Paddle Bay - Shute Harbour - Airlie Beach
Last nights sleep on hard ground made for an early wake up this morning, but again, all was soon forgotten as I was able to see this amazing sunrise over Whitsunday Island.
Packing up camp for the last time and we didn't have to strategically load the boats as there was now no food or water left to worry about. We set off from the dead coral beach and soon realised that we had one last test of endurance before we hit the mainland. As soon as we went around the north west tip of South Molle Island, the winds hit us head on. We only had a short crossing to do to get us back to the mainland, but it was a 30 min roller coaster ride over very choppy swell which drenched us completely. Stopping off at White Rock, we planned to do some snorkelling, but the conditions weren't right. Paddling over to Tancred Island, Fe was certain that we would see some turtles - but they must have been hiding away from the weather.
As we slowly paddled by the yachts in Shute Harbour, we arrived back at Salty Dog where we unpacked our boats and celebrated our return to the main land with a bucket of chips from the small cafe. Taking a taxi back to Backpackers by the Bay, we enjoyed a hot, freshwater shower for the first time in a week. The amount of dry salt that encased our bodies and clothes made for a funny sight.
A feast was definitely on the cards tonight, so after our celebratory cocktail in town, we dined at
Shipwrecked Seafood Bar & Grill and ate way too much! Sleeping on an actual bed with a real pillow was wonderful - but also sad as this meant that our amazing week long sea kayaking trip had come to an end.
Total Paddle Distance Today = 6km / 2hrs
Tips on climbing into this adventure:-------------------------------------
- invest in a good sleeping mat if you have the money. Exped mats are very comfortable, kind of like lilos but much lighter. They will make your trip much more enjoyable
- to help you a feel a bit fresher in the morning and at night, bring along some Wet Ones to have a 'shower in a tent'. These little wipes can make all the difference and wipe away all that salt
Peter Bay - Curlew Beach
A more peaceful sleep on softer ground last night and we were in no rush to pack up this morning - we couldn't leave until the water came back up the beach, high enough for us to paddle over the rocks.
After about 1.5 hours of paddling north we reached the channel between Whitsunday and Hook Islands. The flow of the tide was quite slow at this time, but there was still quite a strong current washing through the channel. Picking the best line, we went up and over the swell like a roller coaster ride and were soon on the south-east coast of Hook Island.
Paddling past a few small bays, we soon saw Saba Bay with its three gorgeous little beaches which we couldn't paddle past without stopping for a bite to eat. Pulling out the good old salami, tuna, flatbread and left over salad we enjoyed lunch on a deserted beach.
Only a half hour paddle and we arrived at the beautiful Crayfish Beach, where we only had just enough water to paddle in over the the soon to be exposed coral. Setting up our tent on the sandy shelf, complete with bay views, was picture perfect. As we went out to the rocky point for a spot of rock fishing at low tide, we saw two kayakers arrive who unfortunately became stuck out on the water for two hours as they had to wait for the tide to come in. Not a good way to end a day.
Chris and I were on dinner duty that night and made friends with the thousand or so sand flies whilst we cooked our vege rice dish. Tonight was New Moon and during the night, I heard the gentle lapping of the waves only one meter from the front of the tent - now that's what I call waterside accommodation!
Total Paddle Distance Today = 17 km /4.5 hrs
Tips for climbing into this adventure:--------------------------------------
- to see all the detail that the coastlines offer, stick close to shore whilst paddling
- to determine where the tide will be on the night you arrive, have a look on the beach for the highest line of shells/seaweed. Take a look at your tide chart and compare the numbers from the previous night to the current night. This will tell you how much higher or lower the tide will be
- sand makes a really good pillow - make a bit of a mound, perfect for your head
Whitehaven Beach - Peter Bay
We woke up to an overcast morning, but it didn't stop Fe jumping in for a 6.30am swim. After a bit of yoga and breakfast on the beach, we packed up camp, apprehensive to see if all our gear would actually fit in the kayaks. Ensuring most of the weight was central to the boat, with the water bladders in the cockpits with us, we were glad that we didn't have to leave anything behind.
After the 1.5 hour paddle up the 8km stretch of Whitehaven Beach, we arrived at the famous Hill Inlet exactly at high tide. This is the perfect time to discover Hill Inlet as it fills with water and you can paddle quite a way up. As we slowly kayaked pasted the mangroves, we were surrounded by schools of up to 15 sting rays gliding in front of the boat.
The now outgoing tide quickly began exposing the shallow sand banks. We landed the kayaks and did the 20 minute walk up to Tongue Point for the amazing view over the area. We couldn't stay here too long as we saw our kayaks becoming surround by more and more sand and we needed to use the water to get the kayaks out of the inlet (rather than carrying loaded boats).
Stopping around the corner for lunch at Betty's Beach, unfortunately we didn't realise the tide was going out so fast and found ourselves in very shallow waters on a coral beach. Not a good experience.
