25.06.17 – Flying to Airlie
Today we flew to Airlie Beach (Proserpine Airport). It was a tiny airport with only one plane in and out. Got the bus to the hostel and saw some kangaroos and wallabies on the way. We also saw the Brisbane Bronco’s rugby team in the airport – not that we knew who they were!
26.06.17 – Sunbathing and drinks
Spent the day sunbathing and had a few drinks in the hostel. Cheap drinks here – $10 jugs of beer, $15 jugs of spirits and mixers.
27.06.17- More sunbathing and drinks
Ditto today. Sunbathed and read our books. Then we booked a tour to the Barrier Reef, Oliver haggled and got us a deal. More drinks this evening and steak and chips for $10 (bargain!).
28.06.17 – Matador Boat
Got up early this morning and went down to the Marina to get on the boat we were staying on for the next couple of days (called the Matador). There were 24 of us on the boat and 3 crew. Downstairs was big bunk beds, pretty cosy but we had a huge bed! Had to climb on the beds through holes in the ceiling to get onto the deck which was pretty tricky on a moving sailboat. First we sailed to Hook Passage and stopped there for a snorkel. You have to wear stinger suits here because of little jellyfish which you can’t see.
We watched the sunset and had some dinner and drinks. Played a few drinking games with the others on the boat (people from Germany, Holland, France, UK, Brazil, Spain…) Trying to explain drinking games and play them with people who speak so many different languages was good fun, if a bit tricky! Sleeping on the boat was better than I expected, it wasn’t too hot and we had more room than expected. Although it was so loud whenever anyone flushed the toilet!
29.06.17 – The best day in Australia so far
Got up at 5am this morning to set sail. We went up onto the deck as we sailed across to Whitehaven Beach. All the stars were out and it was amazing to be sailing in the dark through all the islands. We sat up on deck and had breakfast as we watched the sunrise. We arrived at Whitehaven beach at around 6.30am – this was amazing as we had it all to ourselves before all the tourist boats got there. The sand there was so soft as it’s made of 98% silica. We spent some time exploring and went for a walk along the beach before getting back on board following a bit of rain.
We then sailed to the Hill Inlet lookout (the famous view of Whitehaven). The views were incredible and you could see for miles. Following this we had some lunch then sailed to a snorkelling spot. On the way we spotted some Humpback Whales! At the snorkelling spot there were so many fish, I had never seen anything like it. They swam right up to us and looked at us through our masks. There was also a huge Maori Wrasse fish called George who was one of the biggest fish I have ever seen.
Back at the boat a sea eagle came so close, meat was thrown at him and he swooped and caught it in his talons. He then followed us for a couple of miles when we set sail. Oliver wanted to take a photo at the steering wheel but the captain had other ideas and let him steer the boat for a while – Oliver was in his element. He then helped to take the sails down which looked like hard work.
We sailed for a while before stopping to sleep for the night. As the sun was setting over the islands and the water turned orange we spotted some dolphins. So we watched them with the background of the sunset. Such an amazing and surreal day.
Oliver’s account of the day on the boat
Oliver here, Tori wanted me to write a few memories down so here goes…
Thursday 19th June 2017
Best day ever – Got woken up by the crew at 5am, the engine and anchor are so bloody loud, as is the flush on the bogs. Anyway, went up on deck to watch the sunrise as the boat sailed in the dawn morning, was pretty chilly. Got to Whitehaven Beach to have a wander. Went to a lookout on a hill which was pretty good, looked like the islands were painted on. Had to walk bare footed which hurt. Walked down to the beach, had a chat with an old bloke who had anchored there. Then it started to rain – my second time on this beach and both times it has rained. This time it only lasted 15mins or so. Back to the boat and a short ride to the next stop – Whitehaven hill inlet or something or other. Bloody awesome view from up there, can see for miles and the sea is so blue. A Pirates of the Caribbean film has been filmed there so will keep an eye out for that.
Plenty of pictures were taken and nicked some coral for the mantlepiece (sorry Australia). On the boat again for some scran – wraps today so that was pretty good. As we moved away the crew wanted volunteers to put the sails up. I managed to avoid that but they then wanted the English team to bring them down later so me and another lad had to grab the big sail to pull it down. Hard work in the end. Payed off though because I asked if I could steer the boat and the skipper said I could. So there I was steering the boat whilst the skipper went for a wander leaving me in charge and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I’ve now decided I’d like a boat. Next stop was a snorkelling destination with a massive amount of fish and a big bugger called George. The fish would swim right up to your faces and eat the bread that the crew were chucking at us. That was good fun. Then we headed to our anchor spot for the night. This is when I drove the boat so that section needs to go here. We saw whales and then dolphins as the sun was setting so it made for a beautiful evening. Had spag bol for tea, I went first as I had helped on the boat. Had a few drinks as had to be up early for a snorkel. An amazing day – would recommend to anyone.
30.06.17 – Back to dry land
Another early start for a snorkel. The crew woke us up by shouting “time for a snorkel motherfuckers” – pretty funny. Got up and put our stinger suits on – it was bloody freezing! Got in the water at 6.30am. It was worth it, we saw some amazing corals. Then back to the boat for brekkie before sailing back to Airlie.
Got to the hostel and got checked in by the most miserable woman on earth. Had a well-needed shower after 3 days without one! This evening we went to Beaches Bar for some free drinks and an after party. Had a huge steak for dinner and our new European friends were impressed by how rare I had it. Got very drunk off lots of beers and CC and dry (which is delicious) and had a great time before home to bed.
01.07.17 – Hungover – again!
Didn’t do much, wandered round some markets and read some books. Decided to have a detox day – first day of the month and all that.
02.07.17 – GREAT BARRIER REEF
Today was the trip to the Barrier Reef. We got up at 6am and had avocados and eggs for brekkie – yum. Then a short walk in the rain to the Marina to get our boat. We went with a company called Cruise Whitsundays who were brilliant – so friendly and professional. The boat was a huge ferry/catamaran – 3 hour sail to get there. Heard the sea was going to be rough. A chinese couple sat opposite us – weirdos – didn’t even get in the sea at the reef. Had to fill a snorkelling form in to say whether we could swim or not. Another couple said they couldn’t swim but were going to snorkel – not sure how that would work.
Free cups of tea on offer on the sail over so I made the most of that. First stop was Hamilton Island to pick up more tourists. Got biscuits for morning tea so Oliver made the most of that! The sea was very rough as we left the Whitsunday Islands and went into the open sea. Loads of people were being sick! As we were arriving the sea changed colour to turquoise where the reef was and you could see the coral sticking out the water. A chinese lady asked a baffled crew member what it was – erm…well seeing as you’ve boarded a boat to the Barrier Reef that should give you a clue.
Arrived at 11am and went on the semi-submersible submarine. After that we had some lunch – delicious food, salads, chicken and huge prawns. Then it was time to snorkel! Got our wetsuits, flippers and goggles and jumped in. It was amazing – never seen anything like it. So much coral and different kinds of fish of all shapes and sizes.
After snorkelling we had some soup to warm up and then another trip on the semi-submersible. Just before we left the sun came out and there was a rainbow over the reef which was pretty impressive. Then we sailed home – it was even rougher this time! More people were sick and swaying around, we found it all very amusing, as did the crew who were mimicking them pretending to throw up. All we used our sick bags for was to nab a couple of muffins from afternoon tea to take home with us!
Got back and we were shattered so had a takeaway pizza and watched Forrest Gump.
03.07.17 – Last day in Airlie
Spent the day sunbathing – got a bit sunburnt – oops! Back to Brisbane for the night tomorrow before going up to Cairns.
Where is Tori? 