Total Disappointment Avoided in the Whitsundays

After three straight chilly, rainy days in the Whitsunday Islands (and endless games of cards), the sun finally poked its head out our last day and, determined to make the most of it, we booked a day at-sea on a huge catamaran called the Camira.  We’d been talking about this day trip since before Brisbane so we were both really happy we got to do this while we were in the Whitsundays and it was an awesome day!  We left from Airlie Beach, where we were staying, early in the morning and enjoyed breath-taking views as we sailed through the Whitsunday Islands while the sun was rising overhead. 

Our first stop was near Hook Island for snorkeling (my first time!).  We geared up, donned stinger suits (basically just a light protective wetsuit) and hit the reef.  I really enjoyed it because we saw lots of fish and some huge corals that I recognized from when I tried, unsuccessfully, to have a salt water aquarium a few years ago.  Alex was less impressed because the water was cloudy from the previous days’ storms and he’d seen better diving back home but it was fun nonetheless.

From there we sailed, across some choppy waters, to Whitehaven Beach – one of the world’s Top Ten beaches (and where the beach scene in the movie Fools Gold was filmed).  Alex and I were both blown away by the gorgeous sand and clear blue waters.  The sand on this infamous beach is pure silica from a nearby ocean vent and it was pristine.  Because it was pure silica the sand never gets hot from the sun so it was the perfect place to stop for the afternoon.  The entire area is a national marine park so it is illegal to remove anything from the island and, fun fact, our host shared with us that the only time sand has ever been allowed to be removed from that beach was to make the glass for the Hubble Telescope. 

On-board the catamaran, we were treated to great sailing, informative hosts, a surprisingly delicious lunch and a few good drenchings from waves crashing into the boat whenever we least expected them.  The waves were no joke, early on in the day I had an epic wipeout on the wet deck, that Alex thankfully missed, but of course everyone else on the boat saw (yep still just as graceful here in Australia).  The journey back was much smoother so we enjoyed ourselves sitting on-deck enjoying the island views and ocean breezes, happy we were able to get at least one day to explore the Whitsundays! 

Despite the rain the previous few days, we were determined to make the most of our time there.  One afternoon we rented a car and drove out to Cave Creek Falls.  We were warned that the popular swimming hole was ‘just a trickle' because they had gotten any rain in the area since early March (the irony of that was not lost on us) but we had nothing else to do so off we went.  The rental agency only had one-seater scooters and Alex didn’t trust me to drive one myself after my mishap with his scooter in Bermuda so we rented a smart car that I’m pretty sure was a clown car in the circus in a previous life…  It was hilarious, Alex was bigger than the car and it sounded like it was going to blow up over speeds of 100km/hr but he drove it with pride. 

Once out at the Falls, we were quick to note that this attraction was anything but.  There were no falls because, again, prior to our arrival they hadn't gotten any rain since March (haha, bad timing on our part!) and the swimming hole had shrunk to half its size.  We hiked a bit and watched a few fearless travelers jump off the cliffs, despite some pretty clear warnings indicating it was not a good idea (see below), then headed back.  We only drove 100km (roughly 62 miles) round-trip but it still cost $11.30 to fill up the tank of the teeny-tiny smart car (that was still showing a full gas tank), another sign that train travel is the best option for us to get around Australia!