Queensland: The Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef

Last summer while I was working at Fleet Feet, I found myself having a conversation with a woman who visited her daughter in Australia. She told me two things: 1. If she could live anywhere in the world, she would live in Melbourne, Australia; 2. You must see the Whitsunday Islands. I haven't made all of my decisions based on this one woman's advice; however, the Whitsundays were always in the back of my mind as a beautiful, must-see place in Australia, especially to see the Great Barrier Reef (which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world)!

At the end of the semester, just as classes were ending, my friend Jackie and I took a trip to Queensland, more specifically to Airlie Beach, which is situated between Brisbane and Cairns. Airlie Beach was rather touristy because, second to Cairns (which is farther north), it is a great starting point if you want to see the Whitsunday Islands. After we settled ourselves in the YHA, Jackie and I booked a two night/three day snorkeling and sailing tour. We spent some time exploring the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't go in the water immediately along because of jelly fish and potential sharks, but there was a nice stretch of beach and a lagoon, so we spent a lot of our days and nights near the water.

Although I was excited about our sailing trip, I was particularly hesitant because almost exactly three years ago I vowed to never step foot on a sailboat again. After a particularly long and nauseating sailing trip during my last week as a counselor at Fairview Lake, I realized that I have terrible motion sickness and I do not function well on boats. The sailing trip was the only feasible means of seeing the reef though so I prepared with plenty of anti-motion sickness pills and boarded the boat. Thankfully, I spent almost all 48 hours completely fine and the trip was fantastic.

Our boat was primarily filled with backpackers from Germany, a guy from Spain and a girl from Italy (the first two people I have met from both countries while in Australia), two women from South America, a woman from France, a girl from Canada, a few girls from the UK, and a small group from some Scandanavian country (which is really just a guess based on their language).

I, unfortunately, managed to lose my voice on this trip, which was inconvenient in such a social situation; however, I managed to have a number of enlightening conversations. Although the language barrier and lack of voice made it difficult, I spent a lot of time conversing with Daniel from Madrid. Spanish is the only other language that I know (to some degree) so it was nice to finally meet someone from Spain, at least there was the chance that we could rely on a language other than English to convey certain points. Plus, Daniel was studying journalism and writing. It was refreshing to also meet someone from a different country and language studying a similar field. He recommended quite a few South American and Spanish authors and even sent me a few of his own translations of Mario Benedetti's poems! Jackie and I also spent some time mastering our German language skills. I now know a series of very useless phrases; however, it's a beginning (just like my Dutch skills).

Aside from the social aspect, we spent the full-day visiting White Haven Beach, snorkeling, and scuba diving. The beach was comprised entirely of silica and the water was perfectly clear. We had some fun exploring the bit of forest that preceded the water and then swam around for a bit. After some time on the beach, we took a small boat back to the sailboat. One of the crew members asked if anyone trusted him. Apparently, I was the only one and so I got to stay on this small, motor-powered boat, which I immediately regreted and simultaneously loved. I got to go on a bit of a super-fast joy ride, rather terrifying, but fun. I held on with all of my might. After we arrived on our sailboat, we put wet suits on and got in the water to snorkel for a while. The minute we entered the water, I was completely stunned. The reef was so colorful and alive; it was nice to be able to look straight out into the water, eyes undisturbed. I think I could have snorkelled all day - it was so peaceful and unlike anything I have ever done before.

Later on in the day, we went scuba diving, which was even more amazing. There were some certified divers, but because we were uncertified we could only do an introductory dive. The night before the dive we were informed as to what to expect. I almost chose not to do the dive after the information session, due to the fact that we were told that if we held our breath at all and ascended to the surface, our lungs would essentially explode because of the pressure change. We were also told that if we did not properly seal our goggles and clear our noses we could end up with black eyes. It all sounded really unpleasant; however, I practiced breathing while snorkeling and felt completely prepared for diving. The introductory dive allowed us to go down approximately 8m (24 feet) and spend about thirty minutes underwater. It was amazing to temporarily defy human limitations and to fully explore the reef. So we swam for a while amidst the coral and the fish. It was so quiet except for the sound of my breathing. Occasionally, I felt myself panic a bit, but once I got my breathing in control, it was one-hundred percent beautiful and captivating. Returning to the surface was a bit saddening, so we snorkeled a bit more and laid on the beach. We spent the rest of the trip relaxing on the deck and admiring our surroundings.

The night we returned to Airlie Beach, we went out with everyone on our boat, still voiceless, I tried to stay out, but went back a bit early. The next evening, some of our German friends who also went on a boat tour returned, so we spent time with them and some other backpackers on the beach. It was kind of unreal: there were some kids from America, Canada, and France on the beach playing a bongo-like drum and spinning fire on ropes. Oh, youth. I learned some useful German words and phrases and a bit about the culture, ultimately discovering my desire to formally learn German and hopefully one day visit Germany. The funniest part about this (which may only be funny to me and Jackie) is that we went to Airlie Beach with a Dutch Language and Grammar book that I borrowed from the library and as we sat near the lagoon practicing our Dutch, we met some people from Germany, and then almost everyone we met after that was also from Germany. To reiterate, meeting people from so many different countries and conversing with them was definitely my favourite part of my experience abroad in addition to seeing so many beautiful cities and landscapes. Our German friends conveniently had a car, so we spent one of our final days attempting to find one of the national parks in the area. We eventually found Conway National Park and did some hiking and exploring.

The following day, I had to leave, but Jackie stayed for a few additional days. We spent some time near the lagoon for my last few hours. I brought my backpack and mentally prepared to leave. It was at this point that I realized traveling is extremely emotionally wearing. As much as I loved meeting so many people so rapidly and forging fast friendships, it gets extremely overwhelming to have to keep parting. It's worth it and I loved it, but still, it pulls on the heart a bit.

I have to say, leaving Airlie Beach was one the most difficult and disappointing moments of my time abroad. I didn't want to stay forever, but I think that the next time I am in a beautiful place I will ensure I do not leave by myself. The bus to the airport was so long and lonely, the plane ride was just plain long, and when I arrived in Melbourne it was ice-cold and rainy. I did find myself missing Melbourne a bit. Whenever I left Melbourne to go elsewhere, I found myself desiring it again, so it was nice to be back, but just so cold! Queensland is located above the Tropic of Capricorn, so it's much warmer and well, tropical.

Again, a completely beautiful and moving experience in Australia. If I ever return to Australia (or I should say, when I return to Australia) I would ideally like to take a roadtrip up from Melbourne to Cairns. There were so many backpackers traveling either down or up the coast (most up, probably to escape the winter weather in the south) that it would be so easy to travel alone, but meet tons of people on the way. Plus, one day I plan on getting myself to Townsville, which is just south of Cairns, so that I can cuddle a koala (clearly a priority in my animal-loving life). Cairns also seems a bit more intense in terms of ancient forests, rough seas, and adventure activities; definitely worth exploring someday. Also, more as a note to myself, I would like to see the west coast too. From what I've gathered, it is less populated and more remote and wild. I am very curious to explore it. And then there is Darwin and Tasmania. So many reasons to return.