The drive from Innisfail to Wangetti, is a drive north of approx 1 hour 45 mins and is 128 klms. During that drive, you have to go past Cairns city and Cairns airport, and there are multiple beaches before you get to Wangetti.
Etty Bay (which is a super small and beautiful beach just to the South of Innisfail), and Bramston Beach are much closer to Innisfail and nicer, than Wangetti.
Whilst the family says he 'used to go to the beach to wind down', did he go to just any beach nearby, or did he do the 1 hour 45 minute drive from Innisfail, all the way to the Northern Beaches (Wangetti) of Cairns?? Was he occasionally working relief hospital shifts in or closer to Cairns also, because that would make it easier to visit Wangetti.
I'm speculating when I suggest he did not go to local Innisfail beaches. Local people in Innisfail just wouldn't do the drive from Innisfail all the way to Wangetti, through the Cairns traffic, just to go to a very northern Cairns beach, when Innisfail have their own beaches, much closer and nicer than Wangetti. As he lived in Innisfail (10k population where everyone knows everyone), he might look suspicious at a local beach by himself, and is more likely to be identified. But if he drove to a beach 128 klms away, not so likely.
I think he was at Wangetti for very specific reasons. He had likely been to that location (or nearby it), previously, and on several other occasions. There might be fuel purchases nearby to validate that.
If he did drive to Wangetti Beach - Buchan's Point is on the way and very close (walking distance), which is the second next beach alongside to Wangetti (after Ellis Beach). Buchan's Point is a known Nudist / Gay Beat / Swingers / Cruise beach and has been since the 1970's. Was he hanging out around this area because of it's known history? (locals know this). Online sex forums regularly mention this location for hook-ups and group sex (I Googled it ...).