Sunday 3rd September 2023
We were awake early and before breakfast we headed up the headland doing a bit of rock climbing and bush bashing to get to the top. The view was spectacular of the bays surrounding Crayfish Beach. We could see all the coral sections for our snorkel later. After a short time up there enjoying the view, we headed back down through the bush a much better option. David thought it would take about 10 mins up and 10 back, but it was a little trickier than expected. It actually took 47 mins. Laney, Josh, Florienne and Charles invited us to join them on a snorkel further afield in the bay, David stayed and had breakfast and tidied up a bit whilst I joined them. We always enjoy safety in numbers when we go away from the shallows. I saw many fish and in the deep section I saw a giant Maori Wrasse and some parrot fish. I also saw larger angel fish and many of the fish I had seen yesterday but they were all a bit bigger. We then packed up and into the kayak and after some more chatting were on our way again. We followed the coastline around the bay and then headed north along the coast of Hook Island to the most north eastern point called “The Pinnacles”. It was a little rippy around a few of the headlands, but all in all, it was very still until we headed around the Pinnacles. We then headed east around the top of Hook Island continuing along the coast, in and out of the small bays. They were so beautiful. The water was so blue, the rocks were so different all the time, both in colour and form and we saw only a few turtles today. We arrived at our camp at 1.30pm after having paddled 10.5km in just over 2 hrs. The last section we had the wind behind us. Once again it was a lovely day on the water. The tide was only a little problematic for us at Maureen Beach as it was still mid tide but the coral bank was so steep, about a 45° angle, making it very difficult to ground the kayak. We had to unpack the kayak once again to move it up the shore and tie it to a tree as requested by Salty Dog. It was a little windy after lunch so we just enjoyed a rest afternoon instead of snorkelling. The wind dropped off at about 4pm but the bay was very open and neither of us felt comfortable snorkelling today. We enjoyed a sunset dinner on the coral beach and both remarked how lucky we are to be able to take on such an adventure. We have learnt a few things for next time. The most important one is to stay 2 nights at each camp, to give you time to enjoy the paddle, as well as a day for activities (snorkelling, swimming, hiking and reading) as this afternoon is the first time we haven’t felt rushed. We have little mice at the camp again tonight, so as per every night, we make sure everything is in the kayak and no food is in the tent. We are in bed at 7.50pm and feeling very relaxed.
5L water today

Saturday 2nd September 2023
Today we had a deadline to leave camp as the next camp Crayfish Beach also had a low tide problem. We had a choice to make – breakie up to the lookout which was a 4km return hike up 264m of elevation. So a tough one or snorkel. I would have loved to enjoy a quiet morning having breakfast beside the water, then snorkelling for an hour before packing up again, but we decided on the hike. So we were up at 6am and ready to leave by 6.30 with our breakfast packed, for hopefully a pleasant view at the top. We started the hike and it was up, up and up right from the start. We had climbed 100m of elevation in the first 500m and seen our first snake. We think a python of some kind. We then continued through a beautiful trail of giant grass trees, hoop pines, dry rainforest, birds nests and quandong trees. It was a lovely walk albeit a big climb, over a very short distance, especially first thing in the morning. We arrived at a rocky outcrop below the imposing form of the Whitsunday Cairn and were rewarded with the most amazing 360° views. It was spectacular. We just looked in awe and are feeling so lucky to be able to travel this way. We had intended on a quick breakfast to try and fit in a snorkel as well, but instead we just enjoyed ourselves, made a few quick calls to let family know we were ok and stayed a lot longer than we anticipated. We then headed down the hill quickly as we were now on a deadline to pack and leave on time. We got back down at 9.15am and the tide had come in a fair bit. We were better at packing up our gear and the kayak this morning and were on our way by 10.53. Not quite 10am but we managed to enjoy a lovely hike and view. Our paddle today was a lot shorter today and we cut off a few of the bays as we had a big deadline to make to avoid the pitfall of yesterday. We saw many green turtles and a stingray today. The landscape and rocks were magnificent and ever changing, the water was a lot smoother with minimal wind and the most magnificent colour of blue. You will be amazed at the photos. We paddled really well today, considering how far we paddled yesterday and our minimal arm workouts over the last 3 months. We arrived at Crayfish Beach at 12.30pm after paddling in some beautifully calm waters and negotiating a few tricky headlands with swirling, choppy water and the final headland was a bit rippy. Once we arrived in the bay we were happy to see a sandy beach. We managed to drag the kayak up the beach without emptying it which was a welcome relief. We met Charles and Florienne from Paris, Josh and Laney from Melbourne and there is also a couple from Spain. After lunch I had a snorkel for over an hour and saw some lovely coral, all different types and colours, soft and hard. There were many different vibrant coloured clams, many trimmed with iridescent blues, greens and pinks. There were also many, many different varieties of fish, small and large, striped and plain, yellow angel fish, a couple of different parrot fish, schools of tiny fish, spotted shy fish and too many to even explain. It was a lovely hour before I got too cold to continue. David joined me for the last 20 mins. Unfortunately the turtle David had seen close to shore earlier this afternoon, didn’t come back. We then set up camp, had an early dinner and spent the next 3 hours getting to know our new camp buddies. It was a lovely evening. We heard a noise in the water and went to see what it was and saw 2 very small Port Jackson sharks mating in the shallows. What an amazing way to end our day.
6L water today

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