Noosa – Airlie Beach

13 January – 19 January

Thursday:

Funnily enough, the flooding didn’t reach ‘biblical proportions’ as was promised and the reporters seem genuinely disappointed that the tragedy (as heart-breaking as it is) isn’t worse.  We’re in a new phase of indecision.  We heard today that the roads round Rockhampton are opening up, which will clear the way north.  We also hear that the Pacific Highway southbound is closed due to flooding.  We have no idea what we’re meant to be doing or where we’re meant to be going, but we’re both in desperate need of a break from relentless catastrophe reporting, so we head back to Australia Zoo.

This time there’s no problem with the roads at all.  We arrive round 11am and have a great day – the highlight of course being the 5000 seater Crocoseum, with a wonderful performance by Murray, the saltwater croc.

The Irwin Family (sans Steve) are presenting, but the fake banter is beyond painful to sit through.  During the day I get to stroke a koala and an echidna, and feed kangaroos, wallabies and elephant. 

Afterwards we head to Noosa again and book onto a campsite.  While the rain is holding off we may as well have a day on the beach…

Friday:

We wake up to on/off showers, but as it’s 28 degrees decide to head to the beach anyway for a swim and a picnic lunch.

In the afternoon we head to Noosa Heads National Park for a bit of exercise.  We tackle a 7km walk that is half through gorgeous sun-dappled forest and half along rugged coast (with some seemingly suicidal surfers for entertainement). 

Back at the carpark we spot a koala dozing high up in the trees.  I’ve seen plenty in the zoos now, but it’s still special to see them in ‘the wild’.

We head back to camp for a lazy evening.  The plan for tomorrow is to start heading south, and we’ve planned a rough new itinerary.  The first stop my beloved Lennox Head for the extra time I so wanted.

Saturday:

Packed up and ready to go, we hit the road fully prepared and psyched for our southbound journey.  Until we hit the highway and Nick says ‘north or south?’ and we somehow find ourselves going north. 

It’ll take us a day to get up to Rockhampton, and another day to see if we can get through.  If we can, we’re back to our original plan (expect that our flights are now out of Sydney, hmmm).  If not, we’ve still got time to head back south and all it’s cost us is a couple of day’s driving.

We take a bit of an inland route to be on the safe side and it’s a pretty uneventful day.  The countryside is rolling, fertile green valleys lined with eucalyptus.  Driving conditions are fine, bar the odd rough patch or puddle of water.  Every now and then we pass an area that’s caked in mud – evidence of recently retreated flood-waters.

At about 5pm we get to Biloela, where we’re stopping for the night.  We find a campsite (and get given an ensuite one – ensuite campsites?!) but are too late to make the supermarket.  With the state of the roads food deliveries have been a bit touch and go, so you’ve just got to make do with what ever is available.  We find a shop that is open though and suitable supplies to cobble together a dinner. 

But first a swim, then a chance to admire the local lorikeets and the beautiful sunset.

Sunday:

We’ve planned ourselves a little bit of a crazy backroads route north today avoiding Rockhampton, which seems the best we can do based on the Queensland Roads website.  On the way out of town we stop for some petrol and I ask there if they have any updates on the situation.  I’m told that today, for the first time in weeks, the roads through Rockhampton have been opened to cars (some commercial vehicles have been allowed through for the past 48 hrs).  She advises that if we travel via Mount Morgan we’ll get through fine.

With our detour out the window we head for Rockhampton.  It’s soon easy to see why the roads have been closed for so long.  We drive a long stretch of road where the entire road surface has been lifted off and dumped back down a couple of feet to the side of the road, fairly intact and with the white lines still visible. Getting the roads passable again has meant completely resurfacing them.  Still, now that they are open it is fairly easy going.

It’s about lunchtime when we pass through Rockhampton.  There has been no rain here for over a week, but there is still water everywhere.   The scale of the flooding is immense. 

