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Published: April 14th 2016
One of our whole trip essentials was to book some kind of sailing trip around the Whitsundays, a group of islands off the East Coast, nearest mainland town Airlie Beach. There were many trips on offer, much as we’d like to have chartered our own boat we were not brave enough as we don’t have the much needed local knowledge, and little time to gain any, we’d probably have ended up on one of the many sand bars. So we decided to use the opportunity to seek out a racing yacht for an exhilarating experience. We found ourselves with 22 young people (including 18 girls), on Condor an 80 ft champion yacht, who’s wins include 2 Fastnet races. None of the other passengers had sailed before and we only had the captain and 2 crew so all bodies were involved in hauling sails and cranking grinders to get her underway. I did smile at many of the youngsters as they were unaware of the experience they were about to have. Our first sail was cracking, 2 hours same tack, flying along at 45 degree angle, some of the passengers clinging on for grim death, Kim & I sitting on the high
Huge Maori Wrasse
Pearl Bay, Whitsundaysside, legs dangling, huge grins on our face! We visited Whitehaven Island via mooring at Tongue Bay. Walking over the island to the stunning Whitehaven beach Kim spotted a Goanna (large lizard), then onto the gorgeous white silica sand that shifts around the bay daily. We watched a sting ray in the shallow waters.
After another great sail we anchored at Cid bay for the night, we were lucky to have a clear night and a fantastic display of stars, best I’ve ever seen including the Southern Cross (ticked a box on Kim’s list), Milky Way and other constellations, truly awesome.
The following day we visited two snorkel sites, they gave us stinger suits which gave us Dutch courage to go into these dangerous waters, there are many very nasty jellyfish. The first opportunity was rather poor visibility, because of the current high tidal range, the second was great at Blue Pearl Bay off Hook Island, like swimming in an aquarium especially as deckhand Dan was throwing out bread for them. A huge black Maori Wrasse swam by me, it looked a metre long, but perhaps I exaggerate.
All too soon
Wreck of SS Moreno
75 mile beach Fraser Island it was time for our last fabulous sail back to Airlie Beach, made more exciting as we were hit by a sudden shower. Wouldn’t have seemed right to have a sailing trip without rain! Our young companions didn’t seem to mind us oldies being around, we met some lovely girls from the UK and Holland, who were very happy to chat. Some appeared quite lost souls wandering Australia alone, not always easy.
Struggling to decide on our next destination heading south by Greyhound bus, we settled on Hervey Bay, after many recommendations. We caught the night bus, leaving at 9pm. The seats are comfortable during the day but not for sleeping and I found myself missing the Vietnam night bus for a nano second, just because we got to lie down. At 3.30am I awoke to find us parked up on the side of the road/bush, our rather rotund driver running around the bus in the rain. Apparently a warning light kept going off- he was very stressed but my main concern was that he was going to have a heart attack!
About an hour and several phone calls later we were back on
the road arriving at Hervey Bay at 11am on time, our relief drivers having made up for the delay. Hervey Bay is known for Humpback Whale watching and Fraser Island. These whales we knew are not due until July, so we opted for a trip to the Island, although we were somewhat bemused by the hype.
The island is named after a Scot, Captain Fraser, who landed on the island with his wife Eliza and some crew members after his merchant ship capsized off the coast in 1836. He apparently argued with the resident Aborigines who had taken them in, and was killed but his wife and a few crew survived and got back to civilisation. Apparently the Aborigines have been formally given back Fraser Island, some 30 live there now, and it’s possible they may rename it.
It is an unusual place, an island of sand with rainforest growing on it, and a natural water table spewing the clearest fresh water into its creeks and lakes. We were told the forest can grow because of a special algae present. Home to many creatures such as the funnel web spider, carpet snakes, turtles and
dingo’s, and just off land a large number of great white sharks.
The Island was logged in the early 19 c up to 1960s when this was formally stopped and replaced by tourism. Now hoards, and I mean 100s of people daily come to the island, this UNESCO world heritage site, to race 4x4 s up the beautiful 75-mile beach, which is actually a designated highway. Our coach with about 30 people was a huge 4x4 military sort, charging over the island and up and down the beaches. We had a lovely time swimming in Lake Mackenzie, having a guided tour through the rainforest, riding up the beach to the wreck of SS Moreno and finally floating down the clear waters of Eli Creek to the sea. But we couldn’t help thinking how bizarre that the 4x4 traffic and tourism was allowed to crash this special island, and has it really been given back to the Aborigines?
Heading on south, next stop Noosa.
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