Agnes Waters & Airlie Beach

My friend Shona in Hervey Bay persuades me to stop in the sleepy town of Agnes Waters (situated next to the equally oddly named Town of 1770). When she was there a few days prior, she took a surf lesson and loved it. Here’s where the action takes place:

I’ve resisted surfing for years. Mostly because I’m just not interested (I picture three hours of me falling off a board — no thanks), but also partly because it sort of scares me. I say yes to a lesson because of the latter sentiment. I have one goal for the day: to not get hurt.

Reef 2 Beach Surf School offers a 3-hour class for only $17, calling it the cheapest lesson in Oz. I leave my GoPro camera behind and simply show up at the class, ready to engage. There’s about 35 people signed up and only three instructors… I guess that’s what you get for $17.

Side note: the hostel I’m staying at (more on them in a moment) also offers to arrange a slightly more expensive class for around $25 with a limit of ten people. And I believe they go out to the national park area around Town of 1770 so it might be prettier than the beach at Agnes Waters. But on this particular day the instructor is sick so my only option is the $17 lesson.

We trek down to the beach, grabbing a surf board and wet suit from their storage area on the way. There’s a brief group lesson in the sand and then we get into the water. For the next 90 minutes, we move in a big circle — line up along the shore, paddle out to sea, then ride back and get in line again. The instructors are out in the water to give us tips. You can sit down on the beach for a few minutes if you get tired. And believe me, it is exhausting! But I go almost the whole time without a break — I think I made 19 attempts in total — and by the end I can (sort of) maneuver my knees onto the board and ride to shore. I’m not able to stand up, but I’m pleased to at least achieve enough balance to ride the wave on my knees.

I’m not eager to surf again, but it was more fun than I anticipated. I get a huge rush every time I catch a wave; it’s a great feeling. And I reached my goal — no drowning! nothing’s broken! no deep scratches or bruises! — so I am calling this day a success.

Later that afternoon I walk back to the beach with my DSLR.

This is where we surfed earlier:

And here is the hostel I stayed at: Cool Bananas Backpackers.

It was fine. They offer a cheap meal most nights (it was pretty decent) and homemade crepes for a few dollars. On Shona’s advice I order a crepe… and it is SO worth it.

After my morning surf lesson and afternoon walking the beach, I catch a 9pm overnight bus to Airlie Beach. It’s my first overnight bus ride and it’s fairly painless (I put a dent in season 2 of SMASH and doze on and off).

Once I arrive in Airlie Beach I hop on a van to Base hostel, a large chain with locations around Oz and New Zealand. I’m not a huge fan of Base as they target the younger party crowd, but I hear this location is decent. And I haven’t made any accommodation arrangements because I’m trying to book an overnight sailing cruise leaving that very afternoon to visit the nearby Whitsunday Islands. The hostel holds my luggage while I talk to their travel desk and then walk into town. While getting coffee, a woman in line notices my Whitsunday brochures and says she can get me a good deal at her travel office. When she offers me a competitive price ($50 less than the Base travel desk, on a better boat with more amenities) I make up my mind. The boat leaves in a few hours. I walk back to Base and book two nights upon my return, and they agree to hold my luggage. I quickly throw together a small bag with enough stuff to last me two nights on a boat.

Tomorrow I’ll be back to recap my 2-day, 2-night sailing adventure around the Whitsundays. For now I’ll recap the rest of my time in Airlie Beach.

What can I say about Airlie Beach… for starters, it’s not that impressive. Since it’s the gateway to the Whitsundays, most people pass through on their way in or out. There’s a LOT of parties going on at the various bars lining the main street. Aside from the pretty lagoon, I don’t do much in this town and spend most of my time looking at this:

But I manage a few walks. The shore is quite pretty:

And here’s the lagoon I mentioned:

Just don’t be fooled by the tempting ocean water… there are dangerous jellyfish lurking in those waters. That’s why the town has a lagoon — so visitors can get their lounging / swimming fix in a safe, sting-free environment.

Signs on the beach warn guests about the dangers of jellyfish. Vinegar is available as a quick fix for any potential stings.

I round back to the lagoon at sunset:

Both nights I eat a cheap dinner at the Base hostel bar / restaurant. I think for $10 you get a decent meal and a glass of wine or champagne. Here’s an example:

There are two very sweet girls (Amy & Jo) from the UK in my hostel room and we grab drinks together. They are hilarious — they use funny expressions like “yocal” (someone who is in their own world) and “Mardy cow” (someone who is grumpy). I insist on writing these down because the lingo cracks me up. My favorite is when Jo talks about working at a summer camp in New Hampshire and I ask her where it was, to which she replies, sincerely, “There are different places in New Hampshire?” HA! I’m so glad to meet these two.

And this is what I do most nights…

What can I say, I live an exciting life.

You’ve all heard the expression, “Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints,” right? Here’s an example from a sign on Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands: