Hamilton Island, QLD

Posted on October 14, 2017 by kenwehner

11 October 2017

Pic 2017-1011 02 Hamilton Island (24) Edit

Hamilton Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands between coastal town Airlie Beach and the mid-section of the Great Barrier Reef. Unlike most of the islands, Hamilton has a fully developed community including post office, grocery store, airport, and school. We spent a half day exploring the island as part of a chartered island tour from Port of Airlie but could have easily spent the entire day. We took the free shuttle bus to get a feel for the island but spent most of our time at Cats Eye Beach where we rented kayaks. If we had more time, we would have rented a golf cart and taken a hike to explore further. Everyone enjoyed our visit.

 

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Whitehaven Beach, QLD

Posted on October 13, 2017 by kenwehner

11 October 2017

Pic 2017-1011 04 Whitehaven Beach (39) Edit

Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island is often considered the best beach in Australia and regularly ranked top-10 in the world. The island has not been developed but can be accessed by boat from Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island. We spent an afternoon on the beach as part of a chartered island tour from Port of Airlie. Beyond its remote location, the water is crystal clear and it’s fine pure white sand almost looks and feels like baking flour. The beach is 7 km (4.3 miles) long so if you have enough time to walk from the drop-off point, you could achieve near solitude, near perfection. We only had a few hours so we spent enjoying it amongst the other tourist.

Is it as nice as its reputation? Yes and no, it all depends on your perspective. Visually, it is fantastic. As a dad with family in tow, I’d give up a little perfection for clean toilets, easy parking, and picnic facilities. All-in-all it was beautiful and we enjoyed the experience.

Pic 2017-1011 04 Whitehaven Beach (30) Edit

Pic 2017-1011 04 Whitehaven Beach (37) Edit

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Airlie Beach, QLD

Posted on October 13, 2017 by kenwehner

10 – 13 October 2017

Pic 2017-1013 02 Airlie (18) Edit

Travelling south from Townsville our next major stop was at Airlie Beach, another popular tourist destination for accessing the Great Barrier Reef. The area is known as the Whitsunday Region for the Whitsunday Islands between the coast and the Great Barrier Reef. The town of Airlie Beach and neighboring Cannonvale and Jubilee Pocket provide a great base camp for venturing into the islands and reef. It offers all the amenities you’d expect in any small town. We spent one full day on an island tour that included Hamilton Island and Whitehaven Beach and another full day on a tour to Hardy Reef. Both cruises departed from Port of Airlie, an easy walk to the edge of town.

Airlie has a very nice lagoon pool, rivaling that of Cairns, however we ran out of time to swim. It is a fun little beach town that I wished we had one more day to spend.

 

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Townsville, QLD

Posted on October 12, 2017 by kenwehner

8 & 9 October 2017

Pic 2017-1009 01 Townsville (17) Edit

Townsville is the largest city in Queensland north of Sunshine Coast. It is roughly the size of Ft. Lauderdale. It is the unofficial capital of North Queensland and the home of NRL’s North Queensland Cowboys. Townsville is popular with tourists due to its adjacency to the midsection of the Great Barrier Reef and Magnetic Island.

We spent the day taking a walking tour of the city including the Strand, Kissing Point, Jezzine Fort, Castle Hill, Flinders Street, and had dinner on Palmer Street near our hotel. We enjoyed Townsville, it was a nice place to spend time.

Townsville

Pic 2017-1009 02 Townsville Castle Hill (2) Edit

Pic 2017-1009 02 Townsville Castle Hill (13) Edit

Views from Castle Hill

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Jourama Falls, QLD

Posted on October 11, 2017 by kenwehner

8 October 2017

Pic 2017-1008 07 Jourama Falls (40) Edit

Jourama Falls is located in Paluma Range National Park west of Ingham. The falls themselves are nice but the hike and surroundings was quite enjoyable. We were glad we stopped even though it was not on our agenda for the day.

