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

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
abounds, including Myrtle, the lodge’s pet kangaroo. Those who stay here consider
it a plus that no ferries or cruise boats call and that the lodge is inaccessible to daytrippers
or hikers from other resorts on this 1,215-hectare (3,001-acre) island.
Paradise Bay, Long Island (16km/10 miles southeast of Shute Harbour), Whitsunday Islands; P.O. Box 842, Airlie
Beach, QLD 4802. & 07/4946 9777. Fax 07/4946 9777. www.southlongisland.com. 10 units (all with
shower only). A$5,980 (US$3,887) double for 5 nights (minimum stay). A$800 (US$520) double extra nights.
Rates include all meals, helicopter transfers from Hamilton Island Airport, daily excursions, and equipment.
Rates decrease with longer stays. On “Beachcomber Weeks,” held several times a year, there’s a 50% discount
on 6-night rates—in exchange for helping clean up the island’s shores for an hour a day. MC, V. No
children under 15.
CAMPING ON THE ISLANDS
Despite the fact that camping facilities are almost nonexistent, camping on uninhabited
islands in the Whitsundays is delightful. There are no showers, and few
spots have toilets or even shelters, so be prepared to really rough it. Campfires are
not permitted on the islands, so you will need a gas stove. Island Camping Connection
(& 07/4946 5255) arranges camping on several deserted islands. The
company provides transfers to any island for A$45 (US$29) per person (two-person
minimum) round-trip (price includes water containers). They also rent camping
kits with tent, bedroll, gas stove, mess kit, cutlery, cooler, and torch for A$40
(US$26) for two people for the first day, A$20 (US$13) every day thereafter. You
need to bring other necessities such as toilet paper, linen, insect repellent, and
washing-up gear. They also rent snorkel gear for A$10 (US$6.50) per person for
3 days and A$5 (US$3.25) per day after that, and inflatable double sea kayaks—
ideal for getting around once you are on your island—for A$55 (US$36) per night.
You bring your own food, a sense of adventure, and a permit from the Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service. Permits are A$4 (US$2.60) per person, per night for
anyone over 5 years old or A$16 (US$10) for a family; you can pick them up from
the QPWS office on Shute Harbour Road at Mandalay Road, in Airlie Beach
(& 07/4946 7022). The office is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm,
and most but not all Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. You must organize your boat
transport before you go for your permit—consider a sea kayak! Although there are
loads of sites, book ahead to secure a spot during school vacations.
6 The Capricorn Coast & the Southern Reef Islands
South of the Whitsundays, the Bruce Highway travels through rural country
until it hits the beaches of the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane. It may not be
the tourism heartland of the state, but there’s plenty to discover. The most spectacular
Great Barrier Reef island, Heron Island, is off the coast from Gladstone.
Heron’s reefs offer much to tantalize beneath the ocean’s surface, its waters boasting
21 great dive sites. In summer, giant turtles nest on its beaches and in winter
humpback whales cruise by.
North of Gladstone is Rockhampton and the pretty Capricorn Coast,
named after the Tropic of Capricorn that runs through it. Rockhampton is also
a stepping-stone to Great Keppel Island, a resort island popular with happygo-lucky
travelers and young Aussies on holiday. To the south, off the town of
Bundaberg, lies another tiny coral cay, Lady Elliot Island, which is a nesting
site for tens of thousands of sea birds, and has a first-rate fringing reef. Two little-known
attractions in Bundaberg are its good shore scuba diving and a loggerhead
turtle rookery that operates in summer on the beach. Farther south is
the world’s largest sand island: the World Heritage listed Fraser Island, which
can be negotiated only on foot or by 4WD.