A Whitsunday adventure

  Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia
Friday, September 26, 2008

I had the most amazing time at the Whitsunday islands. There were several firsts for me but I'll get back to that later. I arrived in Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday islands last Monday after two lazy days in Sydney. I didn't do too much in this wonderful city; I guess because I know the city well and I really needed a respite. On Monday, I made my way to the airport where I got two chances to see the new Airbus A380. Just as I arrived at the airport, I saw Qantas' brand new A380 take off (it had just arrived a day earlier from Toulouse) and as I waited for my flight to Brisbane, I saw a Singapore Airlines A380 parked across the tarmac at the international terminal. What a sight!

SQ A380 in Sydney

Check out the photo; the largest van in the photo can easily fit into one of those massive engines. Awesome! As my flight took off, I was treated to the most stunning views of Sydney.

Sydney from the air

After a two-hour lay-over in Brisbane, I continued on my trip on a Jetstar flight to Proserpine, about 25km from Airlie Beach.

Airlie Beach is a small seaside town and is most famous as the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, a World Heritage site. The town's main street is just packed with travel agents, restaurants, bars, souvenir- and surfwear shops, and hostels which predominantly cater to backpackers - it was quite evident when I arrived here: this is backpacker territory. Twentysomethings from all over the globe; some were working here as waiters, drivers or kitchen help, and some were just passing through. I felt quite awkward with my Samsonite suitcase (even though it's made of canvas!), Diesel jeans and ditto t-shirt. None of that here. This is backpacker country where scruffy t-shirts and surfer shorts rule. I got to my accommodation (Bush Village) and felt totally out-of-place in the dorm with five (very friendly) Brits and Aussies. The dorm was a mess of clothes, bags, toiletries, shoes, unmade beds, you get the picture... What was I thinking?!! I mean, backpacking was something I did in my teens around Australia and in my 20's around Europe. I'm now 36, accustomed to good hotels where I have my own room, and most importantly, my own bathroom. Just my luck then that three of the five sharing the dorm with me were girls and there was only ONE bathroom!! That evening, I had to wait my turn (more than an hour) in order to have a shower and by the time it was my turn, the bathroom was not a pretty sight; you know, wet floor and hair all over the place. Wonderful. Anyway, after a quick shower, I headed into town and treated myself to a dinner at one of Airlie Beach's fancier restaurant, Capers. Felt so much better after a sip of that smooth Merlot and I felt even better when the main course arrived: parpadelle (similar to fettucine) with heaps of king prawns, scallops and different types of fish in a blue crab bisque. Absolutely gorgeous.

My sailing trip around the Whitsundays started the next day..... and what a trip it was! There are many boat trips from Airlie Beach and I chose (after meticulous research - the last thing I wanted was to end up on some backpacker party boat... and there are heaps of those party cruises here) the Derwent Hunter, a 90-foot double-masted schooner.

The Derwent Hunter

There were 17 of us on the boat - the Dutchies were again in the majority, followed closely by the Germans, including (it is sometimes quite amazing how small our planet is) an ex-colleague of mine from the bank. This is the second time I've bumped into an ex-colleague on this trip, the first time was at a bar in KL.

Me on the Derwent Hunter

Anyway, on the first day, we sailed to the highlight of the Whitsundays: Whitehaven Beach. The beach is a wide arc with an inlet on one end, with sand so white, I needed my sunnies to protect my eyes from the glare. The sea was an astounding spectrum of turquoise and blue - reminded me of the stunning coast around Cancun really. Breathtaking stuff.

Whitehaven Beach II

Our guide also took us on a bushwalk around the island to get acquainted with the vegetation and to show us how the Aboriginals utilised the different types of plants and trees. We stopped at a tree and our guide pointed out the hundreds of tree ants on the branches. He gently picked up one of the ants and showed us its lime-green butt. Seems the Aboriginals used the juices from the ant's butt as a sort of medicine or aphrodisiac. He asked if anyone wanted to taste the juices and I volunteered. I gave the ant's butt a quick lick and it tasted like a concentrated lime sherbet. I'm serious. Anyway, that was the first of several firsts on this trip for me - licking a tree ant's butt! :-)

We then got to spend about two hours on the beach.

