(Err, no. Matey still hasn't taken up fishing. The more she snorkels the less likely it seems ...)
After
a July of winge-worthy weather, finally it turned. August has been sensational –
the kind of weather a winter-beaten southerner expects in Queensland. Maximum
temperature each day is in the low twenties and the sun smiles. To Matey’s
delight, some days the water is a millpond. We are in the Whitsundays and we’ve
seen whales, turtles, dolphins and even a manta ray up close. Via mask and snorkel
we’ve seen giant (and small) clams, numerous coral ‘gardens’ and curious and
disinterested fish. Matey is slowly starting to be able to identify various
types, and is becoming less fearful of sharks as ignorance recedes …
We spent a week around Hook Island. Snorkelling at the western and
northern anchorages was good. We then snorkelled at nearby Black and Langford
Islands and it seemed to get better. Each site was quite different. At 5 am one morning Matey was woken by
whale song and breathing close by!
We
spent several days anchored at the exquisite Nara Inlet, a fjord with aquamarine
water. It’s also reputedly a nursery for hammerhead sharks. As we rowed ashore
one day a large manta ray wafted by. We then spent a few days at Cid Harbour on Whitsunday Island. Though we've been here before the more we explore it the more it improves.
With
high peaks on many of the islands there is ample opportunity to climb
watercourses (and sometimes waterfalls, though almost dry now), and these often provide the only way
into the forest. The view is usually worth the climb. The possibility of a fresh
water bath provides additional incentive for Captain ‘It
doesn’t get any better than this’ Jones.
 |
| Whale |
 |
| Regrowth in Rooper National Park |
 |
| Matey drove him to it. Obviously. |
 |
| Matey's millpond |
 |
| View from waterfall at Sawmill Bay |
 |
| Manta ray |
