Whitsunday Adventure Day 6 - we are family

It’s the final day, and while I miss my family, and can’t wait to see them, it has been easy to adapt to a different life, and I’ve become accustomed to my sailing digs and my fellow travellers.

I’ve never done a group activity like this before, with people I didn’t know.  I would usually travel with friends, or more often than not, solo, and not in a group.  I was never a Contiki kind of gal, and went into this with some trepidation.  As someone who doesn’t mind their own company, and finds social interaction exhausting, this was something of a challenge for me.  Travelling with my friend Rachel eases that challenge somewhat, as she often acts as a buffer for me.

We met most people prior to departure as we all sat at the meeting point at the marina.  The first person we met was Diane from the Gold Coast, who was travelling with her friend Jan-Maree.  Next were 3 friends who worked together about 30 years prior in Canberra, but who now lived in Arana Hills (Qld), Albury (NSW) and Noosa (Qld) - Anne, Natalie and Mette.  Then a group of 5 from Ballarat - husband and wife, Steve and Pauline, Steve’s sister Kerryn, their sister-in-law Leanne and Kerryn’s workmate, Bernie.  A couple from the Gold Coast, Carla and Greg, friends from Melbourne Christine and Julie and finally Monique from Jervis Bay in NSW.  

As always, I found myself on holiday with the profession I am surrounded by every day!  There were 3 nurses on the ship, a pharmacist, a dental hygienist, other government agencies and a number of very happy retirees.  I was blown away by how friendly people were, and how well we all got along - there was no bickering, everyone got along, and I couldn’t single out a single person to send to the brig, although that may be because I was the one that they wanted to push overboard - who knows!

Everyone was so generous sharing their stories, listening to others’ stories, and we found ourselves sitting with different people all the time, or walking on the hikes with different people.  Kerryn and I explored the flaws in the healthcare system during COVID on one walk, Greg and I talked about our lives in the public sector (and realised we had a number of mutual friends) on another.  Rachel and I discovered that Anne, Julie and Jan-Maree had all walked the Camino in some capacity, so we spent a lot of time picking their brains and asking heaps of questions to get an understanding of what is ahead of our 2023 adventure.  I’m sure they were over it by the end of the week, but they never showed it.  The Ballarat crew introduced me to Heardle on Spotify, and I now enjoy the challenge of identifying songs from 1 second of playtime each day.  

Steve also enjoyed his fair share of dad jokes, which were actually quite good, but don’t tell him I said that - I don’t want to be seen to be encouraging him!  He and Pauline also showed us their dance moves in the evenings.  Leanne told us all about Yeeha Tours - an awesome initiative where they take horses and their owners out into the highlands to show what their horses are capable of, particularly those who would normally be involved in dressage etc.  Her family also enjoys deep-sea fishing on their boat and they also work the family farm.  

Bernie and I geeked out over Cape Canaveral memories and I am extremely envious of the fact that she got to see a rocket launch while she was there.  Christine and I spent a bit of time discussing Trump and the decline of society including the overturning of Roe v Wade, Carla and Greg regaled us with stories from their many travels and it seemed like everyone had kids and grandkids to talk about, and of course I told them all about my little family.  Diane and Jan-Maree in particular were very curious about the last 18 months, and were so giving in their response to our stories.  Monique played DJ one night, sharing her playlist as we sang our way through hits of the 70s and 80s.  Mette shared stories of her Danish heritage and the nursing home she works at as an activities director following her short retirement.

Then there was the crew.  Ably led by Captain Dan, the crew who assisted in ensuring everything was ship-shape (pardon the pun) consisted of bosuns Adam (who is an absolute fount of knowledge about all things Whitsundays) and Thommo (who successfully treated my Gympie Gympie stings with glue) bartender Izzy (who kept us all at a level of happy as required) and host (and expert cook) Taylor.  All of the crew is responsible for day to day ship work, running the tenders to and from the islands, assisting with mooring, anchor drops, guiding the walks and teaching about the area.  It was so great to see the passion that these guys brought to their work - it was evident in the way that they did everything they could to ensure we had the best holiday possible.

