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The End of the Line

Now heading north from Townsville, we were coming into the climax of our trip up Australia’s east coast.  The last major settlement along the coast was Cairns, the most famous jumping off point for one of the Natural Wonder’s of the World - The Great Barrier Reef.  Almost immediately after hitting the highway, the open dry savanna land around Townsville filled with lush greenery pushed all the way up against the sea.  The Daintree Rainforest - one of the oldest in the world - had begun.  About halfway along the 4 hour drive to Cairns we came up and over a large pass and there spread out before us was a fantastic panorama of the massive Hinchinbrook Island.  As much as I would have liked to do it, I had to pass on the Thorsborne Trail due to time.  Perhaps another trip.  By the time we arrived in Cairns and got dinner and accommodation sorted out it was nearly nightfall.  Not that it mattered much as to be honest there really isn’t much going on in Cairns which was a bit of a disappointment.  

Hinchinbrook Island

The next day we booked our tour to tour out to the Great Barrier Reef and at the suggestion of a very helpful woman at the information center we decided on a tour leaving from Port Douglas (another hour north) to the Agincourt portion of the reef.  From there we headed up to check out the beaches north of Cairns and took a stop at Palm Cove.  The town is definitely a quaint little beachside hamlet and caters well to the tourists that make up its lifeblood.  The beach itself, much like nearly ever beach we’d encountered north of the Gold Coast (sans the Whitsundays area) left something to be desired and we didn’t spend much time there before moving on.  The road from Palm Cove to Port Douglas was beautiful and hugged the coast the entire way.  It made me reminisce of driving Highway 1 in California and more than once we were enticed to stop and snap a few photos.  Port Douglas turned out to be a bigger and busier version of Palm Cove - quaint, pleasant and filled with restaurants and tourists.  A place we may have been able to enjoy were we not budget conscious backpackers :p.  A drive to the top Flagstaff Hill provided a more enjoyable experience of Four Mile Beach than the beach itself.

Palm Cove

Highway between Palm Cove and Port Douglas

Four Mile Beach from Flagstaff Hill while we were there

Four Mile Beach from Flagstaff Hill photo taken from Google - maybe we were there at the wrong time?

Since we had some time to kill before our tour to the reef we decided to head north until we hit the end of the line - Cape Tribulation.  Cape Tribulation is the popularly known as the place where the sealed East Coast Highway ends, as well as the place where the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef meet.  To get there you have to travel another 2 hours north of Port Douglas and cross the Daintree River on the car ferry.  The area north of the river is largely undeveloped rainforest with a small community living in the area.  It’s also one of the last habitats in Australia for the elusive cassowary as well as the home to an incredibly diverse array of creatures and critters. Oh and did I mention a high density of saltwater crocodiles?

As soon as we approached the ferry terminal to cross the river we were handed a crocodile warning telling us not to swim or go near the water’s edge on pain of possible death.  Fun! We stayed overnight in the rainforest on the far side of the river and I took my time walking along some trails hoping to catch a glimpse of a cassowary or a croc while enjoying the ambience of the exotic plants and trees around.  Kayleigh for the most part decided to forgo any unnecessary movement in this hot and steamy wonderland.  I don’t blame her.   

Daintree Rainforest 

Daintree Rainforest mangroves

Alien flower - cover your face! 

Wonderful 

Eel 

Cape Tribulation - Standing here I was closer to Papua New Guinea than any of Australia's capital cities

If Cape Tribulation sounded like a great place to swim think again...

 

Magnetic Island

Just before leaving Bowen our car started to make some weird noises and we called for a mechanic.  Turns out the noise was our cracked radiator hissing in despair.  To make things better, we couldn’t bring the car in for repairs until we spoke with the central rental office which had closed less than an hour before for the day, so we filled the car up with water best we could and made our way to the nearest holiday park.  The next day the garage and rental office had to co-ordinate the location and transportation of a replacement radiator which wasn’t to arrive until the following day, but something fantastic did come out of it for us…they put us up in a nearby motel! Yup, all the creature comforts we’d been missing on the road were suddenly at our disposal, Wi-Fi included!.  I had no idea how much I’d missed a kitchen sink until then! We set sail about midday the next day, clean from a hot water shower and computer loaded with podcasts.  I guess life is all about balance :)

From Bowen we plunged even deeper into Far North Queensland, arriving a few hours later in its regional capital of Townsville.  Townsville itself isn’t much of an interesting city - it’s most notable characteristic is the large red sandstone hill rising precipitously just beyond the city center called Castle Hill.  Like most of the cities in the far north it doesn’t have a natural beach of its own.  It’s built on the back of the mining and military money flowing into the area, and aside from the newly redeveloped waterfront area (known as the Strand) there isn’t much to the place.  Most tourists are only here for one thing - to get out to Magnetic Island just 8 km off shore.  We fit the description and we happily obliged.

