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Airlie Beach
Superb RV Park Easing out of
Bowen on Monday 29
th April, it was time for a little moment of reflection. This was day 14 of our 42-day sojourn down the Australian East Coast. Distance covered thus far; 1309km of an estimated total distance of 2500km. Brutey is a thirsty beast guzzling a litre of diesel for every 9.2kms travelled. Not going to cause a financial crisis as diesel at R15/litre is cheaper than in SA. At this point we still had not seen a single fender bender. Now, here’s the thing! According to Wikipedia, Australia has less than 5 road related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants and as always, perspective is needed. South Africa has 30-35 road related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Australia had total road deaths of 1416 in 2018 whilst SA had 1612 people wiped out on the roads in the 2016 festive season! Scary stuff but what they don’t have here are Toyota Hi-Ace taxis. Enough said.
Back onto the Pacific Coast Way, also named the Bruce Highway (wonder where the Sheila highway is?). Sugar cane fields in all directions and a good opportunity to
Airlie Beach
Stunning walkways. think about things Australian.
Firstly, the grey nomad cult. The definition is “A retired person who travels independently and for an extended period within their own country, particularly in a caravan or motor home.” Some can be on the road for up to two years following the seasons. They are abundant in Australia and must be a very important cog in the tourism market. In many RV Parks we have stayed at, it looks as though some of these travelling folk arrive and simply don’t move on. Seriously buggered caravans and RV’s look as though they won’t be moving out of the park ever.
This was a short chip and putt trip of 78km to
Airlie Beach, the gateway to the
Whitsundays. Arrived at the
Seabreeze Tourist Park and, apart from securing a powered site for two nights, a fair amount of cash was shelled out and tickets on a sailing charter were purchased. That magnetic billboard had done its work! This was a beautiful holiday park situated in park like surroundings with a tree clad mountain as a backdrop and a mangrove lined inlet out front across the road. Stunning bright green lawns alongside each
Airlie Beach
Whitsunday terminal. Top class. camp site. The front desk team were incredibly helpful which is almost a given wherever one chooses to stay.
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of 74 continental islands (bodies of land that lie on the continental shelf of a continent) and are a hugely popular tourist drawcard. That intrepid explorer, James Cook, discovered them in 1770 on what he believed at the time to be the seventh Sunday after Easter on “Whitsun”.
Only one way to check out a new town; strap on the walking shoes and set off, which is what we did late afternoon and the Bicentennial Walkway of almost 4kms enabled following the coastline past numerous small sailboat harbours and quaint, small sandy beaches. What really struck home was the complete lack of litter. There is not a scrap of anything to be seen and we made a point of actually looking for some form of litter, but to no avail. About 2.9km into our walk we reached Airlie Beach North Head and the warm, calm evening and the prospect of gazing at a setting sun caused a quick deviation into a pub for sundowners. No chance of overstaying the moment at the grog
prices given our battered and bruised currency and this ensured we found our way back to the RV Park.
There was a need for an early start the following morning for a cab pick up and short 4km ride down to the harbour for the outing to the Whitsundays. The congregation of local birds all trying to out-screech, out-squawk each other announcing daybreak was far more effective than any alarm clock. The terminal for excursions to these fabled islands is not far off what one experiences at an airport. Slick, well organised and seamless. Within 5 minutes of arriving we had boarding passes for the
Camira sailing adventure to
Whitehaven Beach including a snorkelling opportunity on a coral reef. A roughly two-hour sailing journey in strong winds followed, before anchoring offshore of what has recently been voted as the second-best beach in the World. Not sure what the criteria are for beach ratings but this 7km strip of the whitest sand I have ever seen and a brilliant multi coloured sea was a sight to behold. A rubber duck shuttle deposited all 36 passengers onto the beach to chill, lie in the sun and swim in these stunning waters.
Whitsundays
The Camira offshore. Dudes on board preparing BBQ. Once this was done and dusted, a really good BBQ lunch was served back on board and the pub had opened. The crew on board were exceptional. Their attention to detail, amazing sense of humour and obsession with taking care of all customers on board was on a level that one rarely experiences. The day was far from done and a 60-minute snorkel in the afternoon on a pristine coral location put the proverbial cherry on the top. Both sails were raised for the sail back to Airlie Beach against the backdrop of a spectacular setting sun. Drinks in hand, we were part of a group of people from all corners of the globe who had experienced a truly memorable day. To the crew of the Camira; take a bow. You guys were superb! Worth every penny spent.
Our cab driver back to the RV Park was an elderly bloke just returned from teaching English and Art for 11 years in China. He commented on the incredible desire of Chinese children to learn and indirectly suggested the Chinese would emerge as the next super power. This conversation resonated given the exact opposite of what is happening in South Africa
Whitsundays
Under full sail with sun downers in hand. where basic education is on a steep downward slide and in a subtle way, Africa is being re-colonized by whom? The Chinese of course. Education always trumps ignorance.
Second bit of Aussie trivia is the high work ethic. Wherever one goes, the worker bees are noticeable in bright coloured hazard shirts/tops and one seldom sees these working folk parking off doing bugger all. The RV Parks are a buzz of activity as the staff go about daily cleaning chores. Out on the promenades there are ladies emptying rubbish bins for collection by garbage trucks. This may come across as a bit of an odd observation but I kid you not, people in this country get on with the job whatever it may entail. An add on to this is the number of fairly elderly people still working. Not sure of the background to this but it is probably linked to the high cost of living and the need to earn a daily crust.
A serious upside of the RV thing is the ability to access walkways/paths and get out on foot. So, on day two of the Airlie Beach stay, an early morning walk of some 5.5km (Garmin
Airlie Beach
Camp chores. Samsonite case off to The Dump. Not as bad as it seems! accurate) on a stunning, clear and warm morning was special. The small boat marinas are around just about every corner and filled with impressive boats and yachts which collectively must cost a small fortune. There can’t be many Aussies who don’t own something that floats or sails. Strange how certain activities catch one’s attention and it was noticeable how many coffee shops and small restaurants were getting their quota of fresh produce delivered. They weren’t open yet but the boxes of produce were simply left at the front door by the delivery guy. Why am I banging on about this? Well, back in SA this would simply not happen as these boxes would find feet and disappear.
There are always a few minor camp chores to take care of each day, one of them being emptying the “samsonite suitcase” of its contents at what is bluntly called the Dump Station. It’s not as bad as it sounds. We only use the onboard toilet for wee’s. The other activity is exclusively for the washroom toilets. Tanks have to be filled for the sink and wash basin. No more than ten minutes and then time to explore.
A 40km drive
Airlie Beach
Outstanding small craft harbours around every corner. north is
Hideaway Bay which was very similar to most of the beaches and headlands located on this stretch of the Queensland coast. Water depth off these beaches is very shallow resulting in a brownish tinge to the colour of the sea caused by wind action.
Back at the RV camp it was again time to reflect on our visit to Airlie Beach. Not quite on steroids to the extent that Cairns was, with its magnet being the Great Barrier Reef, but the Whitsundays are superb and will ensure that Airlie Beach remains a popular tourist spot. For those planning a trip along this coastline, do not miss this beautiful seaside town.
Glasses in hand on a delightful evening, it was time to pull out the maps and Lonely Planet Guide. Where to next?
** Comments/chirps/abuse are welcome. Just post them on the travelblog website when you have read the nonsense. ** Click on pics to enlarge.
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HARRY49
RICHARD HARRISON
Rich started following you;
What a fantastic trip you and Sue are having. Just started following you and please continue with the updates. Travel safe Rich