"The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood".
Douglas Adams (English author / satirist)
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/408745/flooded-milford-sound-leaves-visitors-stranded
We had had a delicious meal at Mezethes and a wonderful walk back to our accommodation via Hobart's glittering harbourside and beautifully illuminated CBD.
Our final evening in Tasmania had been perfect so the very last thing we expected to find waiting for us on returning home was an email from a tour operator in Queenstown New Zealand informing us that our Milford Sound trip on 24 February would need to be cancelled due to torrential rain and flooding which had resulted in a section of the highway leading to the sound being completely swept away.
We had heard of bad storms in New Zealand earlier from the previous week but we didn't realise that the flood damage was so drastic that these important tourist sites had to be completely shut down.
We were setting off for New Zealand on 18 February and had planned our time in South Island around our full day excursion to Milford Sound which we had booked and paid for in advance to secure our reservation for my husband's birthday on 24 February.
I emailed back immediately to ask whether we would be reimbursed in full for the tour itself and whether we would still be able to drive to Te Anau to the Airbnb accommodation we had booked there or if that had to be cancelled as well as it was on that same highway.
Of course if we had to cancel our two nights in Te Anau then we would need to book accommodation elsewhere which could prove difficult and expensive at such short notice.
I also needed to know as a matter of urgency whether our entire South Island trip was at risk of cancellation or if it was just the highway leading to the sounds that had been devastated by flash floods which appeared to be part of the same storm system hitting Australia that same week
It felt as if a rug had been pulled from under us.
Planning certain aspects of a trip such as ours had not been easy and we had needed to book accommodation and some excursions such as the Milford Sound one in advance to ensure we could get places on them before they sold out.
We could contact no one urgently at that time as it was 3:00 am in New Zealand so I looked for more information online.
The mz.co.nz/ news website confirmed our worst fears. That entire section of New Zealand's South Island had indeed been totally devastated by flood damage and tourists who were there at the time were left stranded when sections of its major highway was swept away.
Another major schedule change was required. We had had to deal with fire, now we were going to have to deal with flooding.
I told myself that we had experienced schedule changes before on this trip, the most drastic one being when our house sit in Goulburn was cancelled due to wildfires in the surrounding bushland.
Plans B, C and D had worked out well for us at that time so we had to trust that this would too.
With that thought in mind I decided to go to bed, but just as I was about to doze off a powerful flash of lightening illuminated the room, followed shortly after by a violent clap of thunder.
The long-awaited storm had finally arrived in Hobart.
Wednesday 12 February 2020
Storms, flight delays, cancellations and re-scheduling.
They always say that things happen in threes.
For us that day they appeared to happen in fours, fives, sixes and more.
This was without doubt the most trying day on our trip so far.
The previous night's storm appeared to die out not long after it arrived in Hobart and the gale force winds and torrential rain expected were certainly not as violent as had been forecast so we had no reason to believe that we would not soon be embarking on our next adventure as planned.
As it would be our friend's birthday a few days later, we had decided to book a mini break in Queensland at Airlie beach which would be part of her birthday treat and which would also signal the final week of our Australian road trip extravaganza.
Our flight back to Melbourne was at 9:00 am but our flight to Proserpine wasn't until 4:30 pm that same day.
Our plan was to leave our luggage in a storage locker at the airport so we could return to Melbourne for a little more sightseeing.
We were definitely planning to see the State Library and if time a jaunt to one of the art galleries would be a welcome addition.
At least that's what we thought then.
It was only after we checked in and went through security at the airport in Hobart that we learnt that Melbourne had been the main target of the storm that passed over Hobart the night before.
We were told that the storm hit Melbourne earlier that morning and with violent winds exceeding 80 mph being recorded at Melbourne's domestic terminal, the airport had no choice but to close until further notice.
Several flights that had already taken off for Melbourne, had been advised to turn around and return to Hobart and wait there until they could land safely in Melbourne later that day.
Once that directive had been issued we wondered whether we would be driven back to Hobart and accommodated in hotels there or if we would just need to wait at the airport until further notice.
Of course it was the latter.
We waited and waited and waited.
We were given no updates at all for hours.
We were offered no refreshments and no lunch vouchers were provided.
Usually when flights are delayed for longer than two hours, airlines provide passengers with food vouchers and free bottled water but in this instance, that gesture was not forthcoming.
At least the airport WiFi was good, so whilst we were waiting I managed to make contact with the tour operator from New Zealand who confirmed that large sections of the highway from Queenstown to both Milford and Doubtful sounds had been completely swept away by the flood and violent tree avalanches.
The sounds themselves were also so full of flood debris that it would be unsafe for ferries to operate on them until they had been cleared which they estimated would not be until mid March.
There was therefore no choice but to accept cancellation and the full refund they were offering.
I then emailed the Airbnb accommodation in Te Anau and cancelled that as well, but we did lose our deposit even though we explained that we would not be able to travel to Te Anau due to part of the road no longer being there but that did not change the landlady's mind unfortunately.
Queenstown Airbnb accommodation is limited and expensive at the best of times; on this occasion it was nonexistent or prohibitively expensive.
In the end I managed to secure two rooms in the local youth hostel which wasn't ideal but it was better than nothing and it would only be for one night so we would survive.
