Category: Uncategorized

Posted June 30, 2024
about September 23, 2022

Goanna is the Australian name for monitor lizards, a family of lizard species ranging from the small Dampier Peninsula monitor, only 9 inches long, to the huge Komodo dragon, which can grow up to 10 feet long. Of the approximately 80 species of monitor lizards worldwide, 27 are found in Australia.

We were already familiar with goannas after encountering one species, the lace monitor or tree goanna, on a previous visit to Australia. These particular lizards are large, growing up to 6 feet long, and are adept at climbing trees.

We had spotted one on a hike near Port Stephens and were warned by a fellow hiker to give these lizards enough room so they never feel cornered. When trapped, they tend to panic and will try to climb up and over any obstacle, just like they would a tree. Their claws are very sharp; so this is always bad for the obstacle. Additionally, they can deliver a nasty and venomous bite.

With their big eyes and chubby bellies, they look wonderfully adorable and cuddly, but with the sharp claws, teeth, and venom, there will be no huggy kisses for these lizards!

It was exciting to get an up-close encounter with this goanna, which was quite beautiful and didn’t seem to mind me following it around (from a sensible distance).

Australia has many lizards besides the goanna, including plenty of skinks like these two below that we spotted on the walk.

Australia also has a lot of snakes, but I was glad not to encounter any, as they tend to be venomous. Birds, lizards, kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, tropical fish, whales, and dugongs? Yes, bring them on! Snakes, crocs and sharks? Not so much.

After the walk we found that “deserted” Chance Bay was anything but deserted (as shown in my Chance Bay post). We decided to head back to Legacy. –Cyndi

Posted June 29, 2024
about September 23, 2022

Finishing our hike by stepping from a well-shaded forest onto what may be the brightest white beach we’ve ever seen was quite an experience!

The white sand starkly contrasted with the blue, blue water under a vast expanse of lighter blue sky—a truly remarkable sight! Despite several small tour boats anchored offshore, the beach was expansive enough not to feel crowded.

In fact, finding a secluded section of beach would probably not be difficult. I suspect the tour boats gather at the south end to offer visitors the option of walking the trail to Chance Bay, which is touted by some operators as a “secluded area.” Below is a photo gallery of our visit to Whitehaven Beach.

At the north end of Whitehaven lies an iconic sight—Hill Inlet, a shallow waterway streaked with shifting white sand bars. The beach spans about 3 ¾ miles, too far for us to walk, so our plan was to take our boat there in the coming days.

For now, this visit was all about swimming! With its clear water, white sand, bustling tour boat activity, and other people enjoying the water, this area didn’t seem like shark territory. We felt completely at ease going in over our heads, relishing the warm, pleasant water and beautiful scenery. I had a great time frolicking in the water, and I was understandably reluctant to get out.

However, we faced a trek back through the forest to Chance Bay. And we had some decisions to make about our next destination. –Cyndi

Posted June 27, 2024
about September 23, 2022

The Chance Bay Walk is a forest trail that connects Whitehaven Beach and Chance Bay. The walk is approximately 1.5 miles long and somewhat hilly, but it looked doable for us. Below is an approximate representation of the trail.

 
After making our way across the beach, we set out on the trail. We were surrounded by bushy scrub forest as we left the beach behind, but the trees became taller, greener, and the forest cooler as we gained altitude. It was a welcome respite from the Queensland’s bright sunlight and heat.

I enjoyed the sound of our feet crunching on the leaf-strewn path and the steady rhythm of our walk, interrupted at times when I’d stop to take photos, then rush to catch up with Rich who walked ahead of me.

At one point, the forest suddenly opened up, letting in more light, and our trail became surrounded by bushy plants known as grass trees. Tufted poofs with long thin leaves lined the path, giving it a fairyland appearance. We could hear birds and the occasional rustle of critters in the underbrush. Soon, the trees closed in around us again, and we were back in the darker, cooler air. There is something so special about being surrounded by a forest; it’s like medicine for the soul.

As we neared the end of the trail, we got our first glimpse of the sand of Whitehaven. It seemed to be a fitting name as the sand was so white it appeared like a light at the end of a tunnel of trees. Below is a gallery of photos from our walk.

As we neared the tunnel’s end, we could see we were about to enter a world of white and blue. Already I could see this would be a very special beach. –Cyndi

Posted June 17, 2024 about
September 23,2022

After we’d settled in at Crano Cove, we got in our dinghy and motored over to East Chance Bay, which is likely the second most famous beach in the Whitsundays. The most famous is, of course, Whitehaven Beach, located a few kilometers away on the east side of Whitsunday Island.

