The final leg of the Central Queensland road trip brought us to the Whitsunday region before breaking up the long drive heading back down the coast to Brisbane.

After leaving Cape Hillsborough, where we enjoyed our second morning of kangaroo and wallaby viewing on the beach, we made a stop in the town of Seaforth. Here, we checked out one of the “jellyfish net” beaches that are quite common in this area of Australia. North of Bundaberg in Queensland, the region faces an intense and potentially deadly jellyfish season from November to April. Swimming without a stinger suit during this time, in any part of the ocean in this region, is highly discouraged. We couldn’t help but chuckle at one of the beach signs warning of deadly jellyfish, rip tides, and even crocodiles.

Our journey then took us a couple of hours north to Airlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. We immediately noticed the significant increase in temperature compared to our earlier experiences down the coast. As we sweatily ventured into town that afternoon, Airlie Beach revealed itself as a small town primarily serving as a base for accommodations and tours. We did particularly enjoy beautiful lagoon on the waterfront, functioning as a large, free open-air pool.

We were excited to wake up early the next morning for our boat tour with Ocean Rafting, a company offering a tour called “Southern Lights”. Following advice from friends who had visited the Whitsundays, we had chosen a one-day tour that included snorkeling and time on the stunning white silica sand Whitehaven Beach.

Our boat collected us from the harbor and took us to our first destination, a snorkeling spot where we encountered various fish and some harmless jellyfish. While I found the snorkeling enjoyable, it was George’s first time snorkeling from a boat, and he really had a blast. Our guide even spotted some clownfish in the reef, diving down to show us while we swam.

After snorkeling, we boated to Whitehaven Beach and the Hill Inlet lookout. We went on a short 10-minute walk up some stairs, leading us to a gorgeous viewpoint. From there, we could see the picturesque white sands and crystal-clear blue waters that have made the Whitsundays famous worldwide. Our guide shared some fun facts, including that a Pirates of the Caribbean film was shot in the area, with production facing challenges due to rapidly changing tides and boats getting stuck.

Descending from the lookout, we reboarded our boat and travelled to the southern part of the island. Here, we spent hours lounging on the sandy shores, swimming, and reveling in the area’s natural beauty. George and I enjoyed a walk along the beach, escaping the crowds. We had a blast climbing the surrounding dunes and searching for animal tracks.

The next morning, we left Airlie Beach early, facing a four-hour drive south to reach the fishing town of Yeppoon. The extremely strong winds that greeted us were concerning, especially as our campsite for our tent was located in an exposed area in an open field. Our afternoon was spent exploring the beach, where the winds had blown away all the light and dry sand off the beach. We did enjoy watching the windsurfers from the shore, as it seemed that they were enjoying quite optimal conditions for their sport!

That evening was a challenge as we tried to prevent our belongings from being carried away by the huge gusts while preparing dinner. That night as we tried to sleep, George had a tough time as the wind continually pushed our tent pole into his face. We woke up with a layer of sand and dust covering us, having blown in through the tiny holes in our tent mesh due to the intense winds. Needless to say, we hastily packed up the next day, eager to leave the blustery conditions behind.

After another morning filled with four hours of driving, we arrived in Agnes Water, a small fishing and beach town about an hour’s drive from the bigger and better-known city of Bundaberg. We set up camp and explored the combined towns of Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy (named after James Cook’s second landing in Australia in 1770). Seventeen Seventy was incredibly small (population 70 people), with a single main street leading to a park with a lookout called Bustard Bay. We enjoyed our time at the lookout and around the headland, and were lucky to see a pod of dolphins from the shore.

We then ventured to Agnes Water, a town filled with holiday homes and extensive beaches. We strolled along the shore and surrounding parkland, exploring the area.

On our way back to our campsite, located a few minutes’ drive inland, we decided to go kangaroo spotting, as we had heard about the abundance of kangaroos in the region. Before even reaching the local kangaroo sanctuary, we encountered about 30 kangaroos and wallabies lounging in the grass beside the road. The experience was magical, especially as the sun began to set, and the animals observed us as we observed them. We didn’t even need to visit the sanctuary in the end because we were able to get our fix from the ones we spotted on these side roads!

The following morning, we packed up our campsite and continued down the coast to Bundaberg, where we attended a tasting session at the Bundaberg soft drink brewery. While Bundaberg is renowned internationally for its rum, it’s also famous for its Ginger Beer and other soft drink varieties. At the brewery, we embarked on a self-guided tour and participated in a guided tasting of 12 different soft drinks, many featuring tropical flavours like guava, pineapple coconut, and mango. The tasting was delicious but left our teeth sore from all the sugar in the drinks. We left the tour each with custom 6-packs of soft drinks that we were able to chose ourselves from all the flavors. A month later, we’re still working our way through them.

Following the tasting tour, we hit the road, heading back to Brisbane. We had a quick day and a half to pack up, clean, and move out of our apartment. It was time to begin our next adventure, starting with a 3-day surf camp in Byron Bay.

We had visited Byron a month earlier and had stayed at a decent campground that we enjoyed, so chose to stay at the same place for five days for our return to Byron. It was conveniently located near town, featured excellent cooking facilities, and was gated, providing security for all of our belongings stored in our car that’d we would be bringing to the Gold Coast with us. We also had our bikes, making it easy to get around Byron.

George discovered a surf school called Soul Surf School that catered to our limited surfing abilities. We were pleased with this company as they provided transportation to and from the surf spots, and we enjoyed the four-hour group lessons each day. The school took us to less crowded areas with easier waves for learning, which we appreciated. George had a bit of a head start in his ability compared to me, but by the end of the first day, both of us were successfully riding the white waves on our boards.

The best part of the 3-day surf camp was that we could build on our skills each day in the water. On the last day, we faced more challenging conditions, leading our instructors to move us to a new beach during the lesson. It was a good reminder of how much wave and current conditions can affect our ability as beginners. We were delighted with the experience!

In addition to the surf camp, our days in Byron offered opportunities to explore new things we hadn’t experienced during our previous visit. Highlights included biking to the Cape Byron Lighthouse twice, where we spotted whales and dolphins from the viewpoint. We also had a fantastic pizza dinner at the well-known Treehouse restaurant and visited a pink lake, colored by tea tree oil, next to Tallow Beach.

Our road trip and surf camp was such a fun way to spend our first round of holidays during our time here in Australia. We’ve since moved to the Gold Coast, where we are spending our time working until the end of November. My next post will talk about some of the adventures we have gotten up to while buckling down, working, and of course, saving up for the next stage of our time in Australia.