I spent most of the day in that crowded airport lounge working on our new New Zealand schedule so at least that time wasn't completely wasted.
We finally boarded first at 3:45 pm and taxied all the way to the runway but unbelievably we had to return to the terminal 40 minutes later as in addition to everything else, our particular aircraft had now developed "technical difficulties".
It was at that point, taxiing back to the departure lounge at Hobart airport, that we lost any hope of making our flight from Melbourne to Proserpine..
I always make a point of never booking two separate flights on one day just in case one is delayed and then you end up missing the other.
Of course, it's different if you book interconnecting flights with the same operator as the operator is then responsible for getting you to your final destination as soon as possible after the delayed flight problem is solved.
But two separate flight bookings on one day, that is NOT a good idea at all.
Unfortunately for us, on this occasion that was exactly what we did.
It was the one and only time on the entire trip, that we dared to book two flights in one day but as flights to Proserpine from Melbourne were not regularly available, I thought that on this one occasion we would risk it.
Unfortunately, we learnt the hard way that it was a risk we should not have taken.
To our deep chagrin we did not leave Hobart for Melbourne until just after 4:50 pm and as our Proserpine flight was at 4:30 pm, we would only make it if that flight too were delayed, which it was not.
We were very downcast throughout that entire journey back to Melbourne as we had been looking forward to our mini break in Queensland so very much.
We also had no accommodation booked in Melbourne for that night as we were supposed to take up residence in our Airlie Beach apartment later that evening.
As advised in Hobart, on arrival in Melbourne we joined the scrum and headed straight for the Virgin Australia customer service desk to collect letters for future compensation claims.
As expected they could not help us with the missed flight to Airlie Beach.
After what felt like an age waiting at the desk for our letters, we came across an elderly lady who was very confused as to where she was supposed to go; we ascertained in time that she was flying to Brisbane to see her son and should be making her way to the gate, but as she was clearly too frail to walk to it, we accompanied her to the Qantas access desk so she could get the assistance she needed.
The kind person at the Qantas access desk was very grateful for our help and assured us that our elderly friend would be well taken care of by them at that point. She then asked us where we were staying and how long we would be in Melbourne.
When we explained our predicament to her, she told us that although we could not book a morning flight to Proserpine with Virgin Atlantic the next day, we could certainly book one with Qantas to Hamilton Island and take the ferry to Airlie Beach from there.
She reminded us that we could still use our return flights from our original booking, so we only needed single outbound flights.
She even looked online for us from her computer and as luck would have it there were 5 economy ones left for 7:30 am the next morning so we booked three immediately before they sold out.
We already had a hire car booked from Airlie beach and an Airbnb apartment reserved and paid for, so we just needed to notify them of a schedule change.
Once that was all done, we also booked an overnight stay in a hotel just a short taxi drive from the hotel and we were even able to have a decent meal in an Asian fusion restaurant nearby.
We are so grateful to the kind Qantas customer service agent who took the trouble to help us at what was probably one of the busiest and most crowded times at the airport and of course, to the elderly lady who approached us for assistance without whom we would have never gone to the Qantas access desk. Be it fate or a lucky coincidence, we were very grateful indeed.
We may have needed to spend extra money at the time, (we didn't know then that our insurers would cover the costs of our missed Proserpine flights).
But I must say that after months of lockdowns, social distancing tiers and doubt about the future, we are extremely glad that we decided to book those extra flights and didn't completely miss our trip to Queensland.
Our memory banks of our wonderful Antipodean travels would be much poorer had we done otherwise
Excellent coconut cauliflower curry at Asian fusion restaurant near our hotel
Beautiful State Library in Melbourne which we were hoping to see that day. (Photo courtesy of slv.vic.gov.su)
Inside Melbourne's extraordinary State Library (photo courtesy of en.Wikipedia.org). For more information go to https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/)
Hamilton Island here we come
Highway to Milford Sound New Zealand washed away by flood waters
Beautiful Milford Sound, New Zealand - tours cancelled until further notice
Thursday 13 February 2020
Queensland - at last
We could not help but feel apprehensive as our taxi rolled into Melbourne's all too familiar domestic airport.
It was only when our plane taxied off towards the runway that we finally relaxed and accepted that our flight to Hamilton Island would not be cancelled and that we would actually get there at some point that day.
Sure enough, just under three hours later we landed in Hamilton Island and as Victoria is one hour ahead of Queensland, we had gained an hour
It wasn't until we had been reunited with our luggage and had booked ourselves onto a ferry to Airlie beach that we suddenly realised that we must surely be in the most beautiful airport in the world.
This truly was a stunningly glorious corner of our shared earth and we were so, SO lucky to have finally made it there.
We unanimously agreed that if we did nothing else but admire the extraordinary scenery all around us, it would have been worth travelling there. Anything else would have been a bonus.
We believed that then and we still believe it now.
Leaving Hamilton Island on the Airlie Beach ferry
Mesmerising Whitsunday Islands
Beautiful Whitsundays
The wonderful Whitsundays
Tropical paradise beaches everywhere
Molle Islands, Daydream Island and more
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitsunday_Islands
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daydream_Island
It suddenly dawned on us while we were sailing through that glorious maze of idyllic tropical islands, that this ferry to Airlie Beach was also the hop-on, hop-off ferry which we were planning to book for that same afternoon had we arrived in Airlie Beach the previous evening as planned.