And then we’re through.  Our trip is back on track and we’re pretty much still on schedule too.  The only thing now is to try to un-cancel everything we’d cancelled, and to see if we can get our flights shifted back to Cairns.

We stop for the night in Mackay.  The first campsite we try doesn’t take tents as the grounds are subject to flooding.  A little worrying.  The second campsite is quite happy to have us and give us a big, grassy site with resident froggy.  Unfortunately the toilets are a meeting place for dreaded cane toads and you’ve got to dodge through about 30 of them to go for a wee, but they are kinda cute and it’s not their fault they’re an invasive alien species.

Janet adds: I’m getting that tropical feeling in my blood: warm nights, huge skies, palm trees…oh, and lotsa bugs.  But I love it.

Monday:

First thing to do is get on the phone and see if we can reinstate our sailing trip round the Whitsunday Islands which leaves tomorrow morning.  We’re in luck!  Then to rebook the campsite in Airlie Beach – also no problem.  Lastly, Air New Zealand.  This is the worrier.  But for some reason they’re feeling nice and switch our flights back to the originals for only a small service fee.  All done!

With the stress over, it’s a short drive into Airlie Beach.  Our campsite is gorgeous – the best yet.  Long, grassy sites lined with palm trees, a big camp kitchen, huge showers each with their own little mirror (! the luxury) PLUS pool with waterslides and a jumping pillow.  Now, if only we could get rid of the kids….

Once we’re settled in we take a drive into town to check in for our boat trip.  We’ve not strayed too far from the coast since Sydney, but my first sight of the coral sea is still amazing.  I’m immediately reminded of Broome.  The sea is brilliant turquoise and calm, the vegetation lush and overgrown, the atmosphere hot, sticky and languid.  There are a lot more dirty backpackers than in Broome though.

All checked in, we have the afternoon and evening to our leisure.

Tuesday:

We wake up to rain, which doesn’t bode well for sailing, but by the time we’re up and about it’s cleared.  It’s an early start for us today down at the Marina.  We’re booked on a 39 year old sailing boat called (appropriately enough) Waltzing Matilda. 

There are 14 of us, plus 2 crew.  There isn’t enough wind to get the sails up, but we have a slow chug out.  It is, quite simply, gorgeous. 

After a couple of hours we moor up near an island for a bit of a snorkel.  As it’s stinger season we’ve got to get kitted up in our stinger suits.  It’s not attractive, but for your amusement:

The snorkelling isn’t amazing, but we’re having fun.  Then we spot a turtle.  We swim along with it for a while, not quite believing our luck, when we come across an even bigger turtle, so we follow that one for a bit too.  It doesn’t seem bothered at all.  Jubilant, we get back on board for some lunch. 

In the afternoon we sail to another island where we’re put to shore for some more snorkelling and to admire the views.  After sundowners on the beach we’re loaded back on and head to our overnight mooring spot.  It’s a calm bay and turtle breeding area, so there are turtles sticking their heads up all around us.  We have a bbq , then turn in for an early night..

I’d like to say we had a great night’s sleep, lulled by the rocking waves, but the rocking got a bit rocky, and the gentle rain that started soon turned into a bit of a downpour that outsmarted our window seals to drip onto the bed.  It’s all part of the experience though and we did get some sleep.

Wednesday:

We’re woken up bright and early for some breakfast.  It’s still raining, but it’s a soft rain and the islands look just as beautiful draped in cloud as they do in blazing sunlight. 

We’re taken to shore where we walk through forest for a view of Whitehaven beach.  I’m expecting some tourist tackiness, but it is just stunning.  The white sand is 98% silica and from the lookout point we can see dozens of stingrays in the water below. 

We have 2 hours to spend on the beach and spend most of it in the water (stinger-suited up) as it’s still raining.  Then it’s back to our boat to start the journey back to Airlie beach.  At lunchtime we stop for a quick swim.

Some curious batfish come to check us out and are rewarded with some bread, which they seem to like.  We have one more quick swim on the way back, then it’s back to dry land with swaying legs and brilliant memories.