Friday 1st September 2023
“Whitehaven Beach is a pristine, award winning beach on Whitsunday Island, the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Whitehaven Beach stretches over seven kilometres and boasts brilliant white silica sand that is among the purest in the world. Sink your feet into the sand and wade into the warm waves that gently lap the shore and you’ll soon realise why people come here from all over the world.

We woke early this morning about 6ish and then got up about 7. The bay at Whitehaven Beach was spectacular, crystal clear and so smooth. It was so amazing. Unfortunately by the time we packed up and were ready to have breakie a slight breeze had picked up. We then had to work out how to fit our gear into the kayak for the first time. This was an interesting exercise and took a lot of juggling. The boat arrived with our paddling gear at about 9.30 which was fantastic. It was about 10.15 am by the time we were on our way.
We had a big day, we thought about a 25km paddle into a light north easterly breeze. The late start wasn’t ideal but it was the best option to get our gear. The conditions today were great, pretty smooth water and a light breeze. We paddled the first 6km which took about an hour, along the coastline of Whitehaven Beach’s white silica sands. It was the perfect backdrop as we headed north. Usually you would have the assistance of the south-easterly trade winds, but not the case for us this week. We paddled around passed Hill Inlet which was packed with tourists on the beach and in the water, we continued around the headland and stopped off near the entrance of Hill Inlet and walked to the world-renowned lookout with its breathtaking views. It was the most beautiful blue and the variation of colour of the shallower channels was spectacular. We would have loved to spend more time here but with our delay starting our day it wasn’t possible today. I did a quick run to the beach for a look at the inlet at sand level but didn’t have time for a run to the water or a swim.
After a quick lunch we were on our way again. We cut across the bay a couple of times but mostly followed the coast. We passed the most amazing rock formations in colour and shape. Every section was a little different as I picked out different shapes along the way – a monkey and a person’s head. We paddled continuously for another couple of hours, enjoying the green sea turtles as they popped their heads up for a breath and lolled around in the water until they spotted us, when they would suddenly dive deep and disappear. David also saw a stingray and we saw many fish. We had a break with about 4km to go for 15 mins. We then continued to paddle north and headed around the headlands to the Cairn Camp Site. Around the last  headland we were swamped by a big wave which splashed way up to my chin. There was also a big rip as we headed to camp. We were hoping the tide wouldn’t impact our landing with the delayed time, originally we thought we would be at camp by 3pm and it was now 5pm but we were wrong. As we approached the camp we noticed the tide was way out and we were going to have to carry the kayak about 15-20m over the rocks. First we had to empty the 50kg of luggage and water out of the kayak, this took about 6 or 7 trips over the rocky scree. Then it was a very big effort to carry the 45kg kayak over the rocks, then across to the camp entrance. Lucky I am strong hehehe. Just the thing you want to do after an over 5 hour 28km paddle.
We then setup camp, bathed and finally sat and watched the sunset. I chatted to a family of 4 who have been travelling for their 2nd 6mths in 2 years. They have done some great stuff including the Hinchinbrook hike. Then it was dinner time and then bed as we have another big day tomorrow. Each night we have to pack everything back in to the kayak hatches, so the goannas, mice and birds don’t get to our gear, water and food. We have lots of chores every day but they are all worth it for the most amazing adventures we get to enjoy. The two camps we have stayed at so far are both very different. Whitehaven had white silica sands everywhere and at Cairn Camp it is all small pieces of coral.
7L water today