Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Tips Great Whitsunday Walking
The Whitsundays will have the first of six Great Walks of Queensland currently
being developed. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (& 07/
4946 7022; www.env.qld.gov.au) is planning tracks that will highlight some
of Queensland’s most valuable parks and forests in World Heritage areas.
The Whitsundays Great Walk is due to open in June 2004, covering 36km
(22 miles) in Conway State Forest and Conway National Park, behind Airlie
Beach. The walk will offer a range of walking experiences from half-days to
extended overnight adventures. Start the walk at the parking lot at the end
of Brandy Creek Road, a short drive from Cannonvale. The trail will wind in
three stages from Brandy Creek to Airlie Beach, with two camp sites at
12km (7 1 ⁄2 miles)intervals. Walkers should take drinking water with them,
as the water in natural systems is not good for drinking. A second Great
Walk will open on Fraser Island in June 2004 (p. 336).
Harbour Road at Mandalay Road, 2.5 km (1 1 ⁄2 miles) northeast of Airlie Beach,
has maps and self-guiding brochures; it’s open Monday through Friday from 8am
to 5pm and most, but not all, Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.
SEA KAYAKING If you have strong arms, sea kayaking is a wonderful way to
enjoy the islands. Daydream Island and the beaches and bays of the North, Mid,
and South Molle are all within paddling distance of the mainland. It’s common
to see dolphins, turtles, and sharks. One of the area’s most established operators
is Salty Dog Sea Kayaking (& 07/4946 1388; www.saltydog.com.au), which
takes escorted trips through the islands. Half-day trips run on Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Saturday and full-day trips on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, departing
Shute Harbour at 8:30am. A half-day trip is A$50 (US$33) per person, and
a day trip is A$90 (US$59). Three- and 6-day trips, where you camp out, are
A$395 (US$257) and A$995 (US$647); rates include snorkel gear, meals, hotel
pickup, and, on overnight trips, camping gear. They also deliver sea kayaks to
you anywhere in the Whitsundays. A full day’s rental is from A$50 (US$33) for
a single kayak, A$60 (US$39) for a double, including delivery and pickup and
all safety equipment. A A$200 (US$130) security deposit is required for rentals.
WATERSPORTS Airlie Beach is not great for swimming or snorkeling, but
you can rent jet skis, WaveRunners, windsurfers, aquabikes, pedal cats, catamarans,
and paddle skis to use on the bay. Choose from the several rental outfits
along the beach.
AIRLIE BEACH
640km (384 miles) S of Cairns; 1,146km (687 miles) N of Brisbane
The town of Airlie Beach, only a few blocks long, is the focal point of activity on
the Whitsunday mainland. It has some decent accommodations, a small selection
of good restaurants and bars, a boutique or two, and facilities such as banks and
a supermarket. Cruises and yachts depart from either Shute Harbour, a 10-
minute drive south on Shute Harbour Road, or Abel Point Marina, a 10-minute
walk west along the shore or a quick drive over the hill on Shute Harbour Road.
Airlie Beach has a new A$8 million (US$5.2-million) artificial lagoon, offset
by sandy beaches and landscaped parkland, which resolves the problem of where
to swim in stinger season. The lagoon is the size of about six full-size Olympic