Mawle Family

The wind started to blow in the early hours and there was quite a swell by the time we were having breakfast.

Motored out of Macona Inlet then put the sails up for the journey back to Shute Harbour.  However, when we got into the Whitsunday Passage the wind speed was 30 knots and the sea was getting rough, so we took down the sails and motored the rest of the way to Shute Harbour.  Saw some whales along the way.

After mooring the boat I went to fetch the car, only to find that the battery was flat.  Tried to jump-start it but no luck so called out the RAC who did the job.  The flat battery was caused by me leaving the Trunk light on (Duh!).

Ferried everything back to the campsite then spent the afternoon setting up the camper trailer (Mawles) and preparing for tomorrow’s flight home (Campbells).  Fish and chips for dinner then Konked out.

What a brilliant week!  And it was great to share it with the Campbell Team.  Oh and thanks Kirsten for letting us use some of your photos and videos on the Blog.

Another beautiful morning!

Took the Tender to the Tongue Bay beach then hiked over the peninsula to Whitehaven Beach where we did some snorkelling in the area where we’d seen the Stingrays yesterday.  There were plenty about but they were quite timid so no luck with the Go Pro.

Ollie with small Stingray.

Later we strolled around to a little Mangrove which is used as a Nursery by young Stingrays and Lemon Sharks.

After lunch we motored back up the east side of Whitsunday Island and through “Unsafe Passage” (which is perfectly safe for yachts) and down to Macona Inlet where we anchored for the night.

Three Boys In A Boat?

We took the children out for a final blast in the Tender before cooking chicken and Salmon on the BBQ.  We also cracked open a bottle of Bubbly and celebrated an absolutely fantastic week.

Boat BBQ

A beautiful morning again!

Turtle by the boat, Tongue Bay.

A leisurely breakfast and some Turtle watching from the boat before taking the Tender to the little beach in Tongue Bay from where we hiked up and over the peninsula to the Hill Inlet Lookout.

Emily takes in the view of Whitehaven Beach from Hill Inlet Lookout.

The view of Whitehaven Beach was terrific!  The tide was in and the contrast between the Sea and sand was striking.  We could see Stingrays and a shark cruising in the shallows below.  Kirsten chatted to a couple of women who were on their ninth trip to the Whitsundays, they said they had never seen it so calm.

Back at the boat we had bacon sarnies for lunch then motored the boat around to Whitehaven Beach, anchoring just off the sand-spit.

We took the Tender to the spit then Charlotte, Brad, Matthew and I walked up the Inlet to try drift snorkelling.  It didn’t work too well because the current had churned up the sand and made the visibility poor.  Hey ho, there’s always tomorrow.  So we contented ourselves with just drifting back to where we’d left the Tender.

Beach Cricket

The sand-spit made a perfect Beach Cricket pitch.  The match was great fun with plenty of high-tension moments.  Brad got top prize for his diving catch and Ollie had the longest Innings.

We were all pretty tired so turned in early after hot showers and dinner.

Another calm night, no swell and a gentle breeze.  Started the morning with a pre-brecky swim.

Left Butterfly Bay and headed for Cateram Bay on Border Island where we moored and  snorkelled.

Matthew gets up close with a local.

Whilst having lunch we were visited by three large Angelfish.  They were a little more timid than the Wrasse but they did take a nibble from Ollie’s hand.

AngelFish_and_Ollie

Whale Ahoy!

No wind so motored down the east side of Whitsunday Island, saw a couple of whales in front of us so cut the engines until they moved away.

Turtle Visit.

Saw a couple of Dolphins and several Turtles whilst anchoring in Tongue Bay.  Took the Tender around the peninsula to Whitehaven Beach.  The tide was out so there was miles of white sand for the children to stretch their legs.

Playing on Whitehaven Beach.

Spag Bol for dinner followed by a spot of night fishing from the back of the boat.  Brad and I proved our Hunter credentials by catching a couple of fish (Trevellies I think).

Beautiful morning!  The Sea was flat calm and just a light breeze, Lots of colourful Butterflies flying past the boat as we had breakfast.  Cap’n Brad and Shipmate Charlotte have decided that we’ll spend tonight here too.

Motored to Pinnacles Bay for some fantastic snorkelling.  We started at the little beach near the Lighthouse and made our way along the coral under the cliffs.  The coral was beautiful – blues, yellows and pinks – as well as lots of colourful fish and, under the water, we could hear whales.

Back at the boat there was more roof jumping – Lauren did her first jump… and another… and another, each one with a variety of Whoohos and Waaaaahs.  Whilst having lunch we were visited by a large Wrasse (Hump headed Wrasse I think).  It stayed with us for over an hour so we had plenty of time to swim with it and take photos.  It didn’t seem at all bothered by our presence and allowed us to get very close, a fantastic experience for the children.