Whitehaven Beach III

The sand felt cool even though it was a hot day and the water, at 24 degrees, was lovely. We were on the constant lookout for blue-spotted stingrays (you don't want to be stepping on them as they have a nasty sting) but they kept well away. The sand on the beach was quite extraordinary. They said it's 99.9% silica, some of which was used to make the lens on the Hubble telescope. Whatever it was, it had a very compact structure, kind of like moist salt, and when you walk on it, the sound of each footstep is similar to the hoots of seals (do seals hoot? emmm, have to check that. Note: just googled it. Seals bark!).

Me at Whitehaven Beach II

I went for a walk along the beach and two Aussie women walked up to me and one of them gasped. She said to her friend, "That is just GORGEOUS". They both looked at me and I thought they were referring to the beach and I said, "Yes, stunning beach isn't it?". "Yes", one of them replied, "but the colour of your skin (i.e. my tanned skin) against the turquoise sea and the white sand is just gorgeous!". I must've blushed a bright red but my tanned skin would've camouflaged that I guess. :-)

From Whitehaven beach, we sailed to a nearby harbour where we moored for the evening. On the way, we spotted some dolphins and humpback whales splashing their massive tails in the water. That night, after a beautiful dinner, we got to gasp at the magnificent sight of the Milky Way. It was such a clear night, it seemed like we could see every star in the sky. The captain pointed out a series of constellations and planets; Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter were visible but the most breathtaking sight was the constellation of Scorpio, with its head, curly tail and stinger. Absolutely stunning. OMG factor: 9. Just after nine o'clock, everyone started to retire to their bunk beds. I guess because I was travelling alone, they allocated me a bunk in the crew quarters next to the kitchen! I laid in it for several minutes: it was narrow and close up against the ceiling (about 50cm between the bunk and the ceiling), and it was a warm night. No way, I thought. I gathered my mattress, sheet and blanket and made my way to the deck where I found a great spot with an unobstructed view of the magnificent sky above. This was my second 'first'. With a gazillion stars strewn across the dark velvety sky above me and the gentle lapping of the water against the ship's hull, I fell into a beautifully deep sleep. So deep that I didn't even feel the light rain that passed in the early hours of the morning! I woke up at first light (about 5:45am) with a damp blanket and a stiff back. I figured it was a small price to pay for avoiding the bunk bed below.

Sunrise at the Whitsundays

After a quick breakfast on the deck, we left the sheltered confines of the harbour and sailed to a lovely snorkelling spot. When we got there, we put on our sexy stinger suits - these are top-to-toe lycra suits which protect you from the stings of jellyfish (yes, loads of dangerous ones here - the box jellyfish sting can literally result in a loss of consciousness within minutes which means you drown!). The diversity of fish and corals was simply staggering. I think I saw larger numbers of fish in Malaysia and Thailand but the diversity here of the marine life is just mind-blowing. The highlight was seeing a giant moray eel slither around the reef as we chased it. That evening, the wind picked up and the sea became choppy. We were back in a sheltered cove but this time, I didn't think it wise to spend another night on the deck as dark clouds were gathering and the wind was very cold. I braved in in my bunk-bed - I was so tired, I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow so that wasn't too bad. The next morning, I heard from several people who had opted to sleep on the deck that they had to grab their stuff and rush down as it started to rain heavily in the middle of the night. After lunch, we geared up for the sail back to the mainland. By this time, the winds were gale force and it rained from time to time. We helped to hoist the sails and away we went, across the Whitsunday Passage to Airlie Beach. This sailing trip through bad weather was my third 'first'. As we cleared the sheltered cove we were in, the waves swelled and we were soon being thrown around from left to right, front to back. We held on tight and the experience was electric. OMG factor: 10!

Stormy seas I

The boat crashed through the large waves, sending massive amounts of water onto the deck. We were given raincoats but we were still drenched. Loved it, loved it, loved it! The wind was so strong that we averaged about nine knots across the Passage. Spectacular stuff!

The following day, I packed my stuff and took a taxi to the airport. I got onto a Jetstar flight from Proserpine back to Brisbane, then a Qantas flight to Cairns where I am right now. I'll be here for five nights and I'm loving it already - will tell you about Cairns in my next blog.

Cheers,
Keith