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| The Airlie Beach/Cannonvale Rainbow |
Having fuelled and watered both ourselves and the boat it was time to recommence our travels north. Needless to say we were greeted with an overcast sky with rain squalls in the region. Airlie Beach would not be the same without the rainbows when we leave!
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| Grimston Beach |
The guide books spoke highly of the bays along the mainland so we decided to do a bit of bay hopping as we slowly worked our way north to Townsville. The first stop was Woodwark Bay. This is a lovely, protected anchorage with several rather nice beaches. There are several buildings at the end of the bay with very large 'Private Property - Keep Out' signs. We have heard several different stories as to who owns the property but it is listed on the internet as a 'Private Luxury Resort' than can take up to 14 guests. The rates are $15,000 - $19,000 PER NIGHT for the resort. It looked pretty basic to me for that sort of money and it made us feel very privileged to be able to share the scenery for free.
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| Green Tree Ant Nest - Very artistic! |
Cath went for a snorkel whilst I did the less exciting task of cleaning some of the slime off the bottom of the boat.
The next day we moved up to the east arm of Double Bay. It is much like Woodwark but without the houses and signs. I was surprised at how many charter boats visit both Double and Woodwark Bays. The weather had finally improved so pottering around in the dinghy and exploring beaches was very much back on the agenda.
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| Small Leopard Shark - Trust me! |
We had a quiet day and after a bit of exploring ashore we retired to the boat for sundowners and dinner. That evening the boat was surrounded by thousands of garfish. If I had a long handled net I am sure that I could have caught hundreds but we left them in peace. We also saw one large squid.
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| Yet another lovely sunrise. |
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| DF on her own. |
The next day we moved further north to an unnamed bay. We had it all to ourselves which was nice. As I needed to make some phone calls we decided to go ashore and climb onto a headland. We were amazed to find that it was very nicely landscaped and had in-ground irrigation yet we could see no house. Soon after making the calls and elderly gent in a Toyota Landcruiser drove up to challenge us. Suffice to say we ended up having a great chat for nearly an hour hearing both his life story and that of the region. He was a true 'bushy' and had led a pretty amazing life although he was not looking too flash at present.
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| Earlando Resort - Not yachtie friendly |
The next destination was Gloucester Passage and the famed 'Monte's Resort' next to what has now become an iconic cruising destination - Passage (aka 'Shag') Islet. This is the 'home' of the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club of which we are proud Vice Commodores. On the way we passed the Earlando Resort which looked very empty and run-down. Not too many resorts are surviving around this part of the world at present!
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| The famous Shag Islet - Gloucester Passage. |
On transiting the Passage we went ashore at Breakfast Beach for a nice long walk and then anchored off Monte's. It is a small, very casual affair with a few cabins and a bar/restaurant. It certainly seemed friendly enough and we had a beer at the bar watching the world go by. It seems that this is a popular watering hole for people with large, fast motor cruisers as there were plenty there. I guess it is close enough to Bowen and Airlie to make it a reasonable day trip.
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