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Australia June 2011

Travelogue 8

Stage 2 Whitsunday Islands-Daintree

from Bryan and Raewyn Jenkins

Email: bryan.raewyn@yahoo.co.nz

Web: austadventures.blogspot.com

Whitsundays

Seaflight

Our last travelogue (#7) saw our arrival at Airlie Beach, in the Whitsunday Islands area of the east coast of Australia. This has to be one of the most scenic parts of Australia,and a major base for cruises to the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef. We stayed eight days and went on three cruises during that time.

Monday May 30^th dawned brilliantly fine, an idyllic day. Our boat, “Seaflight” knifed across a barely rippled sea to the Great Barrier Reef. On arrival our boat tied up to a large covered pontoon, which became our base for the day. All around, the horizon was a straight line broken only by the slight peek of the Australian mainland, some 95 kilometres from where we had started. In the other direction about 200 metres away, Pacific ocean swells broke over the outer reef. The water was blue and warm, and the crew told us our day was the clearest water they'd seen for some weeks. We were in luck

Gt Barrier Reef Pontoon

From the pontoon, one can go tripping in a glass-bottomed boat, underwater viewing in a semi-submersible, snorkelling about the reef, or at extra cost, scuba diving or a helicopter flight. We opted for the glass bottomed boat, semi-submersible and snorkelling. All snorkelling equipment is supplied, including 'noodles' to keep you afloat, plus a floating rope extending some 60 metres from the pontoon to a fixed buoy, allowing you to pull yourself along while viewing myriads of fish and coral below. It made snorkelling so easy that after a few anxious moments, we both dived in and felt at home though the water was ten metres deep. Below the surface, the reef was alive with fish of all types, and the corals amazing.

Gt Barrier Reef Pontoon (95kms from land)

Lunch was provided on the “Seaflight” (as were morning and afternoon teas) After a long and relaxing lunch, some folk preferred to laze in the sun. others took once more to the water. All up, we were at the reef about four hours.

On the way back to port, Raewyn 'won' a free cruise for the following day on the “Camira” after a contest aboard our “Seaflight.” Rather cunning, as we then had to pay for a second ticket, but at least managed to barter the price down somewhat – it being 'winter' and the lack of tourists, etc.

The “Camira” is a 23 metre sailing catamaran and this trip was slow and monotonous, the views restricted to one or other side of the boat at any one time. Again, all food was provided, including this time free beer and wine , a small consolation for the discomforts. The crew were excellent, if a little overworked raising and lowering sails and keeping guests from tangling themselves in the ropes and sails. The wind was barely enough to fill the sails, so the highlight was going ashore for an hour at Whitehaven Beach, on the ocean side of Whitsunday Island, while the crew prepared lunch.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands

Wednesday June 1^st,we went on a third cruise,this time on “Voyager”, visiting three islands in the Whitsunday group. Again, we went to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, but stopping off on the way at Hook Island for some snorkelling off the beach, plus a semi-submersible trip along the local reef. Next stop was Whitehaven Beach. This 7 km long beach has to be the highlight of any trip to the Whitsundays. Crystal clear water lapping fine white silica sand, an azure sea beyond. As with all our time in this area, we had blue skies, and only the slightest of breezes. Postcards don't do this area justice.

We'd also pre-arranged a short float plane flight from Whitehaven Beach, and around 1pm took off in a 50 year old single engine aircraft for a figure eight circuit around Whitsunday Island. The view from above was outstanding, and the flight all too short. Landing back in the sea was exciting stuff, a flurry of spray and we were down, smiles from ear to ear.

From Whitehaven Beach the “Voyager” took us to Daydream Island. This is the ultimate holiday island – a five star resort with hotel, chalets, shops, pools, theatre, and no cars. Perfect for the wedding we saw taking place there.

