Queensland Armchair Guide Blog.

Fantasea to Hamilton and Dent Islands.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Hamilton Island Yacht Club taken from Dent Island.

Liz and I had the opportunity to visit Hamilton Island on Wednesday so we trotted down to Shute Harbour at 9-15am and boarded The Fantasea Cruises Whitehaven Ferry for the trip via Daydream Island.Our trip was primarily to take a few photos of the new Yacht Club and to say hello to a few friends on the island.On arrival we headed straight to the Yacht Club for some well needed liquid refreshment at the outside bar.The setting is truly magnificent and no expense has been spared on this building, with it's exterior stainless steel rails and glass panelling.We spent some time walking inside and outside of the building and marvelled at the state of the art Fire Alarm Systems in place.The water feature at the entrance to the restaurant is also a splendid addition of interest.Bob Oatley can be assured that yachtsmen from around the globe will be enamoured with this splendid piece of Architecture.

Water Feature at Yacht Club.

Arrival at Dent Island.

Imposing figure of Pentecost from the 16th Green.

Liz testing the rails.

Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

We decided to take a ferry over to Dent Island for lunch and check out the new Golf Course.The ferry departs from right next door to The Manta Ray Cafe.A friendly chat with skipper Craig brought us to the Dent Jetty and an awaiting Golf Buggy to transport us to the Clubhouse.We were greeted by staff with cold flannels to mop our sunburnt brows and taken to our table whereupon Liz ordered our first drinks.Liz disappeared and returned with the toilet report.Individual hand towels,Beautiful perfumed liquid soaps and Sunscreen Cream.The lunch was splendid and what followed was a pleasant suprise for Liz and I to be escorted on a Golf Course Tour with stops to take photos at great vantage points throughout the Island.30 minutes later we returned to the Golf Club to be taken back to our ferry and the return cruise to Hamilton Island.A really enjoyable day for Liz and I provided by the excellent services of staff at Hamilton and Dent Islands and the crew at Fantasea Cruises.

Rugged terrain of Dent with Golfcart Track.

Queensland : Cruise Whitsundays New Contract.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Congratulations to Cruise Whitsundays for securing the contract as sole providers for ferry passenger traffic to Daydream Island in The Whitsundays.The new contract is operational from 1st February 2010.
The rival operator Fantasea Cruises is now left with Lindeman Island,Whitehaven on Whitsunday Island and Hamilton Island as their only sources of island traffic revenue.With fares to Hamilton Island being raised to extortionate levels by an increase in taxes on visitor arrivals imposed by Hamilton Island,the Fantasea Cruise Company have had to increase their fares to compensate for the imposition.Visitor numbers from the mainland to Hamilton Island will undoubtably fall as locals will not be prepared to pay these excessive fares.Off season it is cheaper to fly from Sydney to Hammo than to take a ferry from Shute Harbour.This situation is quite clearly ridiculous.One wonders how long a Cruise Company can continue to provide a service to an Island Owner who seems to think that he is not an integral part of The Whitsundays, and not only that, does not include The Whitsundays as part of it's address.
These developments will also mean that there will be an increase in Reef Trip revenue for Cruise Whitsundays from Daydream Island and the company will continue to grow with it's increasing popularity with locals via it's Turtle Club and the great feedback provided by these folk to the local visitors.

Two of the Daydream Island Mermaids.
Mermaids Restaurant Daydream Island.

Queensland : Birdsville

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:28:00 +0000

Birdsville lies in the far South Western corner of the State of Queensland in Diamantina Shire. The shire covers an area of 95,000 kilometres and is known as the Channel Country. During the wet season the rivers combine into massive floodplains. Although the area is harsh and so remote it is known to be one of the best beef fattening areas in Australia. Cattle stations have been operating in Diamantina Shire since the days of the early settlers.The most famous of these is the Kidman Group , launched by the "Cattle King " Sir Sydney Kidman. Diamantina Crossing lies abour 3 kilometres north of Birdsville and the river flows South West past Birdsville on it's way to Goyder Lagoon in South Australia. The river was named after Diamantina Roma Bowen the wife of the first govenor of Queensland.

The Birdsville Hotel.
More info on Birdsville here.