Oh and I’ve forgotten probably the most entertaining member of the crew.  Captain Dan has a gorgeous, but feisty Macaw named Pickles.  He is absolutely gorgeous, but not appreciative of new people, so we were warned to keep our fingers away from his cage.  It was so sweet to hear Pickles chatting away and singing to himself every morning as we waited to eat our breakfast.

So as we made our way back to the Marina it was with a twinge of sadness that our journey was coming to an end.  These people who we had shared so much with over the last week would go back to their homes, and life would go back to how it had been beforehand.  But thanks to Kerryn and her Solway Lass What’s App group, we now have a great way to share our memories and stay connected as we make our way to our various homes.  I also connected with Taylor on FB, as we had discovered a mutual appreciation for The Vampire Diaries and in particular Ian Somerhalder!

The crew thanked us before we left the ship, and they assured us that we were the best guest group they had had, largely for the fact that despite the far from perfect weather, and the many changes of plans required over the course of the week, we had remained positive and not taken it out on them.  The previous night we had written a note of thanks to the crew and also passed the hat around to show our appreciation.  

Off the ship, hugs from Izzy, Taylor and Adam, and we were back on land.  Unfortunately my middle ear is not aware of that yet, and everything continues to rock when I stand still long enough.  As we made our way back to our hotel, we made our sad farewells at each drop off, but also knew we’d catch up later that night for dinner and drinks.  

We had to wait a couple of hours for our room to be ready, so spent the time walking round time - where it was fun to bump into our travel mates and the crew as they made their way round town.

Best moment was having a shower.  I can’t remember if I had already mentioned it, but with 45 second showers in a small toilet stall, this pokey shower in our cabin was like a 5 star spa resort.  After 5 minutes of deep soaking, lathering and scrubbing feet that just never seemed to be clean enough, it was time for a massage to try to free up my shoulder.  Still can’t lift it, but it seems to have eased the muscles up, so here’s hoping for some further recovery in the days ahead.

Then to our final dinner together.  KCs Bar and Grill on the main drag at Airlie Beach was the place to be, where we even had the chance to catch up with some of the crew. This rowdy bunch sang Happy Birthday to every crew member as they walked in, successfully embarrassing them all, particularly Captain Dan.  Following a hearty meal and a number of cocktails, we adjourned to the Beach Shack club for more drinks and much dancing, joined by the crew.  

Many shots, many songs and many laughs later, it was finally time to drag ourselves away to get some much needed rest before our morning flight.

So to the 21 people I’ve just spent the last week of my life with, thank you for your kindness, your generosity and your support.  I can’t wait to see what adventures you all have over the years, and know that if you are ever in Brisbane, I’d love to catch up with you and buy you a beer at my local and spend some time reminiscing about an absolutely magical week away. After all, it’s not goodbye, it’s just see you later.

Whitsunday Adventure Day 5 - making memories

Cruised to South Molle Island after breakfast today, and set anchor in Beauer Bay.  Today’s tender ride was something of a luxury as we had a jetty to disembark on, rather than getting our feet wet jumping out at the shore.

Brendon and I spent a day on South Molle for our honeymoon back in 1993.  Back then we spent the day at the golf course, swimming in the pool and exploring the resort.  Those days are long gone, following the demise of the resort after Cyclone Debbie tore through the Whitsundays, leaving the resort a series of deserted buildings.  The cost to replace/repair/build anew has meant the island has remained empty, with no real timeline for revival.

Today’s walk took us to the Spion Kop Lookout, which would normally give us views of all of the places we had spent exploring over the last 4 days.  Unfortunately the weather gods were not playing nice today, and we found ourselves standing in the cold, windy, rain waiting to head up to the lookout.  Even though the views weren’t quite as sweeping as expected, they were still pretty spectacular looking down into the bay and spotting Solway Lass, and looking across to Denman Island, Goat Island and Long Island.

Heading back along the jetty, Thommo and Adam lifted the fish hole lids for us to see the sea life below the jetty.  Once again marvelled at the plethora of fish in sight, and even spotted a ray in the waters too.  An hour spent on the boat trying to dry out, and was introduced to a game called Heardle (think Wordle but with music), and snagged a win with Foo Fighters’ The Pretender.  After another delicious morning tea, we set off for Woodwark Bay, with a promise that if the conditions were right, we would travel under sail.

