Palm Cove in Far North QLD is a tropical paradise. A quiet beach-side village with a white sandy beach fringed with coconut palms, it is a popular holiday destination for those seeking some tropical sunshine and warmth. At the north end of the Palm Cove beach is the impressive Palm Cove jetty and boat ramp, reaching out from the shore towards Double Island. Back in the ‘olden days’ (pre-1980s), the area was called Palm Beach, and was a popular weekend destination for the people of nearby Cairns. Then developers discovered its charms, and the first of the international hotels in the area, the Ramada Reef Resort, was opened in 1986. Of course, one of the biggest attractions of Far North Queensland for tourists is the nearby Great Barrier Reef, so providing direct access to the reef from Palm Cove was a priority. According to the Palm Cove Jetty group website, construction of the jetty which would provide this access was completed in 1986. A key component of the jetty plan however, was a ‘Stage 2’ which was the construction of an offshore breakwater to protect the jetty and boat ramp from the almost constant prevailing south easterly wind and waves. This was to be done by a company developing a nearby resort and golf course. But then the 1987 financial crash happened, and the project was axed. So the jetty remains at the mercy of prevailing winds and swell, making it dangerous for boats to come in to take on or deposit passengers. And since then, the jetty’s main use has been as a fishing platform – possibly making it one of the most expensive fishing platforms ever built. (Although there are current moves to attempt to develop the jetty with a marina, including the addition of the breakwater.) To log this cache as found you must visit the coordinates and provide photographic evidence in the form of your caching name written on your hand, a piece of paper or anything you want. The photo must be taken showing a section of the jetty or Double island included. Any logs submitted without a photo as described will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.