Obviously on that occasion with all our luggage in tow we couldn't do any hopping but we could certainly appreciate the spectacular scenery all around us.
There were very few people sharing the ferry with us that day so we had the rear section to ourselves for the entire duration of the journey which took approximately 2.5 hours. I believe there are more direct ferries from the airport at Hamilton Island to Airlie beach but we were very happy to have taken this 'stopping' one.
For us it was 2.5 hours of sheer heaven. We sailed from one magical location to the other, not always knowing where to look for the most optimal views.
After our stop at Daydream Island, we did wonder whether it had been aptly named after the many tourists who descended upon it in a daze totally bewitched by its extraordinary splendour.
In actual fact it used to be called West Molle Island; its present name "Daydream" came into use during the 1930s when "Lee and Connie Murray and their best friend Charlie Hird established the first tourist resort on the island."
"Day Dream was the name of a yacht owned by the Murrays at that time."
"Ownership of the resort has transferred to a number of individuals or groups since the 1930s."
"Notable owners include Reg Ansett, who dismantled the resort in 1953 and shipped the buildings to his new resort on Hayman Island; and Bernie Elsey, whose massive redevelopment of the island in 1967 was destroyed by Cyclone Ada three years later".
"As from March 2015, the island has been owned by China Capital Investment Group."
"There are now two tourist resorts on the island: the original resort at the southern end and a newer resort at the north-eastern end".
"The original resort caters to day visitors and the newer resort, which opened in 1990, caters to overnight guests".
"Tourists from the mainland port of Abel Point Marina regularly visit the island".
Daydream is certainly somewhere we would have visited on a hop-on, hop-off tour had we arrived the previous day.
Apart from Daydream island we could not name the individual islands at the time and we certainly didn't stop at all of them or the journey would have taken all day, but we learnt later that "The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, approximately 900 kilometres north of Brisbane".
"The northernmost of the islands are situated off the coast by the town of Bowen while the southernmost islands are off the coast by Proserpine", (which is where we would have landed had we arrived the previous evening).
"The traditional owners of the area are the Ngaro people and the Gia people whose Juru people have the only legally recognised native title in the region".
What I would advise to anyone flying into the Whitsundays for a mini break or a longer holiday, is to book their arrival flight to Hamilton Island if they can.
Our return flight from Proserpine was perfectly fine but nothing can compare to the dramatic arrival at a location such as Hamilton island which we discovered later is one of Australia's most prized and exclusive tourist destinations.
I cannot say that I am grateful for the cancelled flight, our lost day in Queensland and all the stress that we went through the previous day but we are certainly happy that our Plan B led to our flying into Hamilton Island airport which we would certainly have never discovered otherwise, and consequently not enjoyed that magical tropical cruise to Airlie beach.
I cannot imagine there are many journeys to and from airports anywhere in the world, quite like that one.
Arrival at Daydream Island
Beautiful Daydream Island
Sailing through the Molle island group
Docking at Daydream Island
Stunning holiday accommodation at Daydream Island
Leaving Daydream Island
Sailing through the Molle Islands to Airlie Beach
Arrival at Airlie Beach
As we approached Airlie Beach at approximately 3:00 pm that afternoon, the weather changed suddenly from clear, bright, sunny and warm to overcast, hot, muggy and even a little rainy.
We were of course in tropical Queensland and this was the rainy season.
It was the intense, humid heat that struck us the most during what we called those 'tropical afternoons'.
The mornings and evenings reminded us of hot, Mediterranean summer days but those afternoons - they were tropical jungle weather.
Once we disembarked from the ferry and took ourselves and our luggage to the taxi ramp, the warm rain began to fall.
Fortunately for us, we didn't need to wait long for a taxi and the journey from the port to the hire car office only took a few minutes, but it did rain for that entire drive and all the time we were sorting out our hire car and then at a local supermarket where we bought a few basics and a selection of meats and fish for our terrace BBQ.
The rain stopped and the skies cleared just as we checked into our new Airbnb accommodation.
The apartment was lovely: sparkling clean, modern, two large bedrooms, a kitchen, living, dining area and a huge terrace with BBQ overlooking the seafront on Airlie Beach.
Our cook out on that wonderful terrace with the Whitsunday islands in the horizon, was absolutely perfect.
It felt as though we were in a completely different dimension from the one we had been in the previous day of stressful flight delays and itinerary changes.
We were sorry indeed to have missed our first night in our beautiful, luxury apartment, sitting on this terrace sipping local Queensland wine under those tropical stars, but we were extremely happy that we were there then.
Cormorants signalling our arrival at Airlie Beach
Cormorants at the Whitsundays
Arrival at Airlie Beach to tropical rain clouds
Airlie Beach catamaran
Beautiful view of the Whitsunday Islands from our balcony on Airlie Beach
A friend on our balcony on Airlie Beach
Wonderful view from our apartment on Airlie Beach
Perfection
Lovely palm tree outside our apartment building on Airlie Beach
Friday 14 February 2020
Whitehaven Beach - Whitsunday Island
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehaven_Beach
Having experienced Queensland's tropical weather patterns the previous day, we decided to book an early morning excursion to Whitehaven beach rather than the afternoon one as originally planned, which would have been part of our hop-on, hop-off island tour.