True to their word, we watched the crew prepare to unfurl the sails, climbing high up into the rigging to release them.  It was such a majestic site to watch the wind catch, and then know we were being pushed along by the wind, at a rate of about 5 knots, with the silence and serenity of an earlier age.  We are so lucky to have experienced this and I can’t thank the crew enough for their expertise and knowledge sharing with the millions of questions we have asked throughout the cruise.

To watch them climb up, balancing on cables and positioning their bodies to untie knots hardened by salt water and wind was truly awe-inspiring.

We sailed under sail across in front of Airlie Beach and even got the chance to check out the latest P&O cruise ship which had just left port.  But most special were the whales we once again spotted, this time close enough to the boat that they were easy to pick out through the swell, and one even gave us a cute little tail flick as he dived down.

A few of us ventured into the netting at the bow of the boat, comfortably settling into its ropes, kicking back and relaxing into the rise and fall of the sea as we sped over the waves.  The 5 knot speed was only slightly slower than our under motor speed (about 6 knots) - but it was the trust of letting nature take charge that made it so very special.  

As we prepared to anchor for the night, it was entertaining to listen to the banter of the crew as Adam stood high up in the rigging securing the sails to the yards, while Izzy and Thommo revved him up from below.   These tasks aren’t for the faint-hearted and we fully appreciated all the crew did to give us such a special gift as sailing under sail on a 120 year old tall ship.

Final night tonight and who knows what tomorrow will bring.  After a predictably delicious dinner of green thai chicken curry and rice, we presented the crew with a little token of our appreciation to thank them for an absolutely amazing week on the water.  We have formed some great friendships over this time, and I can see catch ups and reunion sails in years to come.  Solway Lass holds a really special place in all our hearts.  

Tomorrow is our last day, and I’ll try to capture the essence of my fellow sailors in my final words about the trip.  They are truly an amazing bunch of people.

Whitsunday Adventure Day 4 - the best day of my life (well apart from the other obvious ones!)

 What an adventure we are having.  After retiring to bed late last night (10.30pm is late on the boat), I woke up to the sound of the engine starting and the boat moving.  We were dragging the anchor, and Captain Dan had made the decision to move us from our spot into the Nara Inlet, so when we woke up it was to a brand new view.

With the weather playing all sorts of cards the last couple of days, the plan to walk to the Cairn was changed to a walk to the Ngaro caves, set at the end of the Nara Inlet, where, after many more steps we listened to recorded messages of Ngaro elders talking about their experiences - some wonderful and happy and others that made me feel so ashamed of what the white man has done to this noble people.

The cave paintings were very different to the ones we saw at Carnarvon Gorge - as these ones depicted sea-farer’s life.  Cast nets, woven baskets, even what I thought might be a crab painted in yellow and red ochres.

Up anchor and we cruised around to the Hook Island reef.  A delicious lunch on board, followed by a snorkelling briefing and we filled up two tenders and headed to the drop off to explore.

What an absolute delight it was to snorkel on the reef.  Just the coral formations themselves are magnificent - so many different types of coral - the soft, grassy tendrils, the brain-like hard corals, the glorious colours - blue, pink, yellow, orange, red, purple and then the fish life darting in and out of the coral.  Schools of small fish dipping in and around, larger fish cruising gracefully by.  Rainbow fish, parrot fish, gar fish - so many species and so much colour on display.  I could have stayed there for hours watching the fish in and out of the reef, spotting different types, and admiring their dexterity as they flashed into tiny crevices.  A few even ventured quite close by - it was just such a serene and calming experience.

I had my GoPro with me, and thought I had filmed the entire 30 minute snorkel, but unfortunately back on deck I realised there was no SD card in my camera, so all that work for no physical memories.  I will have to just use my mind to remember the glory that is the Great Barrier Reef and plan a return to experience it again.

On return to the boat, the crew got the Tarzan swing out and a few of our more bold travellers (Mette, Monique and Rach) braved the swing off the bow into the crystal clear waters.  I wanted to have a go but was very aware of my dodgy shoulder, so after a suggestion from crew member Adam, I opted to jump off the bow instead.  Unfortunately I slipped as I was getting into position and have wrenched my right shoulder, rending it pretty much useless.  It may mean an end to my adventure getting on and off the tenders, so will have to wait and see how it progresses.