Whitsundays : The World.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:27:00 +0000

On Sunday 13th December the Ocean Liner 'The World' will anchor off Airlie Beach in Pioneer Bay. The liner is unique in that all passengers are owners of the 165 units on board this luxurious vessel.On this voyage she is spending eight weeks in Australian Waters before continuing on her round the world voyage.On February 28th The Queen Mary 2 will stop off at Airlie Beach for the day during her 63 day trip from New York to Sydney.For more info on cruise visits to Airlie Beach you can go to our Cruise Schedule Page.

The World. Cairns Post.Airlie BeachWhitsundays

Queensland : Winton. Dinosaur Tracks.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Pastoralists and Paleontologists.
Belmont Station owner David Elliot started a stampede of a different kind in 1995 when he discovered pre-historic Sauropod bones on his property 1 hours drive from Winton. Since that early find, no less than 30 sites on the property have unearthed bones up to 2 metres in length. Paleontologists from all parts of the world have been visiting the area to try to uncover the mysteries of The Australian Dinosaurs. These giant Herbivores roamed Queensland's Outback when 95,000,000 years ago the land was a far different cry from the desolate wastelands of the present. Immense woodland areas fed by the deltas of a huge inland sea were the support structure for these 30 metre long giants. The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History is the only museum of its kind in Australia, and with all the discoveries taking place will probably be one of the largest and most frequently visited Museum of its kind in the world. Durassic Park pales into insignificance.This is Winton, this is reality.

Conservation Building. Lark Quarry.
More Winton info.

Queensland:Whitsundays: Cruise Visits.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:19:00 +0000

The 'Diamond Princess' cruises slowly past Mid Molle Island on it's journey to Sydney after visiting Airlie Beach for the day.The liner is the eighth to visit Airlie Beach since the season commenced on October 21st this year.Approximately 320 passengers went to The Great Barrier Reef with Cruise Whitsundays and the company were busy ferrying others to Daydream Island and a full quota were taken on board 'Camira' The 85ft Catamaran to Whitehaven Beach for the day.
Cruise Liner 'The World' is our next visitor,she arrives on December 13th.
The Cruise Liners create an enormous boost to The Whitsunday economy and provide the passengers with a taste of what our area has to offer.
The New Year provides some forthcoming excitement, as on Feruary 28th we are hosting The Queen Mary 2,that will have almost completed her 63 day New York to Sydney voyage. She arrives at 9-00am for the day and departs at 6-00pm. Airlie Beach Markets are open all day when the cruise ships visit, providing another alternative for our welcome visitors.For more info on our Cruise schedules you can visit our Cruise Schedule Page or our Whitsundays Page.

Twitter Whitsundays Twenty Thousand Followers.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:08:00 +0000

We have chalked up a landmark on The Queensland Armchair Guide. As @whitsundays on Twitter we have 20,000 followers. The great thing about this is the opportunity to tell everyone about our great State of Queensland. We have opened a second avenue on Twitter to accommodate News items for The State of Queensland.This can be viewed via our Twitterfeed at Queensland News.

Ben Southall Meets Alf at Shute.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:25:00 +0000

Chatting with Ben on Twitter gave rise to an occasion The Armchair Guide could not resist.Ben Southall,Tourism Queensland's Island Reef Caretaker met with Alf,Editor of The Queensland Armchair Guide at Shute Harbour last week.Ben's partner Breanna was also there to greet him.Ben had just spent the day on board Ragamuffin,one of the Maxi's operating in The Whitsundays.Both coming from the Old Country they had common ground to begin with,and both were magnaminous with their enthusiasm for the delights awaiting visitors to this wonderful area of Queensland. Ben has about a month left of his Island Reef Caretaker contract to run but is being retained by Tourism Queensland to promote the wider aspect of our state. The amount of work involved in his endeavours, that are seen by many as just a great holiday,read like a list of chores to us.Rising at 5-00am and hitting the sack at around midnight every day is not something to relish.We will catch up with Ben and Breanna for a few drinks when his time allows.

Ben and Breanna at Shute Harbour.
Ben with Alf.