We set our alarm for 6:00 am which wasn't easy but the morning light was unbelievably beautiful. It would have been a shame to miss that.
We arrived back at the port at 7:00 am and by 7:15 we set off on a similar ferry to the one we had taken from the airport the previous day.
It was another perfect journey through the Whitsunday Islands. I could do that journey every day of my life and I know I would never tire of it.
We were heading for the largest of the 74 islands, which was actually called Whitsunday Island.
We would be spending the entire morning until early afternoon on Whitehaven Beach which had been recognised as the most beautiful, well preserved beach in the world.
On this occasion the ferry was pretty full as there were two groups of people on it.
Our group travelling to Whitehaven Beach then back to Airlie Beach in the afternoon, and another group travelling with us to Whitehaven beach but going onto a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling tour later that day.
The Whitsunday Islands form part of the Great Barrier Reef National Park and snorkelling in certain areas of that park is a must if you're a strong swimmer and enjoy deep sea diving.
We did think about the snorkelling option but as we had less time in the area than originally planned, we thought we would go on our mini Queensland road trip that afternoon and evening instead.
We certainly didn't feel we had missed out as we would be spending the entire morning on Whitehaven Beach which we certainly wouldn't have done on our hop-on, hop-off tour of the islands, which was lucky for us as Whitehaven is "an idyllic 7 km stretch of beach along Whitsunday Island".
In the end we opted for the half day ferry tour to and from the island which we booked online the previous evening, but tours by seaplane & helicopter from Airlie Beach, as well as Hamilton Island are also available.
There are so many different options and combinations available that it's very hard to choose between them.
Whitehaven beach was "named and discovered in 1879 by Staff Commander EP Bedwell".
"'Whitehaven' was one of the many names, from the then English county of Cumberland, which Bedwell brought to the area".
"It followed James Cook's naming of the island group, the Cumberland Islands." In 1770.
"The beach was awarded Queensland's Cleanest Beach in Keep Australia Beautiful's 2008 Beach Challenge State Awards".
"In July 2010, Whitehaven Beach was named the top Eco Friendly Beach in the world by CNN.com."
"Dogs are not permitted on the beach and cigarette smoking is prohibited."
"Whitehaven Beach is known for its turquoise waters and bright white sands, which consist of 98% pure silica".
"Local rocks do not contain silica so it has been suggested that the sands were brought to the beach by prevailing sea currents over millions of years".
"Unlike normal sand, the sand on Whitehaven Beach in said not to retain heat, thus making it comfortable to walk barefoot on a hot day". Though I must say that it was retaining quite a lot of heat on the day we were there.
This sand is also very fine, and can damage electronic equipment such as telephones and cameras, so it is best to keep them in sealed bags if you take them to that beach with you.
Apparently that sand is very good at polishing up jewellery, but we didn't try that when we were there.
We were all given summer wetsuits to wear in the water to guard against jellyfish, stingrays, cone shells and other nasties.
As the wetsuits were horribly uncomfortable and did not appear to be made of impenetrable fabric, we calculated that we would be better off without them but do take advice on that prior to swimming anywhere in Australia's very beautiful but potentially lethal seas all over the country.
We had no nasty encounters while we were swimming that day but we were joined by a few batfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, clownfish and lots of stripy greenish fish that we couldn't identify.
The latter were very friendly indeed and were happy to swim with us for the entire time we were in the water. It was such a unique, unusual experience for us.
On the small boat from the ferry to the island our friend spotted a sea turtle swimming alongside the boat.
Then when we went to our picnic table for lunch we were joined by large monitor lizards sitting under our table. They looked a little menacing with their large claws and sharp teeth but they were happy just to sit under our table in the shade for most of the time we were there.
The weather was absolutely perfect from when we arrived there at 8:30 am until we left at 1:00 pm. Glorious sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.
Opting for the morning tour was definitely the right thing to do.
What we all agreed on that day which is still the case today, is that our time on that wonderful beach, swimming in that extraordinary sea surrounded by barrier reef fish and natural beauty all around, is certainly the best 'day at the seaside' that any of us had ever experienced and one of our favourite experiences anywhere throughout our entire tour.
It was such a privilege for us to experience a beach such as Whitehaven and to see eco tourism in action as it is there.
Knowing that, rendered the day even more special for us as although this is one of the most popular tourist sites on earth, it is also protected from development and mass tourism.
There will never be any restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, cafés on that stretch of beach; in fact you're not even allowed to smoke.
Leaving litter is illegal and can lead to massive fines.
There is zero tolerance of any form of unsociable or disruptive behaviour and anyone who is obviously intoxicated by alcohol or drugs is forbidden from swimming in the sea.
This may all appear harsh but at least we can take comfort in the fact that in years to come, future generations will be able to enjoy those beaches exactly as we did in February 2020, which sadly is no longer the case with many beautiful locations closer to home.