 

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Wallaman Falls, QLD

Posted on October 11, 2017 by kenwehner

8 October 2017

Pic 2017-1008 06 Wallaman Falls (25) Edit

Wallaman Falls, Australia’s tallest waterfall, is located in Girringun National Park. It is 305 meters (1,000 feet) tall. It is a short walk from the car park to the overlook. The drive to the car park however is a little more challenging. The effort was well worth it.

 

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Kurrimine Beach to Townsville

Posted on October 10, 2017 by kenwehner

8 October 2017

Today’s goal was simple, drive from Kurrimine Beach to Townsville, about a 3-hour drive. Along the way we decided to make a quick stop, then another, then another… 10 hours later we made it to Townsville. Along the way we stopped at Murray Falls, Tully, Cardwell, Wallaman Falls, and Jourama Falls and took more than a few rural roads through sugarcane country. It turned out to be a remarkable day.

Pic 2017-1008 03 Murray Falls (27) Edit

Murray Falls

Pic 2017-1008 05 Hinchinbrook (4) Edit

Hitchinbrook Lookout

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The Cassowary Coast, QLD

Posted on October 9, 2017 by kenwehner

6 – 8 October 2017

The Cassowary Coast is an area between Cairns and Townsville in northern Queensland known for the endangered bird of the same name. The towns along the coast provide access various points on the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed in a caravan park on Kurrimine Beach and spent time at Mission Beach and Etty Bay. The beaches are easily accessible with small towns that provide basic amenities. Inland, fields of sugarcane and banana trees stretch from the beaches to the mountains.

Cassowary Birds are flightless birds that are third in size to only ostriches and emus. They are rare and rarely seen. We have seen them previously at the Australia Zoo and most recently at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure.

Pic 2017-1007 02 Mission Bay Beach (49) Edit

Mission Beach

Pic 2017-1007 04 Etty Bay Beach (30) Edit

Pic 2017-1007 04 Etty Bay Beach (20) Edit

Etty Bay

Pic 2017-1007 06 Kurrimine Beach (2) Edit

Kurrimine Beach

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Atherton Tablelands, QLD

Posted on October 8, 2017 by kenwehner

6 October 2017

Today we started our trip south from Cairns through the Atherton Tablelands, a scenic area of the Great Diving Range. We visited and hiked to several lakes and waterfalls. It was a similar experience to our drive of the Waterfall Way in New South Wales.

If you like waterfalls, check out the pictures below.  The most amazing site to us was Lake Eachum.  We have never seen such clear water in a lake before.  My pictures fail to capture it adequately.

Pic 2017-1006 02 Lake Barrine (3) Edit

Lake Barrine and the Twin Bull Kauris Trees, over 50 meters tall

Pic 2017-1006 04 Lake Eachum (17) Edit

Lake Eachum and Hike

Pic 2017-1006 05 Malanda Falls (3) Edit

Malanda Falls

Three major drops of Dinner Falls in Mount Hypipamee National Park

The Crater in Mount Hypipamee National Park

Taking the road less travelled

Pic 2017-1006 10 Millaa Millaa Falls (6) Edit

Millaa Millaa Falls

Zillie Falls

Pic 2017-1006 13 Ellinjaa Falls (5) Edit

Ellinjaa Falls

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Cairns, QLD

Posted on October 7, 2017 by kenwehner

1 – 5 October 2017

Pic 2017-1003 04 GBR Green Island Boat (37) Edit

Cairns (pronounced ‘cans’) is the on the coast of northern Queensland and the defacto gateway to the Great Barrier Reef for many tourists. Its location makes it a perfect base camp for exploring the Daintree Rainforest, Breat Barrier Reef, Port Douglas, Atherton Tablelands, and the surrounding attractions. The city itself has some nice features including an esplanade with an impressive (free) water park, playground, and a street lined with restaurants and shops. We enjoyed dining street-side in the evenings after busy days out.

 

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