Whitsundays :--Hammo gone Troppo.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Owner of Hamilton Island,Bob Oatley has certainly made a great impression with The Locals in The Whitsundays.It used to be a popular trip for locals to visit the island for a day, but now the decision to up the fares to $125 return has really transformed the Fantasea Carrier into Fantasy Land.
Hayman Island has always had it's 'stuff the Boaties' policy, and now Oatley with his 'stuff the locals' policy has seen a sharp change in the attitude of locals.
If you pop into Cruise Whitsundays as a local, you are greeted with a smile,and informed that you can join The Turtle Club for free,and take advantage of discount trips to Daydream Island and Long Island on a regular basis.Believe it or not I can do 6 trips as a local to either Daydream or Long Island for the price of one trip to Hamilton Island and receive discounts on food and beverage whilst on those islands.That, Bob, is the way to treat the locals. Being a blow in yourself,you wouldn't consider locals in your plans,but we still think Hammo is beautiful,unfortunately the owners are ugly.Thank goodness we have a company with the foresight and goodwill to support the locals.Good onya Cruise Whitsundays.

The Local Friendly Cruise Whitsundays.

Promote your Website on You Tube.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Liz and I spent a hilarious couple of hours producing a video to display on You Tube to promote our Website Queensland Armchair Guide.The idea was to screen capture a sequence with a descriptive dialogue. Who would have thought the dialogue would have been a problem? I tried in vain a dozen times whilst also operating the mouse and reading the dialogue as well.I gave in and Liz offered her Meryl Streep impersonation to the excercise. After half a dozen tries we finally managed to get to the last sentence, and lo and behold the gremlin struck.Liz said emplore instead of explore and we were back to square one. All good fun until I finally realised that after threatening her with a few swings of the baseball bat she knuckled down and got the job done. We have the video on You Tube and will wait to see if we get some feed back from it. We also placed it on Digg, so we are now crossing our fingers.

Whitsundays Reef Festival 2009

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:31:00 +0000

Events Beginning Tonight 15 October2009.
Thu 15 Oct
7:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon
8:00pm Westpac Comedy Gala at Waterline on Shingley

Fri 16 Oct
6:00pm Airlie Beach Day & Night Chemist Fireworks and Beach Party
6:30pm Frocktails @ Deja vu
8:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon

Sat 17 Oct
8:00am Airlie Beach Markets
8:00am Camel Rides
9:00am Long Island Resort Sand Sculpting Competition
11:00am Helibiz Helicopter Joy Flights
3:00pm Rotary Club of Airlie Beach Wearable Art Parade
4:30pm Rotary Club of Airlie Beach Street Parade
5:30pm Airlie Beach Music Beats on the Beach
7:00pm Quota Ball
10:30pm Brazillian Carnivale

Sun 18 Oct
11:00am Club Crocodile Family Fun Day
11:00am Helibiz Helicopter Joy Flights
11:00am Zest and Graphic House Coconut Head Competition
11:00am Tug-o-war Challenge
7:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon

The Whitsunday Reef Festival2009.
Tonight marks the start of another Annual Reef Festival Event here in The Whitsundays.This year the events Main Sponsor is Big4 Adventure Whitsundays. Kicking off the fun will be Video Ezy with Movies at The Lagoon at 7-00pm followed by The Westpac Comedy Gala at Waterline Shingley Beach at 8-00pm.
Friday night is Cracker Night with fireworks sponsored by Airlie Beach Day and Night Chemists.The Beach Party resumes at 6-00pm. Liz and I will be at The Whitsunday Sailing Club tomorrow(friday)for the duration.
Saturday morning The Market will be open and if the kids want a bumpy ride,the camels will be there on the beach.The Main Parade will be held in the arvo and all the local businesses will be vying for the prize of Best Float.We will be accompanying The Save Our Foreshore Pink Caravan in The Parade as usual and will finish up in The Sailing Club for well deserved drinks after the Parade.There are lots of fun events for everyone including helicopter rides,fashion parades,sand sculpting competitions and lots more continuing onto Sunday.The Five Piece Band "Cactus" with two female vocalists will be providing the Live Entertainment over the weekend.
If the event is half as successful as lasts years,then we are all due for an exciting three days in The Fabulous Whitsundays. You can see the whole programme if you visit The Reef Festival Site.

