A Road Trip through Queensland, Australia - Part One

Our roadtrip through the giant state of Queensland began with a quiet few days in Hervey Bay where we patiently waited for the storms at sea to abate to allow us to dive. It was a little sad leaving our home in the hills in Gympie but our joints and hands certainly thanked us for not planting trees all day and our many blisters could finally heal. An exciting part of this trip was our home for the next few weeks which was to be our Golden Holden car kitted out with all the best luxuries including a sun lounger bed. Our first night settled in the car in Tin Can Bay was surprisingly comfortable and very easy to live in thanks to Josh's amazing planning skills. The next morning we woke up early to the sound of the parakeets which despite being adorable birds, emit a sound like nails on a chalkboard. Luckily it was time to leave the screeching and visit the resident Australian Humpback Dolphins which live in the estuary. The locals have a very special relationship with this pod who have been visiting for over 60 years after the town nursed an injured dolphin back to health. This dolphin has returned with his family ever since and it has enabled locals with their unique insight to undertake extensive research on the species. We got to watch two dolphins rest in the shallows and marvel as they swam off to meet the rest of the pod only to come back to take a look at us again. It was a very magical day and we settled into our beachside campsite, right next to where the dolphins call home, with smiles on our faces. 

Finally dive day was here where we would jump into the shark filled waters of the Fraser Coast. It is well known that Great Whites and Bull Sharks breed around here but luckily the species we were going to see, the Grey Nurse Sharks, have a much friendlier image. We hopped into a tiny metal boat as the guys at Wolf Rock Dive Centre told us we may feel a little queezy in a section of ocean called the fisherman's gate, a thin stretch of turbulent water near the shore. Well they weren't wrong as we bumped through the waves we had to hold on for dear life but we eventually arrived at double island point albeit looking a little green. This is the only researched place in the world that Australian Grey Nurse Sharks congregate when they are pregnant which lasts for a whole year. It is an incredibly important site as they're a dimishing species with only 1500 left in the wild hence why there are strict regulations on who can dive here. It was such an honour to be close to these beautiful creatures and we couldn't wait to get into the water.

We tried not to throw up on the swaying boat as we put on our scuba equipment and jumped straight into the water, descending to 28m in the murky blue looking for our many toothed friends. Suddenly a large grey shape appeared out of the gloom and we held our breath as it made its way towards us. Then before we knew it we were swimming between 25 sharks who were incredibly inquisitive. Being able to swim eye to eye with a 3m long shark whilst seeing a glittering row of sharp teeth was exhilarating, but it was touching how unbelievably gentle they were with us and each other. We moved along to see another type of bottom dwelling shark an adorable Wobbegong as well as more delights as we spotted a Peacock Mantis Shrimp and a playful Eagle Ray. The hour surface interval was tough on us as the swell pushed our little boat around making us all very seasick. Luckily before we knew it we were back in the sea with the beautiful sharks and another majestic creature, Manta Rays. We waited by the edge of a rock and watched as two giant Mantas soared into view, their inquisitiveness getting the better of them as they came to take a closer look. It was a magical moment as we watched the two of them gracefully swoop around us and get close enough to see their giant, curious eyes. Eventually we had to tear ourselves away and head back to the surface but we all had huge smiles on our faces. 

Our itinerary had to change slightly as we waited a few days to dive due to the weather, so a long drive was ahead of us after the day at sea. Instead of the usual campsites we decided to stop over in a BP rest area which delightfully smelt of manure. It was worth it as we woke up extra early to get back on the road and to Mackay's beautiful beaches. We lazed around here for a few hours, had cuddles with the resident dogs and moved along to our upgraded campsite on the beach in Cape Hillsborough which we were sharing with some wallabies. The setting for this campsite was just stunning as we drank beers and watched the sun setting in the tropical mountains with only natural sounds sending us to sleep. We woke up early to get over to the main beach and see our mates the wallabies at dawn. This experience was a little different than we imagined, it was still magical getting to watch the sunrise with these little fellas hopping around on the sand, but tainted by the tourists there who would not respect the animals space. We sat and watched them for a while whilst the sun rose in the background and sighed every time someone spooked them with flash photography. We put this behind us as it was time to head over to the infamous Airlie Beach.

We arrived early in Airlie so we could take a look around this quaint town that was quite literally full of backpackers. There are a lot of bars here staying open every night until the early hours, but also lots of gorgeous beaches which is where we spent our day. This is the town you leave from to head out to the infamous Whitsunday Islands which are part of the Great Barrier Reef and contain one of the best beaches in the world. The next morning we drove over to Thundercat which was our speed boat tour operator for the day. Despite being winter in Australia at the moment the weather is scorching and definitely still hot enough to sunbathe and wear shorts in North Queensland. Unfortunately for us because of the clear skies and whipping winds our speed boat ride was absolutely freezing and everyone was shivering  when we arrived at Whitehaven beach. This soon faded as we got up to the hilltop lookout and our jaws dropped at the landscape. The piercing blue water and swirling white sands before us were mesmerising and it definitely felt like we were in heaven. After plenty of photos we headed down to the beach to wade into the clearest water we'd ever seen and take a look at the Stingrays and Lemon Sharks that live there. The rest of our day was spent snorkeling in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, first with some Giant Trevally jumping above our heads and an even more giant Napoleon Wrasse Fish called George. Then we visited a section of coral which, if we're honest wasn't all that impressive but lounging around on the boat in the sun was exactly what we needed.

That night we headed over to Bowen to a campsite just outside of the town which proved to be a very interesting night. The man running this site is a little eccentric with his open style living, farm animal friends and special plants growing in the corner. His dog had just had a litter of puppies which meant we spent all morning and night cuddling the 8 week old doggos. It was a weird experience which certainly gave us Wolf Creek Vibes, but we survived and got lots of puppy cuddles so it was a win all round. It was worth it to see Bowen which is a little town of paradise with gorgeous beaches and smooth azure blue waters. We sat on Horseshoe Bay which is postcard perfect and for the first time in a while, it felt like we were on a proper holiday. We also had the gorgeous Murray Bay to ourselves with only the sound of the waves lapping at the shore and the occasional bang of Josh throwing rocks into a palm tree trying to nab himself a coconut. This was a relaxing break with so much to see in North Queensland but we have another jam packed week ahead of us which you can read about in the next post.