Leaving Airlie Beach in glorious morning light
Sailing from Airlie Beach to Whitsunday Island
Leaving Airlie Beach on course for Whitsunday Island
Airlie Beach in the distance en route to Whitsunday Island
Beautiful morning light in the Whitsundays
Our approach into Whitsunday Island
First glimpse of Whitehaven Beach
Beautiful Whitehaven Beach
Smaller boats sent out to collect us
Small boats sent to collect us as there is no ferry port on this beach
Spectacular Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach. Whitsunday Island
Glorious Whitehaven
Fish everywhere
Stripy fish swimming with us all morning
Great Barrier Reef fish swimming with us
Marine wildlife everywhere lo
Swimming with tropical fish at Whitehaven Beach
Monitor lizard under our lunch table
Could this be the most beautiful beach in the world?
Whitehaven
Farewell beautiful Whitehaven
Airlie Beach cormorants
Return to Airlie Beach just as the weather was starting to turn
Our afternoon drive in Queensland
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockyer_Valley
We had been looking forward to our drive in Queensland for some time. Had our time there not been curtailed, we would have had an entire day to drive to various locations in the area and maybe take a picnic so we could have a few leisurely hours on an isolated beach somewhere.
As it was we just had the afternoon and evening so we decided to drive to a few locations that had been recommended to us, and, if time, stop at a few others on our way.
We set off for an area called Cape Gloucester which we heard had some lovely secluded beaches with pretty views of the Whitsundays which we were now quite familiar with.
We were also keen to see the Queensland countryside. We were aware that the area we were in was surrounded by sugarcane fields.
In actual fact sugarcane is one of the state's most important commodities based on the gross value of agricultural production.
Cattle and calves top that list at $5.8 billion, followed by sugarcane at $1.2 billion and poultry at $587 million.
These commodities together contribute 59 per cent of the total value of agricultural production in the state.
The rest is made up of everything else.
We read in Wikipedia that "the Lockyer Valley is an area of rich farmlands that lies to the west of Brisbane, about 900 km from where we were in Queensland.
The Lockyer Valley is rated among the top ten most fertile farming areas in the world and the intensively cultivated area grows the most diverse range of commercial fruit and vegetables of any area in Australia.
The valley is referred to as "Australia's Salad Bowl" to describe the area as one of Australia's premium food bowls."
Australia is pretty much self sufficient when it comes to food; largely thanks to Queensland. Even bananas are home grown in Australia. In fact people in Queensland often plant their own banana tree in the garden so they can grow their own.
Sadly we didn't see any banana trees when we were there but we did see a lot of sugarcane fields and a few cattle farms.
I even caught a glimpse of a Rock Wallaby but it hopped away before we could photograph it sadly.
Queensland cattle farm seen on road to Cape Gloucester
Miles and miles of sugarcane
Rock wallaby as seen hopping away as we passed
Wallaby hopping away as we passed
Curious cattle
Dingo Beach and Hideaway Bay
We decided to head for an area called Hideaway Bay but as Dingo Beach was en route we thought we would stop there first.
Unfortunately for us our arrival in those areas coincided with the afternoon rainfall.
We were actually on Dingo Beach when it started; it was already a very hot day but the rains added a level of humidity which I had never experienced before. Our friend compared it to her time in Borneo which is interesting as that was a Lemur jungle tour.
We thought that a paddle in the sea would cool us down but the water was really hot. The hottest seawater we had ever experienced. It certainly didn't cool us down.
It was a beautiful beach though but so empty.
We were the only ones there which was surprising as Dingo Beach is also a village.
In the 2016 census, Dingo Beach had a population of 169 people.
Its location is just south of Hideaway Bay, which is where we would be going to next.
To my knowledge there are no dingoes on Dingo Beach. Maybe there were once which could be why it is called that but we saw no evidence of them.
Our daughter explained later that it's on the beaches of Frazer Island where dingoes still tend to live quite happily with the steady stream of tourists that visit the Island all year round. We would have liked to visit Fraser Island as well but with our time constraints we had to make a choice so we selected the Whitsundays instead.
As for Dingo beach, we read that it had been "discovered" by motorist J.M. Harkness in 1926 and was named Dingo Beach soon after.
People from Proserpine and Bowen then began using the beach for recreation, although the road was described as being "very rough". Part of the road to it was still unsealed when we went in 2020.
Hideaway Bay was just a short drive from Dingo Beach
https://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/destinations/hydeaway-bay
We read on the Tourism Whitsunday website that;
"If you like to seek out hidden gems on your travels, Hydeaway Bay should be on your list when visiting the Whitsundays". Of course we believe that this is also true of Dingo Beach.
"This tiny coastal hamlet is set on a long, white, sandy beach on a no-through road about 50 kilometres from Airlie Beach (take the Gregory-Cannon Valley Road to Dingo Beach Road and then don't miss the turn to Hydeaway Bay Drive)".
"Originally settled with summer shacks for local farmers, there are now a few hundred houses scattered along the beach and the nearby hills".
"The beach has five public access points and you can comb for shells on a low tide, swim the fringing coral reef or try your luck fishing from the beach or in a "tinnie" (Aussie lingo for small tin boat)" .
"The nearest boat hire and ramp is just down the road at Dingo Beach".
"Locals actually say the best thing to catch in Hydeaway Bay is peace and quiet. It's guaranteed you will hardly see a soul but you could be lucky enough to spot a dugong, dolphin, whale or turtle on your travels". We also read that crocodiles and sharks occasionally visit these locations too so do take care if you do hire a tinny for the day.
What we definitely agree with is that if you're in this area and you want to spend a day on an isolated beach then you should drive to Hideaway Bay or Dingo Beach.
You're unlikely to find a more isolated spot anywhere else in that area.
Isolated Dingo Beach Queensland
Rainy Hideaway Bay
Cape Gloucester Eco Resort
https://travelnq.com/cape-gloucester-whitsundays/
Notwithstanding the volatile tropical climate, discovering Dingo Beach and Hideaway Bay on our mini Queensland road trip was satisfying indeed.
We had no prior knowledge of that area at all and with everything we had to deal with over the course of the previous 48 hours, we'd had very little time to properly plan our amended road trip schedule prior to setting off that afternoon
So to stumble on these two extraordinary Queensland gems was extremely fortunate.
I read a review on this area of Australia just a few days ago by Elaine Seager on the travelnq.com website. She writes about her own road trip to this area of Queensland which I must say perfectly reflects my own thoughts about our wonderful afternoon there in mid February 2020.
"Cape Gloucester is on a peninsula north of Airlie Beach", writes Ms Seager.
"We headed to Dingo Beach first and then decided to carry on exploring up the dirt road to Hideaway Bay".
"Eventually we stopped to check out the beach and we could barely believe what we saw".
"Australia has many beautiful deserted beaches but it’s still amazing to find one so undeveloped, especially so close to a major tourist destination".
"We stood there for a while taking in the views, mesmerised by calm turquoise water lapping gently onto the fine white sand and then eventually decided that the best way to enjoy such a pure virginal beach was with a cocktail"
"So we went in search of the two resorts in the area – Cape Gloucester Eco Resort and Montes Reef Resort".
We too thought that if we could find a little bar on a local beach somewhere, an afternoon Queensland Sparkling wine would go down a treat whilst enjoying that mesmerising view of the Whitsunday islands.
We only made it to Cape Gloucester Eco Resort ourselves, which we reached via a rather rough unsealed dirt track, but believe me it was well worth it in the end.
Ms Seager had opened her article with incredulity at the fact that with all the tourists that flock to Airlie Beach during every season of the year, this area just a short drive away should be so overlooked.
"So close to Airlie Beach but almost completely devoid of tourists", exclaims Ms Seagar.
"Cape Gloucester is the kind of place that you want to shout about but also keep secret".
"There’s no doubt that it will catch the eye of developers soon, so make sure you visit this amazing area now while it’s beaches are still pristine and fairly undiscovered".
"The Whitsundays are world-renowned as a holiday destination with many islands and resorts catering to every different type of traveller".
"Jetsetters, yachties and backpackers all flock to this region to soak in the relaxed holiday vibe of the islands"
"And yet, as I sat drinking my cocktail at Cape Gloucester, I couldn’t help but ponder if they’d somehow missed the best part".
I don't think that anyone who spent the morning on Whitehaven Beach and managed to swim with coral reef fish in the most beautiful, turquoise seawater on the planet, can ever say that anything other than Whitsunday Island is the "best part" but for me at least I can concur that Cape Gloucester comes a very close second.
Cape Gloucester resort is certainly beautifully isolated and feels quiet, relaxed and very, very private.
In fact I first thought we had stumbled on an exclusive private beach-club, the likes of which cost an arm and a leg just to look at in France and Italy, let alone go in and order a drink.
"The restaurant and bar area is quite large but slightly set back from the beach with a pool, so it is hidden amongst the trees".
We sat at the bar to begin with and had a nice chat with the local barman who asked if we were Sydneysiders, (we were often asked that for some reason), we told him we were Brits on holiday at which point he said that he thought as much as we were friendlier than Sydneysiders.
We had heard about the Sydney- Queensland petty rivalries and animosity which we put down to TV and media hype but it clearly did exist here.
Our barman went on to list quite a few things he didn't like about Sydneysiders which we couldn't really agree with as we hadn't met anyone like that when we were there so as soon as the opportunity presented itself, we took our drinks and went and sat at a table right on the beach. Much better all round I think.
We sipped excellent Australian sparking Chardonnay whilst enjoying glorious views of isolated beaches all around us and vistas of the islands we had sailed around earlier sparkling in the distance in the post rainfall afternoon light.
We even saw a couple arriving back in their 'tinny', having done a little Island hopping of their own.
It was as perfect a moment as any could be especially as it really did feel as if we had the entire place to ourselves - in mid-summer. Extraordinary!.
If we ever have the good fortune to travel to that area of Australia again, we will definitely stay at this resort even if just for a few days. It's as close as you can get to being allowed to stay on Whitehaven Beach and almost as isolated and secluded - but on this eco beach you can also enjoy an afternoon Prosecco or a nice cup of tea
Beautiful beach at Cape Gloucester Eco Resort
Stunning Island view from Cape Gloucester Eco Resort
Beautiful island view with 'tinny' boat heading for our beach
Beautiful Cape Gloucester resort
Lovely pool at Cape Gloucester Eco Resort
Unsealed road to Cape Gloucester Eco Resort
Wonderful drive through beautiful Queensland countryside
Stunning views of Whitsundays on our mini road trip in Queensland
Cedar Creek Falls
https://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/cedar-creek-falls
We saved our trip to Cedar Creek Falls until late afternoon as I had read that it was at that time that we would be most likely to see platypus there.