HumpheadWrasse

Humpheadwrasse3

Motored back to Butterfly Bay for the night – we were lucky to get the last Mooring.  Kirsten and Charlotte took the girls to the beach in the Tender, they did some beach combing and saw an Octopus!

Birthday Boy gets a Sparkler!

It’s my Birthday!  Cooked sausages on the BBQ for dinner followed by Apple Strudel and custard.  I even had a sparkler with my Strudel, wahay!

After dinner the children watched movies but Matt didn’t make it to the end, we found him asleep at the dining table.

Morning on Nara Inlet.

Nara Inlet was like a Millpond this morning.

We took the Tender to a little beach backed up by large rocks and tall trees.  We followed a small trail through the trees to an Aboriginal cave site.

The Ngara people inhabited these islands from up to 900 years ago.  Information boards provided details about the site’s history and there were recordings of Aboriginal Elders describing their life, culture and beliefs.

Extract From Burdekin Diary.

The children enjoyed reading and listening to all the information about this now deserted island, and they enjoyed fossicking on the beach.  However, Matthew decided that the island would be greatly improved by the presence of a cake factory.

Back at the boat we had coffee and snacks (Charlotte accidentally bought some Chia Bread – very nice!) then set off for Langford Island for some snorkelling.

We anchored off the Langford Island sand-spit and took to the water.  The coral bommies provided excellent snorkelling and there were lots of colourful fish.

Back at the boat we spent some time jumping in off the roof before having lunch (I lost a plate overboard, oops!).

OllieRoofJump_LangfordIsland

Emilyroofjump LangfordIsland

After lunch we set off for Butterfly Bay, our anchorage for the night.

Stowaway

Once the boat was anchored, we took the children in the Tender to the beach, actually it was more Mangrove than beach but it was interesting for the children to see lots of Hermit Crabs and Mud Skippers.

Charlotte and Kirsten had dinner ready when we got back (Nachos, Yummy!).  Sat on deck and star gazed (again!), the best sky I’ve seen so far on the trip, saw a couple of shooting stars.

SeawindiIn Cid Harbour.

Woke up just as it was getting light.  All quiet except for the Kookaburras and Cockatoos announcing their presence on the island.  The sun was shining and the water was absolutely flat.  Beautiful!

The children have really taken to the Pirate theme; the adults were raided several times during breakfast by a fearsome foursome.

Emily and Lauren on the trail up to Whitsunday Peak.

After breakfast we took the Tender back to Sawmill Beach and followed the trail up to the Lookout on Whitsunday Peak (437 metres).  The track was quite steep but from the top the views across to the other islands were fabulous, and we could just glimpse the white sands of Whitehaven Beach on the east side of Whitsunday Island.

Whitsunday Peak.

The round-trip took just under three hours, we were tired and hot by the time we got back to the boat so we had a swim.

Emily leaping from the roof, Cid Harbour.

Ollie, never one to be outdone by his sister.

After lunch we left Cid Harbour and headed for Nara Inlet, our next stopover.  The sea was still flat and the breeze was light so we motored all the way.  Pirate practice was well underway and going well until Ollie lost his sword overboard.  I jumped in the Tender and tried to find it but it was gone… to the great Pirate Graveyard.

Arrived at Nara Inlet by late afternoon.  Tried a little fishing but without success, the fish don’t seem to like chicken.

After dinner we sat on deck and did some star gazing, there was no Moon so the view was fantastic.

A hectic morning!  We packed up the camper trailer then Charlotte, Brad and I took the luggage and food to Shute Harbour.

Whitsunday Map.

I loaded the luggage onto the catamaran whilst Charlotte and Brad did the boat briefing, and Kirsten managed the children and herded them onto the Shuttle Bus bound for Shute Harbour.

Matthew enjoying the cruise to Cid Harbour.

We were all on the boat and sailing just after midday.  The weather was overcast but not too cold.

Whilst Brad and Charlotte got to grips with the boat, and the children clambered all over the boat looking for defensive positions in the event of Pirate attacks, Kirsten prepared Prawns for me to BBQ for lunch.

How did this lot get on board?

We saw some whales as we sailed towards our first night’s stopover at Cid Harbour, a bay on the west side of Whitsunday Island.

After anchoring the boat the children and Brad decided to jump in for a quick swim.

We then took the Tender for a trip to Sawmill Beach, just as Brad was starting the engine a large Turtle appeared right next to the engine, we saw another on the way to the beach.

We walked along the beach and found the remains of the railway lines that were used in the 1800s to transport timber to be shipped to the mainland.

By the time we got back to the boat the wind had dropped and the sea was flat calm.  After diner we sat on deck and looked out over the sheltered harbour – very peaceful.