Google says 2022 ranks as possibly the wettest year on record for Sydney. But really, all it takes is opening the blinds each morning to come to that conclusion. “What’s happened to sunny Sydney? -- city of beaches, blue skies, walks around the harbour and sipping something cold in the sun?” When friends in London are complaining about sweltering heat and you’re watching rain pelt your balcony, you know the world’s turned upside down. This is where we were by the end of October, and we had to find a quick and easy fix.
“Let’s go camping!” Then, the reality of driving a van through potential rain and the resulting muddy camp sites killed that idea. Instead, we found a music festival in Airlie Beach and booked tickets. We’re off to Far North Queensland. No, it isn’t Mykonos or Sicily or even sunny Sydney, but besides music, we’ve planned an old school road trip with a few nights on Magnetic Island, which promises some of the best beaches in all of Australia.
With no mask requirement, flying now seems strangely “normal’, though every cough or nose sniff from fellow passengers is met with violent head turns and death stares (and that’s just from Robert). We arrive easily and walk out into the tropical Cairns heat, bags in tow. First stop – pick up the rental – then a small natural waterpark an hour south called Josephine Falls. This is just what the doctor ordered. After only a few turns racing down bumpy rocks, life is good again. The water feels incredible, and the crowds are few – for the moment. We had enough time to remind ourselves how amazingly beautiful and untouched so much of Australia is. That’s easy to forget when you’re rain-trapped in the big smoke. But just as we’re fully transported to holiday mode, a busload of school age day trippers arrive. We got out before our Eden was overrun.
For us, a road trip normally includes relaxed convo and sing-alongs (scream-alongs) with few stops and cruise control firmly set 1-5 kph over limit. Not on this adventure. The Bruce Highway Upgrade has us winding around back roads with constant starts and stops for lane reductions. Ummmmmm, not so relaxing. The plan is to break up the first part of the trip by stopping in Townsville and see if it lives up to its recent award as “#1 sht town of Australia”. A friend sent us this link the day before we left. There’s nothing like expectation management.
The drive did feel strangely familiar. This is sugar cane country - replace the Queenslanders with Acadian homes, and you could be on Highway 90 heading to New Orleans from Morgan City, Louisiana. Australians, on the other hand, had enough funds and foresight to build cane tramways linking fields and farms to sugar mills in nearby towns. There was no chance we’d be stuck behind a cane truck after harvest. (If you know, you know). There was also the Big Mango to remind you of what part of AU you were driving through.
Finally getting into Townsville, we're met with what fortunately doesn't live up to its recently voted number one spot. Sure, it’s industrial, but we stayed near a beachside promenade, found a relaxed water-views restaurant with tasty margaritas, had a morning of good coffee and walked the stone bulkhead next to the Ferry Terminal to look back at this (unofficial) capital of North Queensland. All in all, we think Townsville should do an ad campaign: “. . . not as sht as you think!” Glad we stopped for the night.
Planning this trip, Airlie Beach Festival of Music (ABFoM) was going to be the highlight and the reason we scheduled when we did. Instead, it became a sidebar - not quite what we expected. The 10-year-old fest includes venues around this small coastal town and is an annual centre piece for tourism. With our past fest experience, we had a plan: wake to a swim, wander from tent to tent and catch big acts before heading back to our hotel. The problem is the daytime acts are spread around pubs and restaurants which can make for awkward standing/seating and scheduling. We spent three nights in the one main tent and heard some good music, but it was more old school rock and less rhythm and blues/jazz. Our standouts were Lloyd Spiegel, Eskimo Joe, The Animals – playing with their original drummer of 57 years - and Rogue Traders. Otherwise, we used the daytime to work on our tans, wander a bit and stomp through the bush to Coral Beach.
It was an early morning start and a familiar drive back to Townsville for what did become the highlight of this rain-escape. After a 20 minute ferry ride, we dock at an unassuming island that has a vibe of untouched paradise - even with a large community of locals. This is not 24-hour hyper-tourism. It’s tranquil, even as a suburb of the city just 8K away, and has enough on offer so you're not fully “roughing it". Welcome to Magnetic Island. We stayed at Maggie A-Frame, an AirBnB property with amenities and style that make for a laid-back, lie-in-a-hammock-and-read type of stay. It’s a 15-20 minute walk to Horseshoe Bay Beach which has a few shops, a pub and a couple of restaurants/cafés - easy to get your latte in the morning and table service at night. It was all we needed.
Around the island are what some call the most beautiful beaches and one of the largest Koala populations in Australia. We bush-walked from Horseshoe Bay to Radical Bay and took in The Forts Walk, but unfortunately it was too hot for the koalas. What we did find instead, was a large population of HUGE March Flies. They were relentless this time of year. If you’re not up for the hike, a local bus or rented jeep can take you around. We spent our last day doing just that – hopping on the bus for a chilled-out, beach-and-beer afternoon in Picnic Bay. Magnetic Island would be worth more time, maybe even going “off-grid” for a while, just to explore the entire perimeter. We’ll be back.
Our “remedy for rain” holiday ended with a stop in Port Douglas before flying back from Cairns. It was short break, but a quick reminder of what is right here, easily accessible in Australia. Travel without crossing the international date line, with loads of unexpected beauty and that opportunity to disconnect for a while . . . just what the doctor ordered. We landed back in Sydney in sunshine and have had it ever since. Hmmmmmmmm.
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