Beautiful beach, deadly creatures

“Out on the patio we’d sit, And the humidity we’d breathe, We’d watch the lightning crack over canefields, Laugh and think, this is Australia.” - Gangajang’s ’80s hit, This Is Australia

Most of northern Queensland, including Mission Beach, is off limits for swimming at this time of year because of the marine stingers – the most dangerous of which are the box jellyfish, which can be fatal, and the Irukandji jellyfish, which aren't necessarily deadly but which will make their victims wish in the worst possible way that they'd stayed out of the water. We don't need to be warned twice, and Annie is just as happy to go beachcombing - her new favourite thing.