Day 1 — Good Friday
(This wasn’t a very exciting day, so if you’re reading for travel advice or recommendations, skip to days 2 & 3)
For those that know me, you know that if I’m in a car for more than about 20 minutes, I’ll likely be asleep by minute 21. Although I tried, I couldn’t stay awake for the drive. However, I did spend some time in consciousness so I will tell you about those moments.
We started our adventure early in the morning on Good Friday, picking up our rental car from the airport and getting on our way. Karoline and Kristine did all the driving while Cathrine and I were in charge of eating all the snacks.
It was a bit of a rainy start to the day, but the birds didn’t seem to care. I remember watching them out the window as I fell in and out of sleep. The bright white cockatoos would flock to trees and cover the branches like a tropical snowstorm.
It wasn’t long before we stopped for a break at a rest stop. There were two elderly men volunteering at a stand giving out free snacks and coffee to travelers. Of course, I don’t like coffee, so one of the men eagerly ran over the fridge and pulled out a homemade popsicle. It was essentially a cup of water mixed with lime cordial and then frozen. It was quite refreshing and hit the spot!
We stayed and chatted with the men for an hour about their travels and grandkids, what brought them to the area, that sort of thing. It was nice to get some travel advice from them! Eventually, we decided it was time to hit the road, which meant back to bed for me.
Our next stop was the Hinchinbrook Lookout, just a short stop along the highway. The viewpoint looked out at Hinchinbrook Island from the mainland. We only stopped for about 10 minutes to stretch our legs and take in the view. The sun was out and it was a lot hotter than when we had left that morning.
The rest of the drive was rather dull, so I’ll skip ahead to when we arrived in Airlie Beach. The drive took us upwards of 9 hours, but we arrived at the beach community around sunset. We found our hostel with only moderate difficulty finding parking.
The first dinner there was absolutely horrible. We decided to make food at our hostel instead of spending money eating out, but the kitchen was an absolute nightmare. Nothing was washed, and if it was washed you couldn’t tell because the supplies were just scattered across the countertops and shelves.
We managed to make some macaroni and cheese, which I was surprised to find out is considered a very American thing. None of my friends had had it before, so I was in charge of cooking it (easy task). We made some soup in the broken microwaves and ate as far away from the kitchen as we could. It was the first and last time we cooked a meal in there.
After dinner, we decided to take a walk around. Most of the shops had already closed. That’s another thing, in Australia shops close by 6:00 p.m. if you’re lucky. Some are even closed later than that. The shopping mall in Smithfield near campus closes at 5 or 6 depending on the day, and only the grocery stores stay open. It seemed like a similar case here.
We walked down the main street looking in dark store windows picking out where we’d go tomorrow. The only place that was open was ColdRock, an ice cream shops. Of course, we indulged before heading back to our room for the night. We slept terribly.
Day 2 — Airlie Beach
I think we all woke up in a bit of a terrible mood. The girl who was sleeping in the bunk under me had spent an hour on her phone before bed laughing at something and shaking the whole bed. I was not pleased.
Our original plan had been to book a ferry ride to Whitehaven Beach, but they were all booked up, so we planned to go to Hamilton Island instead. When we got to the Whitsunday cruise center, they recommended we do both on the same day since it’s cheaper and gives us a full day experience.
So we booked the day cruise for Sunday and tried to find something else to do with our day. The town was much more beautiful during the day. Houses were built into the hillside reminding me of Italy (even though I’ve never been there). The water was truly a shocking blue, completely different than the color in Cairns.
Unfortunately, due to a cyclone a few years ago most of the beaches are still being repaired. We found one close to the marina and spent our day relaxing on the sand. I spent my time collecting tiny seashells, reading The Princess Bride and taking the occasional dip in the water.
I just want to take a moment to explain how excited I was when the water first rushed over my feet. It was cold. Like Lake Michigan cold (but maybe not quite). I just wanted to stay in it forever, pack it up and take it with me back to Cairns. The water up north is far too warm and dirty for my preference, but it is still beautiful.
After our time on the beach, we headed back to get dressed for a casual dinner out in town. We decided to look around at some shops before they closed, and we passed by an Aboriginal art store called Whitsundays Opals and Digeridoos. I was immediately sucked in because I became obsessed with the style of art before I came to Australia.
One of the paintings particularly drew my eye. The earthy colors and high level of detail made it stand out compared to some of the other brighter colored simple paintings. I looked around and found a smaller similar styled painting, which happened to be painted by the apprentice of the other painter whose painting had originally caught my eye.
Sophia, the woman who was working, came up to me and told me about the story behind the piece. It was an epic story of creation and self-discovery. Truthfully, I felt connected to it instantly. So I bought it. The artist is apparently taking a long break from painting at the moment. After the death of his master (whose paintings I admired), he decided to go on walkabout.
