Airlie – Atherton – Cairns
It’s been over a week and my brakes seem to be in working order which is the first positive note that I’ll mention. The second is that the far north is quite pretty, and not at all what I expected.
I was in quite the rush, so I had to scoot between Noosa and Airlie relatively quickly. I’ve been getting a little sick of the 6am wake up, the full day of driving, the bedtime by dark and doing it all again the next day. Being on the move can be really exhausting, so I planned on spending a full TWO NIGHTS in Airlie partly because I was over all the driving and partly because it looks beautiful. The few days of driving that it took to get there were relatively monotonous – cane sugar plantations everywhere which were cool at first, but after the 50th hour of driving past them they do, unfortunately, begin to lose their charm. I was jonesing for the ocean - most hopefully an ocean I could swim in without fear of crocs.
I ended up arriving at sunny Airlie Beach by the early afternoon, with enough time to wander around the main street and get a little sunshine. The town reminds me a bit of Lorne of Torquay with narrow bookshops, Rip Curl stores, and open-air cafes around every corner. The palm trees were, admittedly, a nice touch though.
Just outside of the town, I splurged and decided to pay for a campsite which was a great idea in the end because I ended up meeting some very friendly Kiwis who accidentally reversed into Deloraine. That sounds sarcastic when I read it back but really, they were lovely and we hung out together that evening chatting in the dark and listening to the raucous laughter and music from the pub down the road.
The following day I got up early for a hike up Mount Rooper, hoping for panoramic views of the Whitsundays at the top! The best I got was this little sliver through the dense trees, but still a fun walk. When I got back to town, there was a little market going on along the beachfront so I wandered through there before heading back to camp.
Mount Rooper summit.
On my final day in Airlie, I booked in a fast-boat tour through the islands with some snorkelling. At first, the skipper wasn’t sure if he’d let me on the boat – it was predicted to be a rough ride and with my bad back, he was anxious that I’d get injured. But I convinced him that I was fit and healthy and by the early morning, our group was on their way. The boat was unlike any I’ve been in before; I was sat at the back in the most stable space to help keep me comfortable, but other people chose to sit on the inflatable sides, straddling the edge and holding on to a slim piece of rope like cowboys on a bucking bull. It looked super fun, but the skipper wouldn’t let me try :( Regardless, being in the back was enough for me, getting completely saturated with waves splashing over the sides and slipping around whenever we took a sharp corner.
Even though we were told to predict rough winds and some pretty unpleasant weather, the day was beautiful. We walked to a lookout and saw the changing shades of blue against the sandbanks in the ocean, ate lunch on the beach, and swam in two different coral gardens. It was quite sad seeing all the bleached coral and dead, white pieces scattered along the ocean floor like bones. But every now and then there would be a really vibrant piece, or I’d notice how the coral was shimmering with the moving water and it was pretty cool. I even saw a clam opening and closing lazily.
On the move again the next day, I ventured to a waterfall just off the main road and saw a spectacular sunset as I cooked myself dinner. The drive to Atherton was really beautiful too, winding through the narrow road through the misty mountains I learned that Atherton rains for 50% of the days in the year. The roads were blocked off at some parts, because (I think) of the flood damage, so the drive took a bit longer than anticipated. Once I was in the town, I don’t think the cloud lifted for the entire week that I was there! I was really shocked by the landscape on this part of the drive – I hadn’t realised just how mountainous Queensland is. At times there were peaks in every direction, and I started wishing that I had a bit more time here so I could go and explore the peaks some more.
I had four days lined up teaching at a school which was one of the best schools I’ve had relief at so far. The kids were so sweet saying “Thanks, miss” and “Have a good afternoon!” at the end of every lesson. The teachers were equally awesome and welcoming. A friend of mine, Geo, is in the area so we caught up a few times for dinner or breakfast, and she even let me watch a rehearsal for Romeo and Juliet that she’s directing. The students who I saw act (two Juliets performing the scene where she’s frantically visiting the Friar for help) were absolutely phenomenal, and it was cool to see kids so invested in their interest. I wish I was around to see the full performance!
The Romeo and Juliet set.
If it weren’t for all the rain, and the fact that I have to get to Townsville, I could have stayed here for way longer. There was so many things I could have explored like the Milla Milla waterfall, but I have to remind myself that it’s not going anywhere and I can always visit again next time I’m around. Instead, I drove out of the mountains on Friday evening and spent Saturday in Cairns exploring the markets and gardens, and drinking sticky Vietnamese coffee.
The city was really cute and everything felt close together – wandering the streets I stumbled across some beautiful art galleries (no photos allowed) with Aboriginal artworks that spanned entire walls, each of which had a little bio about the artist, where they’re from, and what they painted about. My favourite artists were some scenes of women’s activities, and a massive painting that started out as dot work which was then rubbed into each other, creating a beautiful piece that looked like it had melted in the heat.
