moment, I'd love to be walking along its pristine beach with only the sea birds, a light breeze, swaying palms and my two cats accompanying me while being serenaded by the relaxing sound of the turquoise sea gently lapping the shore.