Delicious dinner last night of barbecue chicken, fried rice and the most divine vegetable bake I’ve ever tasted.  Taylor our host has kept us so well fed, with tasty, high carb meals every day - breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and dessert. And best of all I’ve found a fellow Vampire Diaries fan, so we’ve been talking Ian Somerhalder and I’ve shown off my Comic Con pics to someone who appreciates them!

Early to bed for me, a few episodes of tv shows to catch up on, and a restless night’s sleep as my shoulder was giving me a few niggles.  Looking forward to the day’s adventures, but pretty sure it won’t top snorkelling in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Whitsunday Adventure Day 3 - Whitehaven Beach

 

Fitful night’s sleep last night following a case of restless legs.  I ended up having to sleep with my clothes bag on my feet to settle them down and then settled into a great night’s sleep, with the gentle roll of the boat lulling me.

Breakfast was a little later this morning at 7am and then onto the tender for transportation to world-famous Whitehaven Beach.  

Until you’ve walked on this beach, it’s hard to fathom how clean and white it is.  The word pristine comes to mind as white is the only colour in the sand - there are no coloured flecks, no broken bits of shell.  Just clean white sand.  It is purportedly 98.6 percent silica and apparently NASA used sand from Whitehaven to make the lenses for the Hubble Telescope. It is also extremely sticky (it doesn’t brush off easily) and doesn’t hold heat due to its colour, so the beaches of Whitehaven are not suitable for turtle-nesting.

The walk to the lookout was lovely, with vistas across the islands.  But the best part of Whitehaven was the opportunity to swim in the cool, clear water at the end of the walk.  So refreshing for tired muscles, and the opportunity to kick back and wash off the dirt of the trail.  

As we are on a boat with limited water storage, we are all limited to 45 second showers each day, so any chance to have a wash down is welcomed, so that 45 seconds is essentially used to just remove the salt from the skin.

Tender ride back to the ship and we moved to Tongue Bay to do the Hill Inlet Lookout to see the Swirling Sands, and check out the Cow Tail Stingrays.

So quick biology lesson first.  There are 7 sea turtle species, 6 of which can be found in the Whitsundays.  The species here are the loggerhead, green, hawks bill, Kemps Ridley, flat back and leatherback.  We have sighted loggerhead and green sea turtles so far - will be interesting to see if we can spot the others.

Betty’s Beach features cow tail sting rays and lemon sharks - as it is sheltered and not easily accessible by larger predators, they are quite social and we were able to walk right up to them in the water and take photos and snorkel with them.  They are such beautifully majestic creatures who “fly” through the water, their “wings” floating effortlessly to propel them along.

On our return tender we once again saw a green sea turtle swimming nearby, and a mother whale and her calf frolicking not far from the boat.  This has been my favourite day so far, with some of the most amazing views and experiences.  

The weather turned ordinary after lunch, with wind and rain squalls, but that didn’t stop me sitting up the front of the ship and just watching the world go by.  Witnessed more whales, watched the crew drop the anchor and then had my quick shower.  Now sat in the saloon and enjoying a bit of a sing and dance while we wait for dinner.  Not sure what tomorrow will bring but I’m sure it will be something special.

Whitsunday Adventure Day 2 - It’s the climb…

 After a really good night’s sleep that wasn’t interrupted by any ghostly visits last night, it was an early start at 6.30am for breakfast - and what a spread, cereals, toast, fruit, croissants, tea and coffee.  

Then onto the tender to take us to Whitsunday Island for our first walk.  The 2km return warm-up walk from Saw Mill Beach to Dugong Beach took us up and over a bushy rise.  A few stairs to clamour up and over but gorgeous views out to Cid Harbour.  We were even lucky enough to spot turtles swimming off shore.

The real walk began from Saw Mill Beach and too us to the Whitsunday peak - 423m ascent, with a brutal number of stairs to get to the top.  The 2.5km trip to the top took the better part of two hours, and was graded a difficult walk, which I can certainly confirm.  Thankfully one of my fellow walkers, Greg stayed back with me and kept me honest over the second half of the walk.  The view from the top was worth every aching muscle as an azure paradise was on display before us.  

