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On arrival at Whitehaven Beach we were amazed at not only
its length but also its shinning white sand.
Whitehaven Beach runs a staggering four nautical miles and
draws tourists and boaters like bees to honey.
That being said, at three plus nautical miles in length
there is plenty of room for everyone and everyone can have their own little
piece of paradise for the day, week, month or year!
Whitehaven Beach claims to have the whitest sands of any
beach in the world and while a claim that is held to be true I am not sure that
there aren’t many more beaches in the world with white sand (the very beautiful
Hyams Beach on the south coast of New South Wales with its pristine white sand
springs easily to mind, for example), after-all surely white is white? In fact,
the sand at Whitehaven is not really sand but rather silica (quartz sand).
Silica doesn’t retain heat which makes walking on it a pleasurable experience.
It is thought the incredibly fine silica sand on Whitehaven
was brought to the beach via prevailing currents over millions of years as
there is no silica present in any rocks which surround it.
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| Bianca and Abi on Whitehaven beach! |
During our time in the Whitsundays we decided to take on
some fuel in preparation for our return trip. I can attest that Shute Harbour
has the cheapest fuel on the Whitsundays being almost $1.00 per gallon / 26
cents per litre cheaper than the rather pricey Abel Point Marina.
After plenty of relaxing at anchor we decided to move once
more and head for a place called Nara Inlet.
Nara Inlet is described as being like the Fiords in Norway
and while I see some resemblance we were missing the snow-capped mountains.
Nara Inlet on Hook Island in the Whitsundays boasts some very old Aboriginal cave paintings.
In the steep wooded hills around the inlet there are a
number of 'caves', really rock overhangs, which show signs of Aboriginal
habitation going back some eight thousand years and in one of these at the
northern end of the inlet there are Aboriginal paintings. While there are
locals who say these were painted as a hoax by early tourist operators, experts
from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Office of Heritage and the
Arts are satisfied they are genuine, though it is possible some touching-up has
been done. In 1987 the National Parks and Wildlife Service erected a fence and
boardwalk to protect this particular cave and the paintings as much from the local
goat population as well as human interference.
Once anchored safely in Nara Inlet we decided that it was
time to tender to the site where these cave painting were. As we motored
towards the small beach which led to the caves we were in awe of the scenery we
saw along the way, truly beautiful.
Once at the beach we secured our tender and headed up
towards the steps which led to the cave. Once we had climbed the 44 million
steps (well, that is what it felt like!) the art was very impressive and made
the journey well worth it. With story boards and audio telling the story of the
Ngaro people from long ago, we all felt as if we had stepped back in time.
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Truly amazed at how well preserved the art was.
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Link above is a 360 degree of Pendana at Hamilton Island
Marina.
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Pendana heading south towards Hamilton Island early in the morning.
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After relaxing a little it was time to collect our electric
buggy that we had leased for our stay. Basically, all of Hamilton Island is car
free and other than the odd bus ferrying tourists around and/or council
vehicles, the only other mode of transport is by foot or golf buggy and while I
thought of these two alternatives seriously (for about a millisecond) I decided
the buggy would be best!!
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Rush hour on Hamilton Island.
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After we had spent enough time on Hamilton Island we decided
to try our luck and head south for Shaw Island in the morning as we were all
very keen to truly get away from it all after the high tourist numbers on
Hamilton Island.
Shaw Island is well south of Hamilton Island and outside the
area where hire yachts can travel so I for one was looking forward to a little
less crowded anchorage. After a pleasant three hour run south we arrived at
what was a truly magnificent island which was away from it all.
Beautiful Shaw Island.
Shaw Island lies south of the famous Lindeman Island and is
once again paradise on earth. Deserted beaches, fine white sand, calm crystal
clear waters and a peacefulness that is hard to put into words. It reminded me
of that lovely feeling I had as a child, wrapped up in bed all snug as a bug in
a rug, listening the rain fall on our roof. The feeling of calm, safety and
tranquillity was overwhelming and Shaw Island delivered in spades.
The beautiful Whitsundays is truly a place that all boaters
should visit. It’s a remarkable place with words and photos only being able to
convey a fraction of its beauty and sense of serenity. Pendana is now home in
Sydney waters after a six month trip away, covering some 2,500nms/4,689klms or
in other words the same distance as Sydney to Samoa, London to Nova Scotia
(Canada) or New York to French Guiana (South America). I must say that the
overall journey was a wonderful experience and one that we all enjoyed and
other than 24 hours of some pretty nasty weather off the Fraser Island coast
(+5 metre seas) we did in the main have perfect conditions for the entire time
we were away.
If you decide to head for the Whitsundays then I can highly
recommend Hamilton Island Marina as it is the best marina for long or short
stays without doubt. Shute Harbour is by far the cheapest for fuel and however
much time you plan to spend in this part of the world, it won’t be long enough.
Both Claire and I commented that we could easily spend a few years in this area
and not see it all.
More information on Pendana can be found at www.pendanablog.com
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