Castle Hill from the Ferry

We got off to a bit of a late start, but luckily the ferry ride is just 20 minutes from Townsville and we arrived in no time.  Magnetic Island is quite the idyllic little island getaway - slow-paced and friendly and all that exotic Australia flora and fauna we know and love.  Geographically the island is a bit different from the other islands along the Australian coast, as it’s mainland origin is made pretty clear by the granite formations along the various bays and coast.  It had me thinking I was on the shores of Lake Tahoe as the blue waters shimmered and gently lapped onto the beach from which granite boulder and pine covered headlands stretched out into ocean, embracing a little piece of it to make Alma Bay.  We had a fine spaghetti lunch with some delicious pumpkin sauce in the nearby village before we took the bus to the far eastern end of the island.

Alma Bay

Alma Bay

From the island’s main settlement at Horseshoe Bay we took a hike over a low saddle and down into the remote and wonderful Radical Bay.  Coming down onto the beach felt like something out of a movie, with brilliant blue skies, swaying palms and exotic parrots singing overhead.  There were perhaps less than five people total on this big, quiet, rainforest backed beach and as we laid our towels on the sand under the shade of a nearby tree the sense of relaxation enveloped us and we spent most of the remainder of the day there.  

Approaching paradise

Radical Bay

Radical Bay

 Of course we weren’t able to make our return to the mainland without spotting some wildlife.  As we waited for the bus to take us back to the ferry terminal we caught our first glimpse of rock wallabies in the wild - two hopping across the street and into someone’s yard and another two in an empty lot across from the bus stop grazing at the edge of the forest.  Just another magical day on a magical trip.

Grazing Wallabies

The Best Beach in the World?

After our superb experience at Lady Musgrave we were thirsty for more time on the Great Barrier Reef.  We moved further north crossing the Tropic of Capricorn and made our way to Airlie Beach, gateway to the Whitsunday Islands.  The Whitsundays are an island chain belonging to the Great Barrier Marine Reserve, but these islands couldn’t be more different from Lady Musgrave.  They’re what’s known as mainland islands - that is to say that they are connected to the continent of Australia underwater.  During the last ice age they were a high forested mountain range connected to the now Conway National Park on the mainland.  When the sea levels rose the low valleys were flooded leaving just the tips of the mountains exposed above the water, creating a perfect island paradise for us to enjoy.  In addition, we’d reached an a latitude far enough north that the outer GBR had begun to temper the fierce swells of the open ocean, making passage to and between the islands a sanctuary against sea sickness and a popular place to set sail.

A few of the Whitsunday Islands from the mainland

The first half of our day trip was spent snorkeling in the northern bays of Hook Island.  The first stop was Maureen's Cove where the experience was similar to that of Lady Musgrave minus the turtles.  There was tons of beautiful coral and loads of fish life, but it was at the second site that we got our unique and exciting experience.  In Manta Ray Bay, the sea life was a little…larger.  OK, a lot larger.  When we pulled into the bay the skipper through some bait into the water and we all watched as a school of giant bat fish shot up to the surface in a blur to grab some grub.  With the second toss of the bait, an even more giant man-sized Maori Wrasse fish arrived to grab his share.  Soon we were all off into the water splashing about with plenty of shouts as the fish deftly darted between us to grab the pellets being thrown into the water by the skipper.  The fish certainly weren’t bashful, often times coming well within arms reach as you watched halfway between elation and discomfort (we’re talking fish the size of your torso or bigger).

