The wonderful Whitsundays

Whitehaven beach - deserted

Welcome to Whitehaven!

Captain Cook sailed through and named the Whitsunday passage in May, 1770. Two hundred and fifty years later and, if you approach from the south the way we did, everything looks almost exactly as it would have then! There is no doubting the beauty of this region, with hilly, lush green islands rising all around, crystal clear water and all manner of sea life. We started our Whitsundays wandering at Shaw Island, a lovely anchorage opposite the abandoned Lindeman Island resort. We walked the beaches and explored the mangrove lined water courses, but could find no way through the thick bush, instead enjoying a swim in the warm tropical sea. After a calm night on anchor we continued, cruising past Lindeman and through the Solway Passage to Whitehaven beach, on Whitsunday Island. Usually bustling with boatloads of tourists from Hamilton Island or Airlie Beach, the place was practically deserted, and we enjoyed a walk along the clean white sand, taking the track to Chance Bay and exploring the lookout, the only place with phone reception. A swim on the beach was reward for our efforts, and dinner outside reminded us of how lovely this place is, day or night. 

Tongue point lookout

A rolling swell developed overnight and continued on Saturday, and, with stronger winds forecast, we raised the anchor and cruised north 5 nautical miles into Tongue Bay. Last time we had moored here the wind and swell from the north had disturbed our evening, this time with south easterly winds it seems the perfect anchorage, although frequent passing showers prevented us going ashore and exploring further. Overnight the swell increased and, as the tide turned, the mooring “knocked” on the side of the boat, ending sleep until the Captain rectified matters! Next morning we took the dingy to the beach and followed the well formed path to climb up to the lookout. The views across to Whitehaven and beyond were spectacular! We returned to Manookatoo for breakfast before throwing off the mooring and continuing along the top of Whitehaven Island and following the Hook Passage towards the inner islands. We entered Nara Inlet, a very popular quiet anchorage in Hook Island, where - contrary to “normal” conditions, it was empty! We cruised all the way to the top of the fjord-like inlet, dropping anchor not far from the end. It is so calm and beautiful here, which is why it is normally such a popular spot for charter cruises. We whiled away the rest of the day, catching up on lost sleep and enjoying the peace.

Nara Inlet

Ngaro cave paintings

On Monday we woke to absolute stillness. After breakfast we set of in the dingy to explore the Ngaro trail, up to a plateau where rock art adorns the walls of a nearby cave and panels and a series of recorded messages explain the history of the area. It is fascinating but quite sad, considering the people who had lived here for thousands of years were displaced by governments in two years at the end of the nineteenth century. One speaker explained the importance to all of us of the three Rs: Recognition, Respect and Reconciliation. A sobering message. Later we cruised in the dingy to the entrance of the inlet, picking up reception and checking our communications, downloading the news and weather while we were there.

Airlie beach

Tuesday dawned still and sunny in our perfect anchorage. However after almost two weeks away from “civilisation” it was time to head towards port. After enjoying our exercises in the calm conditions we raised the anchor and headed out of the inlet and across the Whitsunday passage, making for Airlie Beach, anchoring in the aptly named Muddy Bay. After lunch we took the dingy around to the harbour at Whitsundays Yacht Club. Entering right on low tide was a big mistake as the harbour almost empties of water and the only way to reach the landing was by pushing the dingy through thick mud, sinking up to our knees several times as we slogged in. It was a relief to get ashore, wash our feet and head into town! Airlie is very much a tourist town and at the moment, with no tourists, it is almost dead. Many of the shops and businesses in the Main Street are closed, with signs saying they hope to reopen soon. It was a stark reminder of how devastating this crisis is. We wandered around the streets and across to the (currently closed) ferry terminal, buying a few items for dinner before returning to the now floating dingy and off to Manookatoo. 

Low tide - push the dingy in

High tide - what a difference

The wind lifted overnight as predicted, so on Wednesday we made our way around to the Port of Airlie marina, where we had booked in for two nights. After thirteen nights on anchor it was time to restock the cupboard and refill the water tanks! Luckily the marina has a courtesy car so we made good use of it to visit Bunnings and Big W as well as the butcher, fish monger and supermarket. There is some shopping within walking distance of the marina, but the majority of businesses are further afield, over the hills at Cannonvale. 
Alas, as the wind continued well above the forecast for the next week, we stayed at the marina and got to know the Airlie beach precinct fairly well, walking across to Abel Point marina or enjoying coffee, lunch or a refreshing afternoon drink, getting haircuts and taking advantage of the loosening of Covid 19 restrictions. We are hoping that it will start to abate tomorrow and allow us to enjoy cruising around the wonderful Whitsundays once again.