Cairns - Airlie Beach
One thing guaranteed to be on any Australian east coast traveller's wish-list is a few days sailing off Airlie Beach to the Whitsunday Islands.
The Whitsunday Islands are a small island group off the Queensland coast which offer outstanding beaches, snorkelling and sailing. We boarded our boat (simply called "Enid") on Thursday morning after a 12 hour bus journey from Cairns. Luckily we were able to get a night's sleep at a local hostel so we weren't COMPLETELY wrecked. We met up with our crew and fellow passengers on the quayside and were soon under full sail headed for the islands.
I doubt that there is any better feeling that lounging on the deck of a sail boat - although the experience would have been vastly improved by the addition of a wind-break. I guess that would cheapen the experience somewhat...
Anyway, we spent the next 3 days touring the various beauty spots. The undoubted highlight of the tour, however has to be when we ran into Wally: a 1.5m long humpheaded wrass. He let us feed him and stroke him as he swam around the boat. I reckon everyone listed him as a highlight.
We just got back to Airlie Beach (from where I write these very words) and are probably going to be meeting up with the rest of the passengers for dinner and/or drinks. After that, we're on a overnight bus (again) destination Rainbow Beach!
The Whitsunday Islands are a small island group off the Queensland coast which offer outstanding beaches, snorkelling and sailing. We boarded our boat (simply called "Enid") on Thursday morning after a 12 hour bus journey from Cairns. Luckily we were able to get a night's sleep at a local hostel so we weren't COMPLETELY wrecked. We met up with our crew and fellow passengers on the quayside and were soon under full sail headed for the islands.
I doubt that there is any better feeling that lounging on the deck of a sail boat - although the experience would have been vastly improved by the addition of a wind-break. I guess that would cheapen the experience somewhat...
Anyway, we spent the next 3 days touring the various beauty spots. The undoubted highlight of the tour, however has to be when we ran into Wally: a 1.5m long humpheaded wrass. He let us feed him and stroke him as he swam around the boat. I reckon everyone listed him as a highlight.
We just got back to Airlie Beach (from where I write these very words) and are probably going to be meeting up with the rest of the passengers for dinner and/or drinks. After that, we're on a overnight bus (again) destination Rainbow Beach!
posted by Iff at
11:41 pm
2 Comments:
Was Wally "boat kill". I have visions of your boat doing a hit and run on this fish and the cap'n saying "that guy floating over there is a humphead wrass...his movements now are completely reflex dominated......now he's floating round the boat.....get your photos now and we'll move on". Was the captain of your boat "Fossil"??
By
Anonymous, At
1:41 am
Nah, Fossil would have referred to the fish as "rainbow bumpy head swimming man" or suchlike. And you're an onion!!!
By
Trace, At
2:58 pm
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