Kayleigh Fish

Bat Fish

The only photo I was able to grab of the Maori Wrasse

Bat Fish going for some bait 

With the excitement behind us we made our way to the namesake of the islands, Whitsunday Island.  Whitsunday Island is the largest island in the chain and is almost entirely national park.  The east coast of the island is home to Whitehaven Beach which is reputed by many to be one of the ten best beaches on Earth.  It was here that we were to spend the remainder of our day, on pristine white sand and gently lapping waves.  Just before lunch we made our way up the short walk to the Hill Inlet Lookout where we were greeted with a view so beautiful it didn’t seem that it could be real.  I’m still not sure I even believe it.  See for yourself.

Disembarking into bliss

Whitehaven Beach 

Hill Inlet from the lookout - Yes, it actually does look like that

It isn’t often that anything lives up to the hype built up around it, especially when it’s claiming something as extraordinary as “one of the top ten beaches on Earth”, but in this case I’d say that it does.  It’s easily one of the best beaches I’ve ever seen, ranking up there with Hanalei Bay on Kauai.  Beauty? In spades.  Clean? Pristine.  Sand? As close to velvet as ground rock can get, and with an ocean perfect for swimming.  To make the package even better, you can camp on the beach for only $5pp per night!  Needless to say, I’d come back in a heartbeat.

Just for some added value I’ll tell you about a few off the beaten track gems in the region.  Cedar Creek Falls is a beautiful waterfall well worth the time it takes to get there.  If you’re into cliff diving, its a great spot for it with easy access to the top of the ~12m (36ft) falls and a deep plunge pool below.  After apprehensively watching a few people take the plunge I finally decided I had to do it.  Even if cliff diving isn’t your thing, the plunge pool is a wonderful place for a swim in the hot tropical weather. 

Cedar Creek Falls

Lastly, the township of Bowen is about an hour north of Airlie Beach and boasts some beautiful beaches worth a visit.  Unlike done-up Airlie Beach which has no beaches of its own and seems overrun with young gap year backpackers, Bowen is an unassuming place where you can relax at a beach alongside real Australians. Specifically, the Edgecumbe Heights Recreation Reserve is where the noteworthy beaches are hiding.  We spent the better part of a day enjoying Horseshoe Bay.  A nice cafe backs up against the beach and some nice walking trails head up onto the headland for some sweeping lookouts.  What else could you possibly need?

Horseshoe Bay 

The coastline near Bowen

Oh the Blue! - Lady Musgrave Island

Stretching north from the QLD-NSW border, the coastline slowly transforms from fine sandy beaches and high surf to placid seas and mangroves.  We hadn’t yet crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, but the days were getting already becoming warmer and longer.  We stopped at one of the last surf outposts at The Town of 1770 before the Great Barrier Reef tames the swells of the South Pacific Ocean.  The peculiarly named Town of 1770 is hardly a town at all, consisting of little more than a collection of holiday homes and one modest shopping center.  It gets its name from the its history as the second landing site in Australia by Captain Cook and the crew of the Endeavor on May of 1770, but these days its most well known as the jumping off point for Lady Musgrave Island.  Lady Musgrave is the second southernmost island to be a part of the Great Barrier Reef chain of islands and is one of the few true coral cays in the whole reef system.

The island lies 60km offshore and on the particular day we elected to go there were some large residual swells from a recently passed storm.  What started out as an exciting roller coaster ride quickly became a torturous and unpleasant hour and a half trip out to the island.  I won’t tell you who, but at least one of us didn’t keep their breakfast.  It was with great relief to almost all on board when we finally laid anchor in the safety island’s lagoon from which we would be snorkeling.  It all proved to be worthwhile however, as the sea life was put on display almost immediately by one of the crew throwing some bait into the water.  Suddenly a flurry of fish of all sizes and colors shot to the surface of the water to devour the delicious fishie morsels!  

Shortly thereafter we were loaded onboard a smaller boat and carted off the do a short walking tour of the island itself.  The small quarter of a square kilometer island supports a small forest of Pisonia trees and is a breeding destination for thousands of birds in season.  Luckily for us this was not that season, as the guide informed us the when occupied the very ground we were walking would be colored white with you know what.  If you aren’t familiar with what a coral kay is, the island’s beach might not be what you expect.  The island is made up entirely of dead and broken bits of coral and the sediments that have built up on its shores over time and the beach reflects this.  We were also informed by our guide that the reason snorkeling was not allowed from the beach (on our tour anyways) was because of the presence of a small venomous snail called the Cone Snail.  Some varieties of these snails can deliver a sting powerful enough to be fatal and their shells blend in with the coral bits along the beach.  Needless to say - collecting shells is not recommended.

