Flying north towards milder climates I jumped over Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, with a plan to come back down again to visit the highly recommended Fraser Island.
Left to right, Matti, Stephanie, Bojana, Stuarts, Renaan, Simon, Me, Jeremie and Sam.
Now you can't go to the beach withoutat least dipping your toe in the ocean, which of course meant stinger suit..
There is only a small airport servicing the Whitsunday area and coming in for landing it felt a little like a cartell owned airstrip in Colombia, as the plane circled around for its approach with nothing but green as far as the eye could see except for this tiny grey tarmac rectangle. But we made it down safely and from the window I could see vallabies running the lenght of the runway and sunshine all around! After a short shuttle bus trip I arrived in Airlie Beach, where I would spend a few days before setting out to sea for a cruise around the Whitsunday Islands.
I spend my time in Airlie Beach mostly just sucking up sunlight and dazing at the man made lagoon close to the sea. Problem with this area is that the sea has a high risk of containing stingers/jellyfish with a really nasty effect on you so by law you must wear a stinger suit and hood if you go swimming... Not exactly the most fashionable piece of swimwear, but more about that later...
After a couple of days it was time to board the proud wessel Kiana, a sail boat with room for 14 passengers and 3 crew. Luckily we were only 8 guests so I got upgraded to a double bed and own private curtain!!
I booked this boat for two reasons:
1. It was not a party boat full of teenagers doing shots before jumping of the steering house.
2. It was scheduled to sail to the outer reef, that is the great barrier reef.
Now unfortunately the weather was starting to get worse and there was a strong wind warning for the following day so the trip to the outer reef was replaced with extra stops around the Whitsunday islands. Now this was very dissapointing for me as it was one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Australia in the first place, but there was nothing to do about it and I had already booked my activities for the remaining time in Australia so no time for a second try.
But Skipper Brent and his crew did their outmost to make it a great trip none the less! Lunch was served on the boat and besides that it was just leaning back and enjoying the ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT_XxwdmQa0
First stop was the famous Whitehaven beach, apparently voted the best beach in the world several times and it was indeed pretty.
Now the crew had timed our visit to this normally very tourist crowded place, perfectly and we basically had the beach to ourselves. Also at this time in the afternoon the little soldier craps comes out of their holes and swarms across the beach in their thousands. This was very spectacular and these guys are the only crabs that can walk forwards and backwards. These little critters would run around with their blue "helmets" looking like soldiers digging fixholes and making little cannonballs of sand.
So before you knew it the beach turned into a ninja/superhero movie with people running around in their spandex and masks doing kicks and hand gestures!
The shallow water was full of small fish, lemon shark cubs and sting rays of which I almost made a Steve Irwin and stepped on.
Back on the boat it was time to find a place to anchor up for the night and brace against the strong wings. Dinner was prepared in an adapted version of the Maui Hangi that I tried in New Zealand. Basically it was a steam cooker made out of a beer keg.. Pretty cool!
Out of it came a slow cocked leg of lamb and veggies served with a mint gravy. After dinner people were quick to head below deck for the night strapping in for the night and letting the waves rock us to sleep.
Next day was about diving and snorkeling in the small bays around the islands. First dive was relatively uneventfull and I was starting to really appreciate the diving I had done in the Phillipines. The visibility was also hindered because of the sand in the water blown up by the strong winds. So there wasn't much else to do than make tricks and chew bubblegum..
Second dive we went to a new site which was much better. There were plenty of fish and we managed to spot a shark!
Also found a nice little sting ray hiding under a rock.
And coming back to the boat we found these big guys just circling around
Next couple of dive sites had some very old and large corral formations.
sailing back to Airlie beach we finally had the wind at our backs so Skipper Brent ordered all hands on deck, had us set sails and put the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack on!
From Airlie beach I turn south again to Noosa, a small posh coastal town that will be the staging ground for my trip to Fraser island
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