17/8/2019: South Molle Island, Whitsundays, Queensland

Yet another scenic former mountain top today, former home to a luxury resort before a hurricane flattened it a few years ago, and now largely national park with wonderful hiking trails, how could we resist?

By 10am we were ashore setting off on a 'bush walk' through the dry rainforest and up onto an open plateau. Myriad colourful butterflies fluttered around us as we enjoyed the gradual climb up to Spion Kop, a rocky outcrop towering above Bauer Bay where Tumi was snuggly anchored. A much easier climb than yesterday but the views were equally special.

We were lucky enough to see another kookaburra today and this one was much closer when it sang it's song ... it's really distinctive. The variety of vegetation in the dry Forest is fascinating, ferns, palms, eucalyptus trees, trees that look like Ponderosa pines, and lots of fallen logs being devoured by ants. It's a very different feel to the UK!

Tonight we are at anchor in Airlie Beach, the mainland town that acts as the gateway to the Whitsundays. It's a bit of a party town but has a nice feel to it. We'll probably hang around here until a suitable weather window arises for our journey south to Bundaberg.