We realised that the odds were against us as platypus are elusive, shy creatures and are even hard to spot in captivity so seeing them in the pool of a waterfall would be highly unlikely.
But our friend had seen a sea turtle a few hours earlier and we had all spotted an echidna in Tasmania and a spoonbill in South Australia so no reason to think that we couldn't get lucky again.
The falls are located 30 kilometres from Airlie Beach and 20 kilometres from Proserpine.
Our early evening drive to Cedar Creek Falls from Cape Gloucester was an experience in itself.
Cane fields bordering the road on both sides, cockatoos and other exotic birds in trees all around us, wallabies and kangaroos in the distant fields and picturesque landscape as far as the eye could see.
We saw the most beautiful black bird with a long tail that revealed flashes of bright red feathers when it fanned out. It was so lovely; sadly we can't identify it as we couldn't photograph it as approaching it too closely would have made it fly away.
The falls themselves are a short walk away from the parking area.
The Tourism Whitsundays website describes this location most aptly as:
"A haven of natural beauty and tranquillity".
"Like a well-kept secret, this spot is hidden away behind trees and rocks".
"Surrounded by cedar trees, a rocky wall, a cascading waterfall and a good sized pool below, Cedar Creek Falls is a must-visit whether you are here for a short stay or a long holiday".
"Although this spot is beautiful all year round, it is especially vibrant after a downpour", so we definitely went at the right time after the afternoon rainfall.
"Birds and butterflies are also part of the natural habitat, as are various types of flora and fauna".
We can certainly confirm that especially with so many insects buzzing about everywhere. Don't forget your mosquito repellent or you will get eaten alive.
It's worth it though as it is a perfect rain forest waterfall.
The website suggests that it is "the perfect place for a dip in clear water".
We did not go for a dip ourselves but we noticed a group of a dozen or so teens splashing around in the water and even climbing the rock face and jumping into the pool.
Interestingly we saw this sign clearly pasted onto a board near the car park and even on their website:
Please Note: For your own safety, jumping and diving from the waterfall is strictly prohibited.
But the young men diving into the pool from the top of the waterfall were not at all bothered by it; they were far more focused on the reaction of their young female companions as they climbed the rock face and then jumped into the cool water below.
Their rock climbing skills in bare feet and then double and triple somersaults into the water below, were certainly impressive but we could not help but wonder if this were a serious accident waiting to happen.
We did consider mentioning it to someone but there were no numbers listed anywhere so we decided to leave them to it and hope for the best.
On the plus side it was actually quite refreshing seeing a group of youngsters enjoying themselves outdoors without any phones, computers, game boys or technology of any kind.
We may not have seen any platypus but as teachers, we were certainly happy to see that.
Cedar Creek Falls
Beautiful walk to Cedar Creek Falls, Queensland
Glorious Queensland
Young man climbing and jumping
Lovely sunlit drive to Cedar Creek Falls
Tree we saw the beautiful fan tailed bird in
Driving in Queensland countryside
Drive back to Airlie Beach from Cedar Creek Falls
Saturday 15 February 2020
Birthday Breakfast in Queensland
After a very full day of ferry travel, swimming, walking, driving, bird watching and constant sightseeing, our final evening in Queensland was less of an event than we thought it would be.
We enjoyed another excellent BBQ on our lovely beachfront balcony and then unanimously agreed that an earlier night than originally planned was what we all required after such a perfect if exhausting day of Queensland tourism.
The following morning, refreshed and all set for our final adventure before going our separate ways, we got up early and prepared a birthday breakfast for our dear friend whose birthday it was that day.
The morning light was as beautiful as it had been the previous day and just as we set up our breakfast table on the balcony, a cheeky cockatoo joined us in the hope of a few scraps.
We all acknowledged at that moment, whilst admiring our perfect view of the Whitsunday islands from our breakfast table, just how lucky we were to have made it there even if for a day less than originally planned.
This truly is a beautiful area of Australia. I cannot praise it enough. We were only there for a short time but the memory of it remains one of the best of our entire antipodean voyage.
One thing I should like to add however is that Queensland's tropical climate is so humid that it was totally impossible to dry clothes outside on a washing line rather than in a tumble dryer.
We always preferred to dry clothes in the fresh air when we could on our travels but there in Queensland, over 30 hours after we had put them on an airer on the balcony to dry, our clothes were still as damp as when we had first washed them shortly after our arrival at the apartment on the Thursday evening. We therefore had to tumble dry them urgently that morning to avoid having to pack them wet.
Once they were dry enough, we packed our bags, cleared the apartment, said a final farewell to our lovely balcony with glorious view, packed the car and set off on a leisurely drive to Proserpine airport.
Part of our journey there was on the same highway as we had used the previous day so we were already familiar with the first section of our route and after that signs to the airport were visible every few miles.
It was a pleasant drive back through the sugarcane fields and distant meadows and we saw quite a few rock wallabies, cockatoos and even parrots but with all that, nothing could compare to that extraordinary ferry journey from Hamilton airport to Airlie Beach.