There is a trail that connects these two beaches. The walk is about 1.5 miles in length, but the terrain is pretty easy. Many people choose to visit both beaches by taking this trail, which is what we planned to do.

While there were a number of boats in anchorage off the beach, we saw only a few people on the beach as we approached. Much like Turtle Bay, the water near the shore took on beautiful shades ranging from blue to blue-green.

Below are some photos taken from the dinghy in the morning and later in the afternoon when the beach had more sun, and a lot more visitors.

Upon landing, we stepped into soft sand, more light beige than white. The beach gently sloped up to the line of trees and was quite expansive. On its east side, the beach ended at the base of a long and fairly high hill that made up that headland. The west headland was a small humped hill, beyond which was another beach that wasn’t visible from this one.

The hill backing the beach was low and topped with bushy scrub forest, but its sandy base was reminiscent of sand dunes, making this beach seem even larger.

We walked along the beach, taking photos whenever the sun broke through the clouds since the morning had been overcast. It was lovely here, but we didn’t have much time to linger as we had a hike to ahead of us (the subject of the next post).

Later, when we returned from our hike, the beach was much busier as a few tour boats had arrived. They’d set up a bunch of blue shade tents, and people were scattered about on the beach and basking in the shallow water near the shore.

It wasn’t actually that crowded, but something about this reminded me of the beach scene from Jaws. I pushed that thought aside and waded into the warm water to get a few photos before we took off in the dinghy.

Overall, I’d say Chance Bay Beach was pretty exceptional, but it did lose some of its appeal when there were a lot of people about. My advice to other cruisers would be to go early in the day before the tour boats arrive. I will say, though, that even when crowded with tourists, it’s still a beautiful spot. –Cyndi

Posted June 16, 2024 about
September 23, 2022

The name Chance Bay, our next destination on Whitsunday Island, actually refers to a large area that contains two distinct bays. Below, a map of the entire Chance Bay area:

 
The beachy eastern bay is generally what people are thinking of when talking about Chance Bay. It’s wide, with two white sand beaches separated by a small headland. A large peninsula called Theo’s Point forms the western border of this bay. Below is a drone photo of the bay.

On the other side of the peninsula is a deeply indented bay called Crano Cove. Crano Cove is technically part of Chance Bay, but it’s very different in its look and feel and generally not visited by tourists. Below is a photo of Crano Cove.

We headed off for our hour-long trip to Chance Bay. As we motored past an anchorage known as Crayfish Bay, I was disconcerted to see quite a few boats. Where did they all come from, and what were they doing there at Crayfish Bay (less of an attraction than Turtle or Chance Bay)? I worried this could be a sign that Chance Bay was crowded. Below, a photo of Crayfish Bay.

As we motored along, the scenery was attractively mountainous. It wasn’t long before we went around a rugged point (Craig’s Point), after which we were able to see the entire Chance Bay area. I was relieved to see Crano Cove, our Plan B spot, was not busy at all! Further on, though, eastern Chance Bay had a good number of boats.

We motored over to get a closer look at the eastern bay. The hills here were very low, with drier vegetation and two strikingly white beaches. And boats. Lots of boats. With that, we decided to head back to Crano Cove, away from the crowd. We could still visit the beach by dinghy.

Below are photos of our trip, starting with our approach to Craig’s Point, then seeing the Chance Bay area ahead. Crano Cove hardly had any boats, while the beach area looked busy. After going in for a closer look, we returned to Crano Cove (the final photo).

Crano Cove itself has an inviting beach, but it’s very shallow. This makes it necessary to anchor well outside of it, where the water is dark and the shore rugged and rocky. We were still inside the mountainous headland that borders Chance Bay to the west, and Theo’s Point peninsula to the east. An island southeast of Chance Bay adds some protection to the area.

Below is view of Crano Cove from the water and from above.

Rich picked a sweet spot tucked in behind a small island that was nearly attached to the shore, giving us our own little “bay” of sorts. Below, a photo of our spot . . .

Here, the scenery had a mountainous beauty, with boulders, pines, and a mountain topped by a dramatic granite peak. This looked more like Tasmania than anything I’d associate with the Barrier Reef. And while it lacked the beachy vibe of what I’ll call East Chance Bay, it was stunning. We were very happy with this spot! Below are photos of the view around our boat.

And a few more photos from above, taken with the drone . . .

After we got settled in, it was time to dinghy over to eastern bay and its beaches, which will be the subject of the next post. –Cyndi