Whitehaven Beach Sunrise to Sunset

Sunrise is officially 6.14am but we want to see it from the other end of Whitehaven Beach at Hills Inlet. It’s a 7km beach hike from camp so we wake up and set off at 5am at a brisk walking pace.

It’s darkness but the stars and the moon reflect on the ocean and we follow the shoreline by the sound of the waves. Its currently low tide. We have headlamps but we switch them off as its much more fun in the dark and after 3km into our hike, the sunrise sky to the east is already making yellow, orange and red tones.

5km In, I decide that it’s a perfect time to capture the sun with the drone just before it peaks out over the distant islands.

It’s a magnificent view and we continue the further 2km to Hills Inlet to see the full sunrise. Sunrise happens quick and all too soon, we are viewing blue sky and aqua waters and the temperature is already on the rise.

7km seemed a shorter distance in the dark and our return trip felt never ending and the moored yachts close to camp seemed to never get any closer. That’s a long hike before breakfast so we are pretty much tired and hungry.

The rest of the morning is spent resting in the hammock or beach chair and avoiding the sun Lots of midnight blue butterfly’s with white spots gently pass us by.

In the afternoon, we grab the snorkel gear and walk the 50m to a cove at the start of Whitehaven Beach, the place where Jen spotted a reef shark yesterday. Visibility is great and we spot a number of tropical fish including many black and white Collingwood stripey ones and a stingray hiding under a submerged oyster rock cliff.

There’s a short hike to a lookout overlooking Whitehaven and across to the other side at Chance Bay. We wander up the sandy path as the sun cools and meet Leo and Dougie. They came across to Whitehaven today with a mechanical digger and supplies to excavate a new pathway up to the lookout.

Leo is a National Parks ranger and an Aboriginal from The Ngaro tribe who are the ancestral owners of the islands in The Whitsundays. Leo is a kind, passionate and respectful fellow who supervises any work to be done in the National Park. Dougie is a glowing older gentleman with a straw brim hat and a tanned lined face that show he has worked hard on the land. Aptly named, Dougie digs for a living with his excavator and is a real modern day pioneer as he forges hiking trails through the National Park. Both of them are tasked with excavating a 36km trail from Chance Bay to Tung Point on Whitsunday Island. A test run of 1.5km took 3 weeks to dig...

We reach the top of the lookout and view Chance Bay. A tall sculptured rock Island dominates the Far horizon.

Back at camp, our last activity for the day is a short kayak during sunset and then I prepare a tasty chicken pasta on the hiking stove. Gee, it’s still only 6.30pm. Time moves pleasantly slow here.

Layered up with mozzie spray, I sleep out under the stars in the hammock tonight with the occasional large bat swooping into the trees above.

WILDLIFE:
Butterfly’s, Collingwood Fish, Stingray, Kukkaburras, Bats, Goannas.Read more