That will forever be the most wonderful airport transfer that any of us had had and are ever likely to have any time in the future.
Birthday breakfast in Queensland
Final glimpse of our glorious balcony view
Cockatoo joins us for breakfast
Back on the Proserpine road to the airport
From cancelled flight to cancelled flat
Our flight from Proserpine to Sydney left on time and there was never any hint of delay or cancellation.
We were justifiably apprehensive after our recent airport experience just a few days before.
The only thing that was noteworthy when we boarded the aircraft at Proserpine, was the steam.
Queensland's humid afternoon air had resulted in so much condensation in the cabin that we couldn't see the doors at the far end of the cabin.
It was as if a thick fog had descended on us all and reduced visibility to zero for a while at least. Quite remarkable really.
Fortunately it cleared up in a few minutes and we took off soon after.
Our mini break in Sydney would be our final few days together before we flew off to New Zealand to meet our daughter and our friend would take the train to Cassino near Brisbane to spend a few days with friends there before returning to the UK.
We had booked a very nice Sydney apartment on the 18th floor of a new build near Darling Harbour as it was our friend's birthday and we definitely wanted to avoid a repetition of our previous Bondi experience.
This apartment seemingly had stunning views over the CBD and Darling harbour plus access to a gym and pool on the 15th floor also with views, and a terrace with BBQ on that same level so it was going to be an excellent few days.
We contacted Danny our landlord as soon as we landed and he said he would send us key retrieval instructions via email which he did.
The apartment was actually in Chinatown so we knew the area well.
We took the bus to Mascot so as to avoid paying the metro surcharges then from there we took the metro to Central station.
We were supposed to pick up the keys from a little restaurant across the road from the apartment block so we had a 15 minute walk from the station with our luggage but as we had been sitting on the plane for close to three hours we were grateful for the exercise.
Once we arrived at the restaurant, I went in to collect the key and left the others outside with the luggage.
I soon realised on going in that no one actually spoke English and as I didn't speak Chinese, a conversation between us would be tricky.
I therefore decided to abort any attempts at that and call Danny who told me to hand the phone to one of the people at the desk so he could speak to them.
This I did. When they handed the phone back to me Danny explained that he would be coming to sort things out as soon as possible so we should wait outside the restaurant until he arrived.
We did not know what he meant by needing to sort things out but we deemed it best to wait at the bar area of the Holiday Inn hotel next door and treat ourselves to a cup of tea and a gin and tonic or three until he arrived.
It was definitely the right decision as he didn't get there for at least half an hour and seemed rather stressed and troubled.
He went straight into the restaurant next door and appeared to have quite a heated discussion with the chap at the desk there before coming out and explaining to us that the keys to our apartment had been given to someone else who claimed they had booked the apartment via an alternative Airbnb listing.
He suggested that we should go to the apartment, knock on the door and ask them to leave or insist on sharing it with them.
He claimed this had happened before and people were happy to share as it was a big apartment.
Of course that suggestion was totally out of the question for us.
We immediately contacted Airbnb who totally agreed that we should not do anything of the sort.
Fortunately for us we were comfortably ensconced at the bar at the Holiday Inn when Airbnb contacted Danny and had a very long chat with him.
He approached us about half an hour later extremely contrite to explain that he would book us into that Holiday Inn for one night then the following day he would try to get us into the apartment.
The only rooms available for that night were suites on the 11th floor at $400 a night each which he paid in advance.
These included a full buffet breakfast the following morning which we were very satisfied with.
We felt a little sorry for Danny as he was clearly a student managing this property for someone else.
He had obviously double booked the flat on separate listings but as the rental costs of the apartment for three nights were under $400, he had spent more on those two hotel rooms for us for one night than he would earn for two listings for three.
When Airbnb called us later they confirmed that they would be moving us into a completely different apartment the following morning at no extra charge as they would using part of our payment for Danny's apartment for the alternative one near central station.
They apologised profusely for our inconvenience and told us not to have any further contact with Danny who was insistent that we should move into his apartment the following evening even if it meant sharing with complete strangers.
They also confirmed that we did not need to reimburse Danny for the hotel stay as they would be forwarding $200 of our payment to him to cover part of the cost.
The rest would be his loss as he made the booking error.
In situations such as these it is vital to adhere to Airbnb instructions as they are the official booking agents for their site and they also provide legal and Health and Safety advice.
We thoroughly enjoyed our very expensive luxury hotel stay with buffet breakfast the next morning after which a taxi collected us and drove us to our new apartment which was not a new build and did not have views of the city but it was large, clean, well stocked and optimally located opposite Central station which couldn't have been more convenient for three busy travellers such as we were then.
Fortunately that particular cloud had quite a substantial silver lining, but if this experience proves anything at all it is that you should always book Airbnb accommodation via their site and never be tempted by landlords and managers to book privately through them at a lower rate than the advertised Airbnb one.
Had we done that we would have lost all our money and we would have ended up having to book and pay for accommodation again at last minute rates which judging by the cost of that hotel would have been pretty extortionate at that time of year.
A salutary tale for all I think
Condensation in our plane at Proserpine airport
Chinatown Sydney, location of our Airbnb accommodation that did not materialise
Views of Darling Harbour that we did not enjoy after all