The driving in Australia is long and tiring. The scenery varies, but returns to the ever present Eucalyptus trees dotted across pale desert scrubland. Only in the coastal regions, and those further north is there generally enough rain for sustained greenery.
Roadkill is a real issue here. We were warned by lots of people we’ve met to be very careful, especially at dawn and dusk. This was the country that invented the bullbar (known locally as the ‘Roo Bar’). And for good reason. The carnage is devastating. We must have seen over 100 dead kangaroos on the roads during our drive so far. The odd wallaby, a turtle, an achidna and one koala too 😢.
While the driving has been long, the destinations have been worth it. We joined about 20 other folk on the good ship Southern Cross on Saturday. Back in the 1970’s, the Southern Cross was an America’s Cup racing yacht. However, for many years now, she’s been undertaking sailing charters around the Whitsundays.
Casting off, the skipper promptly crashed her into the neighbouring boat. There was a strong wind, and it drove our starboard side into the stern of the neighbour’s rigging (check me out, three nautical terms in one sentence). His only comment was “First time I’ve ever crashed her like that”.
The headwind meant that we went by engine to our first port of call, the famous Whitehaven beach. Neither Shona nor I are particular beach bunnies. In fact, I could probably count on one finger the number of times we’ve actually sunbathed at the beach. However, Whitehaven beach is the reason people like beaches. It is a stunning expanse of the purest white sand. And ‘purest’ is not hyperbole. This sand is used to make giant mirrors for space telescopes. It is 99.8% silica, which gives it remarkable properties. Firstly, it’s very very soft. Secondly, it doesn’t stick to you like normal sand, and thirdly, it’s cool under foot. It was 32ºC outside, but the sand stays a constant 25º. The whole area of Whitehaven is a shallow expanse of white sand and azure seas.
It’s too shallow to swim, but a paddle in the shallows and we were rewarded with small lemon sharks swimming around our ankles, hunting for their prey.
Leaving Whitehaven, we then motored on for a bit, before stopping at a reef for a snorkel, which was a little lacklustre – we really are spoiled by diving. The way back was good fun; we raised the sails (I got involved in some hoisting, winching, etc) and cut our way back through the waves in great time. We were both pretty sunkissed after a day on a boat so had a quiet night, before hitting the road the next morning for two loooooong days of driving.
The first day, we drove around 500km to Yeppoon, which was a nice enough little town, although largely closed on Sunday. The next day, We headed off at 7am and – skipping 9 fairly boring hours – arrived at Rainbow Beach, around 600km later. As I said, the driving is tiring. We did however cross the Tropic of Capricorn, so we’re now properly South again.
We couldn’t get into any campsites near the town (spaces are becoming more scarce as we head down the coast), so checked into an out of town site, but close to a dive shop where we were convening in a couple of days. The next morning however, we were picked by a bus with 8 other folk for a tour of Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world (and World Heritage Site #129).
The bus was a specially designed ATV, with all the 4×4 accoutrements required for driving on soft sand. Our driver, Darren, was a veteran driver who had spent his life driving road trains and 4×4 vehicles. He was retired, didn’t need to work, but just did this for fun. He was very chatty, friendly and an excellent tour guide with a vast wealth of knowledge about the island, its history, flora and fauna.
We drove onto a barge which ferried us the 10 minutes across the water to the island. We then turned onto the highway. The highway is a 123km long sand beach, but it is a legal road, with speed limits (and signage), which are enforced by a local police force (of 2 people). We drove around the island, visiting an interior rainforest and a ‘silent creek’ – a river of fresh water running above ground, but given the lack of rocks, making no sound as it whispered along the sandy bottom. We then returned to the beach and drove out to visit the SS Maheno wreck, an ocean liner accidentally scuttled against the island in a cyclone in 1935.
It was then a race against the tide to make it back to the ferry before the beach was swallowed, and before we joined the several other vehicles we’d seen, bogged in the sand, awaiting rescue. A great day out.
The next morning, we headed round the corner to the Wolf Dive shop, the only dive outfit that dives at Wolf Rock. This pinnacle of rock protrudes only a foot or two out of the ocean, but underwater plunges down 40m to the sea floor. It is protected fishing ground and is home to sharks. Lots and lots of sharks.
A small, packed dive boat bounced out to the site the next morning. It was a very relaxed affair, perhaps a little too relaxed. The dive guide leading our group didn’t really care when Shona pointed out that, as she’d been given a smaller tank, she was down to her limit for air, and he merrily pushed past this, leaving her tank at a pretty meagre 20bar when she ascended – this is not safe. We had an angry Shona on our hands. However, safety aside, the two dives were spectacular. We dived with around 30 nurse sharks and several beautiful leopard sharks. They were fairly oblivious to our presence and despite some pretty jaggy looking teeth, an angry Shona didn’t make for an angry shark, and it was another very special dive.
When we got back to shore, we sorted out dive logs and hit the road. We wanted to stay at Noosa Beach for the night, but all campsites were full, so we diverted to a nice little spot beside a lake called Boreen Point for the night. The next day, we took a leisurely drive into Brisbane, to meet our old travel friends, Brian and Rosemary.
We had met Brian and Rosemary in 2015, on our last round-the-world adventure. We spent a very special 10 days with them as part of a group-tour around the Galápagos Islands, celebrating Rosemary’s 70th en route. They have been an inspiration for us ever since, to travel extensively and delight in all experiences. Now semi-retired, this amazing pair continue to get about, having recently returned from a road trip to South Australia.
We arrived and were invited into their lovely home in a leafy district, close to the centre of Brisbane and were introduced to the gorgeous Chardy, their absurdly friendly Bull-Mastiff dog.
We spent the next two days being given a local’s tour of Brisbane, taking a CityCat ride up and down the river (the Scottish-skinned Shona being waved off by the crew with a cheery “enjoy your sunburn” as we disembarked), and taking in views of the city from Mount Coot-tha, and a lovely walk with Chardy out over a tidal sand bank to visit King Island. We ate an exceptional Afghan dinner, and had plenty of good wine and laughter. We even got a shot on their electric bikes just before we left on Saturday morning. A lovely couple of days, replete with chatter, humour, dogs, great food and greater company.
On parting, we headed an hour or so down the coast to the Gold Coast, a city along a 30km expanse of beach. Here we met up with another travel buddy and his fiancé – Aaron, and Katie. We’d met Aaron 5 years ago in Borneo and climbed a mountain with him. We keep in touch over Facebook and it was great to share lunch with him and his soon-to-be wife.
We now find ourselves in the hippy surf town of Byron Bay. It’s pissing with rain as I type this, and we’re cosy in the van. We love that it’s raining – not something you’ll hear Scottish folk say often, but with the bush fires still raging and water restrictions in place up and down the country, a good storm is much needed here.
Travels with Sklaroffs 