Airlie Beach, Queensland

There's 74 islands in the Whitsundays group, and most are national parks. There is more to this area than just the islands and reef. Airlie Beach is an easy-going town, very much a back-packers paradise, the hill behind the town spills over with a plethora of apartment blocks. Close by are beautiful bays and protected inlets, many walks and other activities. Airlie Beach residents lay claim to theirs being the friendliest town on the coast, and it shows.

Bowen

From Airlie Beach, it was on to Bowen for three nights. Bowen's fame revolves around where the film “Australia” was shot. The jetty (in the film) is real and one can walk along it. Though most of the sets have gone, Bowen's character is still very much 1940s. It's old hotel facades and shop fronts make you feel as though you've entered a time warp. Bowen residents though are very friendly, and welcoming.

Townsville

Next stop was Townsville, with the monolithic 285 metres high Castle Hill in the heart of the city being the main feature of the area. The steep three kilometre drive to the top is rewarded with views over Townsville to Magnetic Island some seven kilometres away. The coastline in this area, known as the Coral Coast, is dotted with islands, and there's cruises to many of them.

Mission Beach

Moving north, we spent three nights at Mission Beach, where Cyclone Yasi made landfall in February this year. There's still a lot of damage around - houses with roofs or windows missing, and thousands of trees lying where they fell in the forests, or strewn alongside the roads and beaches. The folk there are making the best of it, but it will be a long road to recovery. Bush walks led us to a few viewpoints, where large and aggressive cassowary birds live, but we failed to spot any, though apparently they were there. Most beaches along this coast are edged with coconut palms, the nuts laying on the ground in various states of decay. Fresh nuts could be opened and eaten, but most people seemed to leave them where they fell.

Cairns fruit bat (this picture is upside-down1)

Cairns

Next stop, and last major city heading north, is Cairns. This is where we saw our first fruit bats hanging by the hundreds from city trees. Only the most unwise park their cars under those trees and the paths below were littered with bat droppings.

7kms long Kuranda Skyrail

The reknowned tourist feature in Cairns is the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail. The beautifully restored train leaves Cairns and winds 25kms through rugged hill country to Kuranda village, stopping on the way, for obligatory photographs, at the mighty Barron Falls. Kuranda village is the typical tourist village, with high priced food and every trinket imaginable, but our strolls around the village were rewarding. Returning to Cairns on the Skyrail is a worthy experience. The cable-car winds for 7 kms above the rainforests, taking some 35 minutes to bring us back to where our bus awaited for the return trip to our caravan park.

Scarface-4.5mt Daintree crocodile

Daintree

From Cairns, it was a quick run through on 18^th June to our friends living in Daintree, far North Queensland. They live amongst the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest, not far short of the end of the sealed road. Across the road, the neighbours property backs onto the Daintree River, from where crocodile spotting cruises operate along the river. We were fortunate enough to be invited on a couple of cruises and saw about six crocs – the first few being about a metre long, the last being “Scarface”, a four-metre male. As we approached, his eyes watched our every move. You sensed there were even more eyes watching us from under the timbers, and the muddy river doesn't reveal anything below the surface – unless you jump in. *

Our friends have just bought themselves a new 4.7metre river runabout, and one Saturday we all went on a fishing run some nine kilometres to a sandbank at the Daintree River mouth. We saw no crocodiles on the way, though on the same trip a week later, we saw three massive crocs sunning themselves at spots along the river.

We've also visited Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation, each a day trip. Cape Tribulation is a car-ferry ride across the Daintree River, then a 30km twisty drive through the rainforest, passing many restaurants and lodges. From Cape Tribulation, it's a 70 kms, or four hours, drive along rough tracks and river crossings to Cooktown. We gave this a miss. It was getting close to Happy Hour time.

Each afternoon, large bright blue Ulysses butterflies visited us. In the short rainforest twilight, wild birds visit, and on cloudless nights, the darkness opens to a garland of starlight. From here, we will be moving inland toward Mt Isa and Darwin and hope you will join us for the next part of our adventure.

Bryan and Raewyn

*I never thought a crocodile, would return my friendly smile

But he did with a grin so wide, I think he wanted me inside