The island "sand"

The Pisonia forest

From here we took a brief glass-bottomed boat tour around the lagoon.  We were able to spot loads of fish and different types of coral, but best of all was a group of sea turtles! As we drifted over there were at least 4 of them collected around one bowl shaped coral structure and to our delight the guide informed us that we would be allowed to snorkel there when the time came to get into the water.  You can imagine then that when that time DID come, everyone on the tour made a B line directly for that structure and we were surely a part of that exodus.  The turtles didn’t seem to mind though, and Kayleigh and I were able to get fairly close to the group.  As luck would have it, one of the turtles came out of the bowl to grab a breath of air and I followed it and watched as it lazily drifted and “flew” through the water.  By some fluke, most of the rest of the tour group had moved on to other sections of the reef and what an amazing experience it was as the turtle and I floated together there, suspended in that moment.  I managed to get some pretty good video using our new GoPro, but you’ll have to wait until the next home videos to catch a glimpse :p.

This shot through the glass bottomed boat will have to hold you over until you see the video :p

I should note here, that the visibility in the water was surprisingly fantastic despite the wind rushing over the surface of the water.  You easily see some 34-40 feet.  Once we’d finished snorkeling the sun did finally come out and Oh-My-God how blue the water was.  It shined like I’ve never seen water shine before and practically begged for another inviting dip into the fairyland below.

Bliss

Fraser Island

Australia boasts innumerable islands along its coastline, many of which are located only just offshore and easily accessed via ferry services.  Despite their proximity to the mainland many of these islands remain largely undeveloped, pristine slices of paradise cherished by the locals and tourists alike.  Fraser Island, soon to be known by its aboriginal name K’Guri (meaning Paradise), was the first such island that we had the pleasure to visit.  Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island at 1,840 sq km, but you’d never guess by looking at it.  This is because by same strange evolutionary miracle it’s almost completely covered by rainforest, making it the only place on Earth where rainforest (or much of anything for that matter) grows on a bed of pure sand.  Intrigued? You should be.  The island was once treasured by the logging industry, but luckily by the 1990s the loggers were cleared out and the island became a world-heritage listed national park for all to enjoy.  We opted for a guided tour of the island since Major Tom wouldn’t last a second on the sandy 4x4 tracks carving up the island.

Arriving on the island via ferry

In the rainforest

There are a number of historic and beauty spots on the island, but the most famous of all is Lake Mackenzie.  This permanent freshwater lake is one of many perched lakes sitting on a thin impermeable layer of plant matter on a massive sand dune.  The lake is said to be a natural spa of sorts with soft and fine sugar-white sands that can act as an exfoliant, and the soft freshwater of the lake a natural conditioner for both hair and skin.  Of course the lake is no slouch in the beauty department either, so even if you’re not going for a swim you’d still walk away from this place feeling relaxed.

The shores of Lake MacKenzie

The main thoroughfare of the island is Seventy Five Mile beach which is the only beach in all of Australia that doubles as a highway, but don’t bother trying to swim because if the scary rips here don’t get you then the scary sharks surely will.  It was along this beach that we spotted one of Australia’s wildlife icons, the dingo.  Originally brought to Australia a few hundred years ago by Asian fisherman, the local aboriginals noticed how effective the dogs were at hunting and bartered for a few of them.  Today they are considered an alien species as well as a pest and set for gradual extermination, but the Fraser Island dingos are considered to be the most pure bred in the world and it is the only place in Australia that they are a legally protected species.  I was quite surprised when I learned that the dingo is a solitary animal as I’d always assumed they were pack animals, but I was doubly surprised at how emaciated they looked.  Apparently they run a bit lean naturally, but the ones along this beach had gotten used to being fed by tourists and had forgone trying to hunt.  Since feeding the dingos has now become illegal for safety reasons, the more stubborn dogs have become a bit malnourished and some have become aggressive towards humans.  Luckily, we didn’t encounter any of the latter.