Far off in the distance, looking like a tiny miniature in a large bathtub lay Solway Lass, with her tender barely visible from up high. Absolutely stunning and sweeping views across the Whitsunday passage, with views to Hamilton Island (easy to identify by its high-rise apartment blocks) and beyond.

The slightly shorter but no less arduous return leg saw us retracing our steps back down the stairs we had walkie-talkie up and at just before the half way point I suddenly became aware of my knees, and they were not happy.  Took is nice and slow to get to the bottom, but not careful enough not to have accidentally brushed the leaves of a Stinging Tree (Gympie Gympie) - a particularly nasty plants that renders plenty of warning signs telling you not to touch them.

As I walked by it I had my hand out for balance and only lightly brushed against the leaf with three fingers on my left hand. Wowee - it began to burn and sting and swell almost immediately- little electric shock pulses that made me realise with horror what I  had done.  Kerryn, who had been walking down with me remembered from the briefing we had received, told me not to rub it, so we continued our descent, mindful of the stinging pain (it took my mind off my aching knees!) back to the shore below.  

Thommo came and collected us from the beach in the tender, and we were treated to the sight of a green turtle swimming not far from us, and then a loggerhead turtle cruised by, so in that short space of time we saw 2 of the 6 turtle species that inhabit the Whitsundays.

Back on board for lunch (a buffet of rolls, meats, cheese, salads and slaw), and now we had to work out how to manage my encounter with the stinging tree.  It’s leaves are covered in tiny spiky spines that embed in the skin and are difficult to remove as they are too tiny for tweezers, big in numbers and break off if you rub them, leaving the rest below the surface.  Thommo did a bit of a search and found that washing in soapy water and then adding a cold compress was the best option, however we improvised a bit and after washing in the soapy water, we applied some sail glue, waited for it to dry and then peeled it off the skin (hands up if you did that in school so you could see your fingerprint in the glue you removed).  That seemed to work pretty well, and then I just continued to soak it in soapy water.  It still itches, but the stinging seems to have settled.  I guess it is now a waiting game for the small bits of spike to work their way out of my finger, but at least I didn’t need a trip to the hospital!

I spent most of the afternoon’s cruise up on the roof over the saloon just watching the world go by.  Once again, nature gave us a show, with whales frolicking along both sides of the boat, and I even caught one of the little calfs breaching on my camera.  We had nachos for afternoon tea, so all that great exercise I did has probably been negated by the delicious meals that they have prepared for us each day.

Tonight we are moored at Whitehaven Beach, it is so pristine and the whitest beach here in the Whitsundays, and ranked the third whitest in Australia.  Not as many boats moored here as at Cid Island last night, but one has enough lights that it looks like a Christmas tree at night.

Spent the rest of the afternoon/evening getting to know more about our fellow walkers and I will have to make a single post about them, as they have so many interesting stories to tell.

An easier walk tomorrow for us, with more exploration of Whitehaven Beach, and a chance to swim, snorkel and do some stand up paddle boarding.

Whitsunday Adventure Day 1 - A step back in time

 

It’s 5.30am on Friday 26 August, 2022, but it may well be a much earlier year based on where I’m writing this from.  I am in fact in my bunk on the Solway Lass, a tall ship built in 1902, and I can feel the boat gently rocking as I sit here typing. 

Spent the first day in Airlie Beach exploring the walking paths, revisiting some of the sites of previous adventures (Bren and I honeymooned in Airlie Beach at the Club Crocodile Resort in 1993) and generally just winding down and learning how to relax again.  It has been a busy 18 months and it wasn’t until yesterday that I realised how utterly exhausted I was, and how welcome this break will be.

Disclaimer ahead - I don’t want anyone (translation my family members) to think that I begrudge them a single moment of my time.  I have felt so privileged to be an informal part of Hayden’s care team, and strive to make sure he gets to live the life he wants, but it does take its toll and lately I’ve just felt out of control, which makes me really anxious and uncomfortable.   If you’ve ever been on-call for a job, you’ll know what it’s like to be in a state of constant vigilance, and that has been our life for a while now - never quite getting into that deep level of sleep for fear of missing a text or a phone call to provide assistance.  So I’m using this break away as a hard reset, to give the body and mind a chance to rest and power up for the year ahead.

