Back to backpacking…
Lets find some different Aussisms for you then:
- Muddie – A Queensland mud crab, also known as a mangrove crab and considered a culinary delicacy
- Earbash – To talk endlessly or boringly
- Have death adders in the pocket – A reason why someone is miserly with their money: it may be offered as an explanation or excuse
Location: Abel Point Marina, Airlie Beach, Queensland.
Weather: Blustery winds but sunshine as ever, 29c
“Don’t expect much” people had been telling me for ages about South Molle Island, or Koala Adventure Island as it has now been re-branded, “It’ll be an experience” they said…hmmm I want to go and see this one for myself I thought, could be interesting!
We’d just arrived at Abel Point marina on Descarada after a night away and on the way up the pontoon spotted the catamaran ‘Pride of Airlie’ from Adventure Island which would very soon be taking us across for some fun times with the backpackers – something I haven’t really done since arriving here in the Whitsundays and they make up a huge percentage of the market.
The crew welcomed us as we climbed onboard, ran through the safety briefing and most importantly made sure all of the alcohol was chilling in the Eskys at the back of the boat – this was going to be a drinking holiday I could tell! As we left the harbour I chatted to a few of my fellow passengers who were from far and wide across the planet; a couple of Brits, some Italian girls and a couple from Spain – this was going to be an international affair.
Our short sail across the Molle Channel brought us to the long jetty in the centre of bay onto which the resort looks. It’s a stunning location with a long sandy beach forming a half crescent lined by palm trees and the accommodation block peeks out from behind. The perfectly mowed grassy area hides on of the holes of the golf course – now that’s something I wasn’t expecting to find here.
We bump into some other people on the way to reception who stop and have a quick chat with us…I’d forgotten quite how friendly this scene is actually and arriving at reception the friendly Maria is there to issue our room keys, give us a quick run down of the resort and issue us with the standard Wednesday night uniform – coloured plastic bags, from which we have to make our clothes for tonight’s fun and games!
The room is all you need as a backpacker – no frills, just a simple room with bed, wardrobe, TV and bathroom. It won’t win any awards for ‘Luxury Accommodation’ but then again it’s not trying to – the room serves a purpose very well, to provide the backpacker travelling on a tight budget with somewhere to rest their head after they’ve had a chaotic night out with their friends.
Bre and I wander out to explore and find out about what’s on offer here and arrive at the most impressive freshwater pool I’ve been to for a long while…a full 25m swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers, tables and chairs, perfect for soaking up the suns rays.
Adventure Island has some of the best walking tracks in the Whitsundays and as part of my attempted recovery in time for the Hamilton Island triathlon, I decide to head out to discover why. Crossing the golf course and practice green the path climbs up through the canopy of the forest and out along the headland giving stunning views across the island and beyond towards Hamilton Island in the distance.
We pass a famous old quarry from which local Aborigines made spearheads many years ago, some of which have been found hundreds of kilometres away. There are a number of tracks that wind their way along the island all well kept and exhilarating to finish.
Back at the resort the preparations are underway for the evenings entertainment. Wednesday night means ‘Plastic Fantastic’ and Bre (in her usual superb manner) sets about creating our costumes which, we hope, will wow the other backpackers….so what do you think, pretty good huh?
We sit down for dinner with the owner of the island, Craig, a brilliant, interesting man who’s been here for a few years and has recently decided to rename and revamp the island to make it appeal directly to the backpacking markets – and it works very well; there’s an exciting way to get across from the mainland, a great atmosphere on arrival and cheap, comfortable accommodation. If I’d have found this last year whilst travelling around Africa then I’d still be there I think!
As the evening progresses more people arrive all dressed up in fancy dress and the night takes on a party atmosphere – there’s games going off on the dance floor, banging tunes and plenty of shot being drunk at the bar! Bre even manages to win one of the competitions to pick up a box with her teeth from the floor – three nights free accommodation, not bad at all!
I head back to the room leaving Bre to dance the night away as only she can, her boundless energy perfect to motivate the other party-goers there. The need to do work overpowers my desire to stay and attempt to dance…I skulk off before anyone notices.
The dawn of the new day signals another attempt at golf for me, Adventure island has a superb nine-hole golf course which is immaculately looked after and together with Craig and Ben head to the first for some fun…nearly 90 minutes later we’ve finished digging our way around the course and arrive back at the most important one here – the tenth, or the watering hole as it’s more favourably known.
As the morning plods on I decide to sit by the pool and catch up on some work, the blog needs some serious attention and there’s a breakfast menu to try our too. Nothing too sophisticated just good old fashioned hearty grub – a bacon and egg muffin.
Ben the General Manager explains to me that a few months prior to our visit Coca Cola actually used the bay and the resort as the location for their latest Summer Advert as its such a picturesque place…have a look at the clip below to see why:
The hours fly by as I go between work and the cooling waters of the pool and before I know it its time to pack my things up and head back to Hamilton Island minus one important thing – Bre. She had so much during the previous evening that she decides to stay one more night to dress up, dance a bit and have some fun!
As I head down the jetty to catch the boat I realise that I miss the world of backpacking – the care free lifestyle, never knowing what the day of the week is, socialising until the sun comes up and having the best of times…Koala Adventure Island encapsulates this state of mind, bottles it and lets other people from around the planet taste it. Well done to all involved for location which serves its purpose perfectly. Oh I wish I was there for the full moon party later in the month!
End of day location: South Molle Island
Distance travelled: 20kms
