Camping in the Whitsunday Islands
Camping
We celebrated Sal’s birthday camping in the Whitsunday Islands National Park. We stayed at South Molle Island for two nights enjoying the waters around which are part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
We were fortunate to be alone at Paddle Bay during our entire visit to the island. The white coral beaches, transparent emerald waters, tropical forest, fauna, and views of this island were spectacular. We spent our first day enjoying Paddle Bay beach and took a walk to Mid Molle Island which is connected by a sandy line accessible during low tide. We found warning signs recommending to not swim in the ocean because there had been crocodile sightings in the area. We never thought crocodiles could swim in the sea but now we know everything wild is possible in Australia! Despite our initial hesitation to swim, we enjoyed snorkeling and viewing our only visitors, marine turtles š
On the second day, we hiked around the island, approximately 13.6 km (8.5 miles), exploring the Balancing Rock, Spion Kop, and Sandy Bay. During our hike we delighted our eyes with unique Australian vegetation and birds including Grasstrees, Cockatoos, and Bush Stone-Curlews. Spion Kop had some gorgeous views of the rest of the Whitsunday Islands. We had a pleasant lunch and refreshing swim at Sandy Beach before heading back to our campsite.
We were happy to celebrate Sal’s life anniversary witnessing the sunset at the beach and appreciating the way in which nature continues to embrace us with her bright blanket of stars every night…
