Silica Sand with a Side of Platypus

(steve)

We're back in the States, using fast internet, so let's fill in the details of the previous two weeks.

The previous post said all we need to about Magnetic Island. Moving on, Airlie Beach was our next stop. During the previous week, the sky had been overcast but we never really got wet. As we turned off the Bruce Highway towards Airlie Beach we were met by a torrential downpour that didn't relent. Sitting in the car outside our hostel, we hoped this wouldn't end up being a repeat of our Bay of Islands stay in New Zealand.

Airlie Beach is the mainland jumping off point for the Whitsunday Islands, a collection of fabulous resort hotels and popular spot for sail cruises. For us, we arrived seeking a little fun in the sun and just possibly another reef visit. Since the sun was hiding, at least we could see to the reef (we'll be wet anyways). After perusing the options, we decided to go on two different ocean tours to try and wait out the weather.

The first day was a sea tour of Whitsunday Island itself. We jumped in the boat bright and early after watching the pick-up bus go right past us (they came back to get us after I called the office). The cruise began with threatening clouds overhead and a small swell. After an hour we reached our first tour stop, Whitehaven Beach.



Whitehaven Beach is the most beautiful beach we've ever been too. The sand is nearly pure silicon and was bright white despite the lack of glaring sunlight when we visited. We climbed a lookout to get a better overall view and we amply rewarded. The tide was going out and the colors were unreal. From the lookout we even spied about a dozen stingray in the shallows. There were a few diehard sun worshipers lying out in bikinis, but the brief drizzle spells and fleeting bursts of sunshine kept us from shedding clothing. We would love to return to this spot on a clear day.



The second stop for the day was in Mantaray Bay for some snorkeling. Donning wetsuits, we spent at least an hour floating and looking at the fish and coral. The amazing part is the color and variety of coral was actually better during the snorkel than our dive day in Cairns. Once again, we saw more fish than could identify. Here is a short list: bicolored parrotfish, shepard parrotfish, angelfish, yellow-tailed fusiliers, butterfly fish, and a big Maori wrasse. We continued to be awed by the giant clams with their fluorescent colors.

The next day was our second dive day on the reef. We boarded a different boat (with about 200 other people) for the two hour journey out to Reefworld. Once there, four of us peeled off to go on a smaller boat for a dive. We did two different dives during the afternoon. Both were nice drift dives along a coral encrusted wall with lots of nooks and holes to look in. The visibility wasn't that great (30 ft = CA standard vis) but the fish and coral was more impressive than Cairns. Most importantly for me, we ran into a turtle and a Moray eel, both firsts for us underwater. Reefworld was also home to an impressive giant grouper they call George (~200 kg) and a large Maori wrasse called Wally (loves to be petted by snorkelers). Maybe this is only a small taste of what the reef has to offer, but it was really great to finally get the chance.

Reluctantly leaving the beach, we headed over to Eungella (pronounced Yun-gulla) National Park, home of the wily platypus. Now, we've looked for these guys on two different occasions, both unsuccessfully. This is our last hope of finding one in the wild. Eungella is at the top of a set of hills running along the coast. We drove up and over the steep hill to find the river running through the park. In the river is supposedly the largest concentration of platypus on the mainland of Australia. Let's hope the guidebook is right.



The guidebook was right. Upon reaching the viewing platforms it took us all of about 5 minutes to spot our first platypus. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching them frolic around in the still water, and set up our tent in a nearby campground for the night. Sitting next to the camp trail was a huge python. Karen got all brave and picked the head up. The python didn't struggle too much since he was pretty dead.



Unfortunately for us, the platypus didn't sit still very well, making them difficult to photograph. You kind of get the idea above. For scale, they are about 12 in long from bill to tail. Still, it was cool to finally see them in action, nosing around the creek bottom looking for food, and just motoring around on the surface.

Other interesting events/sites were the outrageous fog I had to drive through to get us back from dinner (our last meat pie in Australia) and we hiked up to two waterfalls in Hatton Gorge. At times during the fog drive, I couldn't see anything but the reflective markers in the center of the road right in front of me. I never got out of second gear with a max speed of about 20 kmph.