Our (a work friend and I) adventure began yesterday when we crossed from land to ship at the Coral Sea Resort and found our cosy little cabins aboard the ship.  We had both paid for single accommodations and as a result both got family sized rooms, which feature a double bed and two single bunks on either end of that bed.  It may sound huge but the room is probably 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 and mostly beds.  All of the sleeping rooms are below deck, and there are no windows, only dim lighting in each space.  However judging by how I slept last night, that is not really an issue.

We set out under motor from the marina at 4.00pm, had our safety briefing, took our seasickness pills and enjoyed a leisurely cruise to our first anchorage - Cid Island. A beautiful calm mooring sheltered from the winds.   Welcome platter and drinks to start the activities, and the 17 passengers and 5 crew chatting and getting to know their fellow walkers.

Dinner was a delicious panko-crumbed Spanish Mackerel, potato bake and salad, followed by a talk on the history of the boat (check out Wikipedia for the full details - too much to write here).  Most notable section of the talk was about the former Captain of the ship who had died of carbon monoxide poisoning when they installed kerosene powered engines in the boat.  He is known to frequent the sleeping quarters and play pranks on the guests and crew, and can be heard roaming the decks above when everyone else is asleep.  Maybe they should have left that story til we disembarked!

So here I am after a good night’s sleep, waiting for the sun to come up, breakfast to be had and starting on our first walk of the trip.  More to come tomorrow as I recap today’s adventures.

What not to say or do to a person with a disability - Part 1

 In the last month, Hayden has returned to work in the part-time retail role that he was in before his accident.  His manager has been absolutely instrumental in holding his role open, and making it possible for Hayden to get back to work.  Partnering with Spinal Life Australia’s Return to Work advocate, Belinda, OTs and HR departments, his manager facilitated what is now the most accessible store for that brand.

It was no surprise how supportive he has been.  When Hayden had his accident, the staff were encouraged to visit Hayden in the hospital (on company time), and it was obvious when we went in-store for day trips that he was a much-missed and much-valued member of his work family.

We have loved watching Hayden’s excitement as he returned to his friends in-store.  After his first day, he couldn’t stop smiling.  Hayden loves working with people, and was keen to still be involved on the floor.  

Yesterday I picked him up from work to drop him at Uni.  I was a bit early, so headed into the store to browse.  I was able to see Hayden in action, interacting with customers.  I’ll admit, it was a real proud mum moment watching him work with such confidence.

As he was preparing to leave, he has to hand back his tech to his team mate, who was serving a customer.  I had been listening to this customer talk to the team mate for a couple of minutes, and thought she was one of those people who have to give every detail to the retail worker as they are being served.

Hayden was handing his tech back, and with his limited fine motor skills, he uses both hands to balance the equipment to hand it over.  

This woman looked at Hayden and said “You poor person, what did you do to yourself?”  I was absolutely speechless, and while I wanted to respond for him (with a healthy dose of mind your own fricken business attitude), I had to remind myself Hayden is a grown man of 21, and he doesn’t need his mum to speak for him.   He turned his chair around and as he drove off, just said, “I had an accident.”

We talked about it on the way to the car.  It was the second time a customer had asked why he was in his chair.  The first time was a regular customer who hadn’t seen Hayden since his accident and did not know until he saw him in store.  He said it felt different from someone who he had previously known.

Me, well I tossed out a few choice responses that I would have made, but Hayden was very aware that he was still at work and had to be professional.  In hindsight, I think the woman may have had some developmental deficits, and may not have realised how intrusive her question was, or rude it was to imply that he had “done something” to be disabled.

I was most upset at the term “poor person”.  I mean, how dare she assume that because this young fellow had a disability that he was a “poor person”.  How dare she imply that he is less than because he has a disability.  How dare she assume that his life is somehow lacking?  She doesn’t know how amazing this man has been through his recovery, how hard he has worked to get back to a normal life with his friends and family, how he is packing his life full of study and work, how he is funny and smart.

So my words of advice to anyone who is still reading - please don’t use the term “poor person” when describing someone with a disability, and more than anything else, please don’t presume that a person with a disability wants to share intimate details of their lives with a complete stranger in a public setting.