I feel honored to be the owner of one of his artworks. It is quite beautiful and meaningful. I plan to go into a deeper description of the painting and its symbols in a later post, so stay tuned.
Sophia was incredibly helpful during the process. She gave me a discount for being a student and I received free shipping to the United States (that’s kind of a big deal). She even offered to write the painting’s story out in calligraphy on the back of the canvas for me. I cannot wait to see it when I get back to Wisconsin.
After I bought my painting, we headed next door to a Vietnamese restaurant called d’Viet House. I ordered the grilled lemongrass chicken with vegetables, and seriously, this meal was so fresh and light. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. It was clearly a community favorite too because every seat inside and out was full. Definitely worth a try if you’re in the area.
Day 3 — Whitsunday Islands
This was the big day. We woke up at 6:00 a.m. to make it to the boat for boarding at 7:15. The weather forecast said 80% chance of rain all day long, so we were crossing our fingers for a miracle.
The boat ride set the tone for the whole day. It was like a rollercoaster ride on water! If you have a light stomach or are prone to seasickness, I’d recommend riding in the back and keeping a doggy bag in your lap. We rode in the front, so we got the brunt of the waves.
We were hitting 2-3 meter waves, and we could feel our ferry going airborne. This is not a small ship mind you. There were hundreds of people on board with at least two levels of seating. The crash of the wave on the side of the boat was so satisfying. I couldn’t take my eyes off the window as I predicted when our next flight would be.
I was as giddy as a child as I could feel myself go weightless for a split second before my stomach would drop. This went on for nearly an hour before we made it to Whitehaven Beach. As we rounded the corner of the island, my jaw quite literally dropped.
I knew the beach would be beautiful, but the critic in me believed the photos I’d seen must have been enhanced at least a little. But seeing those blue waters against the white sand left me speechless. It truly looked just like the photos. Not a building in site, just the beach and the water.
We exited the ferry and made our way up the beach towards the viewpoint hike. We only had about two hours to spend on the beach, so we wasted no time dawdling around. The hike was more of a walk up to the lookout. We passed by a beautiful black and yellow speckled monitor, essentially a large lizard, on our way up.
The view from the top was absolutely breath-taking. It was quite possibly one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen. The variety of blues and greens with faint purples made the sight look painted for perfection. This photo doesn’t do it justice. The most beautiful beach in Australia was at the opposite end of this trail and I could have stayed there all day looking at that view.
But eventually, we found our way back down to enjoy the time we had left on the beach. The clouds were starting to roll in, but we still hadn’t experienced any of the predicted rain. The sand was unimaginably soft. Think of that Moonsand that was incredibly popular a decade ago, or maybe of baking flour. It was so calming just to hold it in your hand and run your thumb over it.
We took a swim, and here too the water was delightfully cold, though it was still painfully salty. I love the ocean, it’s magical to think about how vast it is, and when you look at the horizon knowing it could be thousands of miles before your gaze fell on an opposite shore.
However, I think I will always be a freshwater kind of girl. Born and raised around the Great Lakes, the freezing waters of Lake Michigan have shaped me. Warm water isn’t enticing to me, nor is the burn of saltwater when it gets in your eyes, or the way your mouth tastes like a bag of chips if you happen to swallow some. Yes, I can definitely say, while the ocean is nice for a visit, the Great Lakes are home.
In my two months of being in Australia, I have never been to a beach without a stinger net. We have nearly reached the end of stinger season, but don’t let that fool you. We took a swim, happy to be free of restraints, but the joy was shortlived. Now, it wasn’t anything Hollywood level dramatic, but I was definitely stung by a jellyfish — or several.
Kristine and Karoline fled once they started to feel the stingers around their ankles, but Cathrine and I were determined to enjoy our beach time. Enjoy might be a bit of a strong word here. I distinctly remember complaining a lot about the little needle jabs my legs kept receiving. It was never an agonizing pain, but uncomfortable, definitely.
Eventually, I caved and retreated to the safety of the beach. There I found Kristine had made a new friend. The seagulls made themselves feel at home at our little setup. Kristine was enjoying her chips, while the seagulls flocked over for their share. Every now and then she’d toss a few over to humor them.
The word must have spread because eventually, they were fighting each other off for a close seat to the action. I’ll try to share the video with you guys once I figure out how to upload videos on here.
A little too soon, it was time to move on to the second half of our day. We boarded the ferry and took off again towards Hamilton Island. This island was civilized, there were shops, restaurants and resorts. We were given a voucher for lunch at the Marina Tavern. The menu looked delicious, and apparently, the birds thought so too.