Up close and personal 

Seventy Five Mile Beach

The next noteworthy beauty stop was Eli Creek.  This small creek, like all creeks on the island, is fed by pure filtered spring water pumping from deep within the sand island.  The water is so pure that there is no problem drinking it right from the creek (provided you do so a bit upstream of the drunken swimmers further downstream).  The creek is also flowing at a good click and many people choose to float downstream on this natural lazy river (bring your own tube).

Eli Creek

We hadn’t quite realized the size of the island and the time it would take to get from one place to another, so doing a day trip to the island was a bit frantic thanks to the tour itinerary.  I would have liked to spend more time at the beautiful swimming spots of Eli Creek and Lake Mackenzie and omitted some of the other sightseeing we did like the colored sand cliffs and the shipwreck.  If I could do it again, I might opt for an overnight trip, but all in all it was a good day and the tour guide provided some excellent and interesting commentary on the european and aboriginal history of the island as well as the aboriginal uses for many of the plants in the environment. 

Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast

Lying about 100km to the north of the Gold Coast is the capital city of Queensland, Brisbane. The city is part of the rapidly growing south-east Queensland growth corridor and is busy vying for its place amongst the other famous cities of Australia, but with one major disadvantage: the city is not an oceanfront city and has no natural beach to call its own.  In order to remedy this, the urban planners designed a shnazzy little area known as South Bank in which, amongst many bars, cafes, restaurants, parklands and entertainment venues, exists a man made lagoon style swimming area overlooking the Brisbane river as it winds like a snake through the CBD.  Now it claims to be the only capital city in Australia with a beach within the confines of the CBD.  Clever stuff.  I’ll admit to you, Kayleigh and I weren’t all that impressed with the first glimpses of the city, with its industrial clutter, coffee brown river, urban sprawl and ya know, lack of a beach.  I can tell you first hand however, that South Bank puts on the charm hard and was the beginning of the transformation of my opinion of the city.

To be fair we did something of a whirlwind tour through the city, visiting some 5 different neighborhoods with our only experience of the majority consisting of what we could take from the window of a moving vehicle.  From the hills and views of Paddington to the historic Kangaroo Point, my perception of the city slowly changed.  There is clearly something stylish burgeoning here.  By the end of the day I felt I hadn’t seen enough but unfortunately we hadn’t the time to dilly dally in the city, so begrudgingly I moved along.  I’m not sure when if ever I’ll be able to revisit the city, but perhaps by the time I do that bud I witnessed will be in full flower. 

South Bank Parklands Beach

Skyline from Kangaroo Point 

Another 100km or so to the north, completing the Brissie beach sandwich is the Sunshine Coast.  The Sunshine Coast is the northern end of the busy SE QLD growth corridor and is a more mature and relaxed answer to the rambunctious Gold Coast.  Our first stop here was the Glass House Mountains, whose peculiar name comes from the legendary James Cook who fancied their likeness to the stacks of glass houses back in England.  They are a striking set of “mountains”, whose grey and green peaks rise sharply from the flat farmlands forming narrow spires.  Given their geography hiking to the top of one of them without special equipment wasn’t feasible, so I had to resign myself to climbing a nearby hill for a panoramic overlook.  From there we raced towards the coastline, but unfortunately as has often been the case while driving the east coast on the verge of winter, the weather turned on us the first day and our time that was suppose to be spent sunning and swimming on a nice beach turned to hiding from the wind and rain in our house (aka Major Tom).

The Glass House Mountains 

The second day we had a bit more luck and found ourselves on the northern border of the Sunshine Coast in the town of Noosa.  This beautiful little resort town has the blessing of a north facing beach which is sheltered from the large swells coming up from the south.  We spent most of the day splashing around in emerald waves of the main beach.  In many ways, Noosa is the Sunshine Coast city responsible for the Sunshine Coasts reputation.  Its green leafy streets are beautifully landscaped and lined with sophisticated clothing retailers and diners.  To balance it all, a old-school surfer ethos flows like an undercurrent through the city.  The Noosa Heads National Park stands testament to it, being one of the only headlands in all of SE QLD that has retained its natural character due to the efforts of locals in fighting off a real estate developer.  Thanks to them, it remains one of the most intact ecosystems in the region and is home to one of the largest populations of koalas in Australia.  It was here that I got my first look at a koala in the wild - now if only I had a telephoto lens! 

Noosa Heads 

It looks more like a teddy bear than a real animal!