Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays

Airlie Beach is a backpackers mecca, owing chiefly to its vicinity to the glorious Whitsunday Islands. We spend a day orientating ourselves before booking ourselves on one of the sailing trips around the islands. 3days and 2nights are to be spent “live aboard” on the Derwent Hunter, a great big traditional sailing ship whose timber decks attracted my eye in the glossy brochure. As we lounged by the artificial sea (the real one has stingers so they have made an artificial one right next to it which is safe to swim in) back in airlie beach we look up and just happen to see Andy walking by. We catch up on his travels over a couple of beers as he is about to set off up North again. Early next morning we arrive at the harbour and aren’t disappointed. Possibly the biggest ship there and looking a lot like one of the pirate ships you see in the movies we’re ushered on board by an old sea dog who looks every bit the part, even sporting an eye patch. We’re introduced to Bianca, who will be in charge on the trip and she in turn introduces the rest of the crew, before we motor out of the harbour. Unfortunately what little wind there is, is going in the wrong direction for us to raise sail and this proves to be the case for the entire trip, but other than that the ship and the crew exceed our expectations and make the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable. Bianca shows us to our cabins and demonstrates how to use the shower and toilet (system of turning valves and hand pumping keeps everything going to where it should do…), then we are introduced to the snorkel gear and lastly the stinger suits.

Stinger is the nickname of the deadly box jellyfish that are prevalent in the waters around the North Queensland coast at this time of year. To prevent getting stung, whenever you enter the water, even for a swim, you’re advised to wear a stinger suit. The particular ones we’re given on the boat are made from lycra, similar to the fabric used to make the rash vests that surfers wear, only these ones are full suits that zip up the front and in two colours so it looks like we’re all in fancy dress at a star trek convention.

We arrive at the first island in the group and head off over the top to a lookout point from where we can see right across the group of islands and the clear white beaches and turquoise waters below. Then we tramp down across to the beach and round to a private cove that Bianca knows from previous trips and don our suits for the first time. Much hilarity, posing and taking of photographs later and we finally get round to getting in for a swim which after the heat of the beach is a very welcome relief. The scene on the beach later as the suits hang in the trees drying off is quite bizarre almost as though we have all shed our skins.

Back on the boat we’re treated to some good food and we get to know everyone on the boat. One of the guys admits he is a “bit of a snorer” and says he will sleep up on deck to keep out of people’s way, he has even brought ten sets of ear plugs with him for people. The next morning even these efforts don’t seem enough as one of the girls threatens to kill him if he makes as much noise for a second night running. I’ve not been disturbed at all so I think it a little harsh, but when on the second night he positions himself up above the hatch to our cabin and the deafening noise is funnelled down to us all night I can quite see where she is coming from. We spend the second day snorkelling on the reef around two of the islands. After a bit of fiddling with the mask and getting used to breathing and wearing the fins I’m happily bobbing around taking it all in. The array of fish is stunning, with parrot fish nibbling away on the coral everywhere you look, shoals of stripey fish pestering you as soon as you get in the water, angel fish, huge groupers and even a ray swimming by. It was difficult to get me out of the water. Late afternoon I decide its “beer o’clock” and Bianca fetches us back to the big boat in the little motor boat collecting a few others back too. One of the guys suddenly complains that he is getting an asthma attack and we speed back to the boat to get his inhaler. He’s wheezing quite badly by then so rests down below for a while to recover. Later in the evening when he reappears I ask how he is feeling and he confesses that the attack had been brought on by stress as he had really wanted the loo and wasn’t sure we’d get back to the boat in time… a little too much information methinks…

The final day was spent lounging on board the boat (the deck got so hot in the sun that you couldn’t stand on it so I took to shuffling along on my towel to get about although there was a big covered area if you wished to stay in the shade) and hiking up one of the islands to see another great viewpoint over the islands. The heat made us all fantasize about much better ways of getting back to the boat than walking, such as a big waterslide or flying fox zipslide. A bit more lounging on deck once back onboard saw us back to harbour with yet more interesting local info from Bianca who really was a font of knowledge on all the area.