As we continued to use the outgoing tide to push us north, we saw some more flatback turtles and took in views of the amazing coast line. It was highly recommended that we arrive at Peter Bay at mid-high tide due to the 100m rocky 'beach' that surrounds the area, but there was no real way we could experience Hill Inlet like we wanted to and arrive here at the right time. We were expecting it to be bad.......and it was. Landing the kayaks all the way down the beach, we did many trips up and down with all our gear and food. As the tide started coming back in on a very flat beach, we had to closely monitor the boats to ensure they didn't float away.
This was a lovely small campground, complete with a 3-walled drop toilet which gave you a view of the hillside whilst doing your business. Tonight, we were all on our own which made us feel like we were on a secluded island. We all learnt something important that night - dehydrated tofu doesn't really work.
Total Paddle Distance Today = 15 km /4 hrs
Tips on climbing into this adventure:--------------------------------------
- you can only camp at designated campsites on Whitsunday Island which need to be prebooked. Contact EPA Queensland for more details
- during the new or full moon, tides are very large (can be a difference of 4 vertical meters). Whilst enjoying the stress-free kayaking life, make sure one of your group is always watching the time
- when unpacking your gear, especially things for your tent, get in the habit of putting things in the same place so you aren't wasting time looking for them in the morning
- oysters open pretty easy when you just smash them with a rock. All you need is a squirt of water and maybe a bit of lemon and bon apetite
Friday 17th July 
And we're off! Over the past 6 months I've researched beaches, tide charts, camping grounds, food ideas and more, and now it was time for Chris, Fe, Guy & I to board the Tiger Airways flight to Mackay. Picking up the 4WD hire car, we drove to Mackay supermarket to do the shopping for 6 people for 6 days as the tiny supermarket in Airlie Beach just wouldn't cut it (although we did later find that there is a large supermarket in Cannonvale - 10mins down the road from Airlie). As we piled all the shopping on top of our packs for the 2hr drive to Airlie Beach, we were glad that we didn't choose the small hatch-back car as it wouldn't have all fit in.
Arriving at
Backpackers by the Bay, we checked into our private 4-bed dorm, met up with the other two members of our crew - Karen & John - and competed in the hostel's Quiz Night where the grand prize is a $3 bottle of bubbly! After our glorious win, we celebrated in style with an amazing dinner at the
Airlie Thai Restaurant. Highly recommended! Our night got even better when a lovely old man gave us a bottle of Oyster Bay so we could him him celebrate his birthday.
Saturday 18th July
A morning of wandering around the lagoon and shops with all the other tourists, our afternoon took us for a ride on the local bus out to Shute Harbour for our safety briefing with Salty Dog Sea Kayaking. We were given a pile of dry bags which we took back to the hostel and started sorting all of our gear & food. It all became a bit overwhelming as we tried to remember how many pieces of salami we allocated per person person per lunch, or how many cups of powdered milk were needed for breakfast! (the kayaks were going to have so much weight in them, we needed to be this specific). But, along the next few days we found that by packing each of our lunches and dinners into individual bags proved to be very worthwhile
How to climb into this adventure:---------------------------------
- to get to Airlie Beach, you can either:
- fly Tiger to Mackay and hire a car from just outside the airport;
- fly Jetstar/Virgin to Hamilton Island and catch a ferry
- fly Qantas to Prosperpine and catch a shuttle
- you can hire your kayaks and related gear from Neill & Hayley at Salty Dog Sea Kayaking. We made up our own itinerary, but you can also do tours with them.
- we decided to do main meals as a group, negotiating on what each person liked to eat (we each organised our own snacks). We made a list of exactly what we needed to buy BEFORE we walked into the supermarket which made things a lot quicker and easier in the isles
Last nights sleep on hard ground made for an early wake up this morning, but again, all was soon forgotten as I was able to see this amazing sunrise over Whitsunday Island.
Packing up camp for the last time and we didn't have to strategically load the boats as there was now no food or water left to worry about. We set off from the dead coral beach and soon realised that we had one last test of endurance before we hit the mainland. As soon as we went around the north west tip of South Molle Island, the winds hit us head on. We only had a short crossing to do to get us back to the mainland, but it was a 30 min roller coaster ride over very choppy swell which drenched us completely. Stopping off at White Rock, we planned to do some snorkelling, but the conditions weren't right. Paddling over to Tancred Island, Fe was certain that we would see some turtles - but they must have been hiding away from the weather.
As we slowly paddled by the yachts in Shute Harbour, we arrived back at Salty Dog where we unpacked our boats and celebrated our return to the main land with a bucket of chips from the small cafe. Taking a taxi back to Backpackers by the Bay, we enjoyed a hot, freshwater shower for the first time in a week. The amount of dry salt that encased our bodies and clothes made for a funny sight.
A feast was definitely on the cards tonight, so after our celebratory cocktail in town, we dined at Shipwrecked Seafood Bar & Grill and ate way too much! Sleeping on an actual bed with a real pillow was wonderful - but also sad as this meant that our amazing week long sea kayaking trip had come to an end.