Cockatoos and pied currawong flocked to the restaurant even making their way inside the tavern itself. These birds aren’t shy and will definitely join you for lunch, or simply take your lunch. The cockatoos especially think they’re sly, and they might be if they weren’t already the center of attention. They like to sneak up behind you and steal your food right off your plate. They waste no time begging.
The currawong on the other hand mostly watched and longed for the food. They acted more like the annoying acquaintance who you ran into while out to dinner who doesn’t seem to catch the hint that they weren’t invited to sit down.
But enough about birds, I feel like I’m always talking about birds. The real star of the show was my meal. I’ve been in Australia for over two months now and not once have I tasted something that good whether it was homemade or at a restaurant. I was blown away.
Ahh, yes you’re curious about what I ordered. Well, I’ll tell you. I had the chicken parmi: crumbed chicken breast, napolitana sauce, ham and cheese. I was dying over this meal. It’s $22, but you get it for no extra charge if you do the full day cruise, and it’s seriously huge. I ate the whole thing, but probably could have stopped halfway. I couldn’t help myself. Highly highly highly recommend.
After lunch, we wandered over to the far side of the island where we tried to find a spot on Catseye beach. Maybe I was just getting tired and grumpy at this point, but it seemed like a ridiculously large section of the beach was only available to specified club members. We were actually asked to move from a completely vacant section of the beach because it was reserved for exclusive guests *cue eye roll.*
Life goes on though, we found a nice spot just to the right of the said reserved area and dropped all our stuff. I wasn’t feeling too keen on a nap so I walked along the beach front and looked at some of the shells. This beach had meters of pure shells right along the edge of the water. It was like the ocean was cleaning out its garage.
As I was shell searching, I found something a little more unexpected. A palm-sized lump of bleached, dead coral. For a half second, I was excited with my find, but once I picked it up, I realized the tragedy of it.
Many people are unaware that coral is an animal, not a plant. The coral of the Great Barrier Reef is often taken for granted. When people go diving, they often carve their names into the coral similar to how you would a tree or break off chunks entirely as souvenirs.
First of all, neither is acceptable. This could seriously injure or kill the coral all for what? A cheesy photo or ‘romantic gesture’? Over half the Great Barrier Reef is dead, and the rest faces death by bleaching. Holding this coral skeleton really broke my heart.
As I was walking along the beach, the first rain of the day started coming in. We packed up and rushed back to the harbor side of the island. The rain never made it that far. We walked along to harbor edge stopping for ice cream and browsing through shops.
At 5:15 p.m. we boarded the ferry and headed back to Shute Harbor to end our journey. On the way back, we sat on the top deck and watched the golden sun set on the watery horizon.
To celebrate Easter, we dressed up and went to dinner at The Pub, part of Airlie Beach Hotel. This was a rather nice looking place with a casual feel. We had to put our name on a waiting list, but once we were seated we placed our orders at the bar and self-served.
The food was nothing like the chicken parmi, but it was still good. I had given up beef for lent, so I treated myself to a steak sandwich. It tasted well enough, but the meat was a little tough. The roof of my mouth was torn to shreds by the bread, but it was too hard to cut with just a butter knife.
The aioli on the sandwich was absolutely to die for though. I was stuffed by the end, but I couldn’t help dipping my fries in the leftovers that had fallen onto my plate. I’d give my meal a solid 6/10, probably wouldn’t order again. However, Cathrine, Karoline and Kristine all ordered the rump steak, and they were quite happy with their decision.
After dinner, we went to ColdRock for the third night in a row. As an Easter special, they were serving ice cream in a Cadbury egg bowl. Of course, I got it and made an absolute mess on the table outside. It was a bit too much chocolate than I could handle, and trust me that’s saying something.
The owners of the store were incredibly friendly and always in a good mood. I’d given them a 12/10 for the personality and store quality overall. Definitely worth a stop there if you find yourself wandering around when everything else is closed.
Day 4 — Easter Monday
Once again, I can’t say much exciting happened on the way home. We did stop by a Woolworth’s to pick up some discounted Easter candy, but other than that I pretty much slept.
We did make an exciting stop at Josephine Falls in Wooroonooran National Park. The waterfall leads into a natural rock slide the tourists and locals find delightful. It’s a great place for a swim, but if you happen to see a tour bus there, you’re better off just waiting it out. It gets a little crowded.
We didn’t get to swim since we had to get the car back to the renters, but we definitely plan to go back and spend an afternoon there taking our turn on the rock slide. Definitely worth a stop if you have the time.
But that pretty much concludes my Easter weekend in the Whitsundays. It’s a beautiful location if you get the chance to visit.
kpctravels.com 