Muddle Through Memoirs

An unforgettable Easter weekend in the Whitsundays

Having survived a 12.5hr overnight bus that I’d frankly rather forget, I at last arrived in Airlie beach, perhaps the destination I have been most looking forward to. As the gateway to the Whitsunday islands and Great Barrier Reef, Airlie was the starting point for the 3D2N sailing trip I had booked. Most backpackers you ask will tell you they went for the Atlantic Clipper, a famous party boat experience that is also known by a slightly more salacious nickname, however, as this sounded like the last way I’d choose to spend my weekend I opted instead for the Solway boat (the one most closely resembling a pirate ship). The Solway Lass is 120 years old, 10 years older than the Titanic, and has previously sunk three times. Naturally, therefore, it made the perfect choice. It also came equipped with a net in the bow, a spacious sun deck, and a rope swing, all of which saw a good amount of use.

On arrival at the marina we were greeted by our intrepid Captain Karl and his crew of chaotic boat gremlins, and promptly set sail. The boat’s bunks, though cramped, far exceeded expectations, with comfortable mattress pads, air conditioning at night and even a few showers (though we were strictly limited to 1 minute per person per day!) After a slightly stormy sail and a spot of lunch we anchored for snorkelling. As it’s currently stinger season in Queensland we were required to wear stinger suits (effectively wetsuits) which required no small amount of undignified wriggling and yanking to get into but were well worth it to avoid our trip being derailed by jelly fish. Though the rocky seas made it slightly more difficult than we would have liked, it didn’t prevent us taking in the beautiful and varied coral and many fish that call the area home. After snorkelling we hopped back on the boat for several rounds of boat jumping until the rough conditions meant we needed to head for our base for the night.

Unfortunately, these same rough conditions meant that a journey that ought to have taken an hour ended up taking us 3.5hrs as we crawled along at 0.5 knots, fighting the current and wind. The boat was rocking so much that the benches we were sat on were sliding from side to side like one of the swinging boat rides you get at the fair. This also meant that every now and then the waves would come crashing over the sides and everyone on the left hand side of the boat would be drenched (fortunately for me I managed to get a seat on the right side). Though the endless rocking led to a few bouts of seasickness in some of my fellow travellers, I actually quite enjoyed the experience. Perhaps this was because I was put in charge of keeping everyone’s spirits up with the speaker and (though I cringe to type it) was subsequently rechristened DJ JP for the rest of the trip. It was all made worth it when we finally made it to our anchor point for the night and were rewarded for our fortitude with Thai green curry and brownies.

The next morning we awoke to discover we were the only boat to have made it through the storm and therefore the only ones anchored in the bay of Whitehaven beach. So, after a quick breakfast, my friends and I threw on our swim suits and hopped into the first dinghy, making us the first 7 people on the island that day. I don’t think I can adequately describe the feeling of stepping out from the hike through the forest to the lookout points and getting your first view of the Hill Inlet, the second most photographed spot in Australia. Because the ever changing tides cause corresponding changes to the swirling patterns in the sand, no two views of the spot are the same; and we had this view all to ourselves. After basking in the beauty of the view we headed back down the trail to the deserted beach and were the first to cross the cool silicone-heavy white sand and dip our toes in the crystal clear waters of Whitehaven beach. As we paddled here in the shallows sting rays and lemon sharks swam around our feet, totally unbothered by our presence and palpable amazement for one of the most stunning locations I’ve ever seen. As tourists began to pour into the bay we settled on the shore, allowing the sea to lap against us whilst soaking up a bit of sun. Before leaving the island we headed back up the hiking path to see the lookouts once more, now bustling with tourists, and though the view was still beautiful it made us twice as grateful to the best Captain on the seven seas for getting us there first and allowing us that unique private experience. To top it all off, on our way back to the main boat I spotted a turtle in the waves just as it was coming up for air, so that was another really special encounter with the local marine life.

After lunch we sailed off to another much quieter beach that our group got all to ourselves to have a beach party with volleyball, paddleboards, watermelon and an eski full of drink. I surprised myself by actually managing the paddleboarding fairly well, after the humbling display of imbalance when I tried wakeboarding. I even managed to stay on the board when one of the crew came with the dinghy to make waves and try to knock us in.
After our idyllic afternoon on the beach we climbed up on the sundeck for a spot more sunbathing and went sailing through the sunset towards our next anchor spot.

After dinner (the tastiest tacos known to man) we cracked open the eski again and out came the goon. For those who have never experienced it, goon is very cheap boxed wine sold in Aussie bottle shops. I’m not a wine fan by any means but this probably worked in my favour as, with low expectations and little points of comparison, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not as heinous as expected. The evening naturally devolved into a boat party with drinking games, dancing and general mania, though I did manage to climb out into the net with the crew for a few minutes of more peaceful stargazing away from the madness.

There were a fair few sore heads and green visages but, having fallen out of my bunk at 5.30am, I decided to make the most of our last morning on board and headed up to the bow to watch the sunrise and listen to the sound of the waves. Additionally, being Easter Sunday, after an early breakfast those of us girls who had made it up were given the task of the Easter Bunny and hid both boiled and chocolate eggs around the boat for the others to find. I have a feeling there’ll be more than a few melted puddles of chocolate found among the ropes in the next few days.

We then headed for our final spot of the trip, Molle Island for a morning hike through the rainforest and a frankly hideously high hill to the viewpoint at the top. Given that most people were feeling fairly awful by this point we didn’t linger long but rather headed back to the boat and cracked out the rope swing. Whilst some, particularly the well-practiced crew, managed flips and all sorts of acrobatics my efforts were more graceless splash through a mixture of poor grip strength and mild terror at the height of the jumping point. In contrary to this, the most daredevil member of the crew put us all to shame by climbing the rigging and jumping from one of the sail beams with a dive that would put Tom Daley to shame.

After our last supper it was then sadly time for our final sail back towards Airlie beach for a much needed shower and nap before we reunited for the after party dinner and drinks. I don’t think I can adequately convey how much I loved this trip but I can only say it will go down as the best weekend of my life so far and an experience I will never forget.

After a much needed sleep, I was up at a much more forgiving time of 9am the next day for my last activity in Airlie, a scenic flight. This flight in a frankly adorable little plane took me back via Conway National Park, over the Whitsundays and across a part of the Great Barrier Reef including Shark Bay and the famous Heart Reef. 3000 individual reefs make up the Great Barrier Reef, making it the largest reef system on the planet. It is also home to 6 out of 7 of the species of sea turtle along with thousands of species of fish and many more, and is thus an invaluable ecosystem and in serious need of protection. From the height of 2000 ft this different perspective of the area I’d sailed through was a perfect way to round up my time here and was truly awesome to see.