Whitsunday Tourism Award Winners 2009

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:31:00 +0000

Tourism Whitsundays held the Annual Tourism Awards Ceremony on The Esplanade Airlie Beach on Friday October 9th this year.Five full days after the event is the first announcement to the public via The Official Tourism Whitsundays Website. We have published the winners on The Queensland Armchair Guide and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners for their contributions to Whitsunday Tourism throughout the year.

Airlie Beach.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:46:00 +0000

Queensland Armchair Guide Has added a new Page to supplement The Whitsunday Page. As from today we have Airlie Beach as a page of it's own to add to info already on our Whitsundays Page.The tiny town of Airlie is a gourmets delight.The variety of Restaurants and Eateries are remarkable for such a small place and only a few are listed here as we only list those Companies that have websites. The reason for this policy is that we believe that it is essential to provide the users with as much information as possible.If you can click on a link and go to the Restaurant website, you can not only see the menu but there are usually photos that also give you a feel for the ambience of the venue.We are hoping that more companies in the Tourism Industry will come on board and show their wares to the world by providing a website to enhance their business. We are always looking for new websites to add to our site so as to help visitors in their search for the ideal places to take their custom.

Queensland Holidays for Kids.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:00:00 +0000

We have just added an additional 2 pages to our website at Queensland Armchair Guide.The Tablelands is a page that I had been promising to do for some time, as I know from correspondence received from Tableland Tourism Operators suggest that they have been ignored in their submissions to Tourism Queensland to have The Tablelands treated as a Tourism Destination in it's own right. Most of the Queensland Travel sites just add the Tablelands as a Daytrip from Cairns,which is not really a fair reflection on the diverse nature of the area.If a visitor wants to see the area properly,I suggest they leave Cairns and find accommodation on The Tablelands.Liz and I have visited frequently, and know from our own experience that it is quite impossible to see The Tablelands in a day.I hope our page gives the guys up there a boost in their ongoing quest for recognition.

The second new page is Queensland Kids. It must be annoying to search for ages on the internet for Queensland Holidays specifically with kids in mind.I know,I have spent a whole day looking for sites and entering them on our new page.I hope it helps to at least add a few Resorts that are easy to find and go directly to, via our link to the site in question.I didn't add accommodations just because they happened to be close to a Theme Park, because the mums and dads out there don't want to spend the whole holiday on a roller coaster or a water slide.The Resorts selected have their own activities to accommodate the kids. As a major destination,Cairns seems to be a difficult search for Holiday Resorts for kids.If you know of any really good places to visit in Queensland with kids in mind,please let me know and we will add it to our Queensland Kids Page.

Whitsundays Fun Race.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:50:00 +0000

The Whitsundays Fun Race was another rip roaring success for all those participating in the festivities.A nice 15/20 knot breeze was an improvement on the conditions that The Hamilton Island Race Week suffered.Condor is one of the Maxi Yachts that reside in The Whitsundays and always looks a treat under full sail.

In the clubhouse before the race we find Liz ,Val and Don
partaking in some liquid refreshment to ward of de-hydration.

Michelle,Bernie ,Cheech and Frank arriving by dinghy to
join Liz and Alf aboard the catamaran Chilli Frog.

Always nice to enjoy the view from The Whitsunday Sailing
Club just before the commencement of the big race.

Local identity George,the regular Skipper of The Maxi Ragamuffin
that operates out of Shute Harbour is deep in thought.

Whitsundays Probus.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Whitsunday Probus met for morning tea on Friday 11th
September and the budding Thespians among them,'The
Late Bloomers' put on a Show called 'Songs from The
War Years.Musical Director Karina is 4th from right.

Sylvia Byrne-Smith portraying a picture of elegance in her
Slouch Hat gives an unorthodox left handed salute to the crowd.

Graham Wyatt and his young wife Shirley pose for photos after
the performance which was greeted with enthusiasm by all the
members and guests present.Graham was not a part of the show
but his 'Slouch Hat' is a genuine possession from the past.

Flight Officer Alan Browning and Midshipman Keith Holmes
are on Escort Duty with Liz Welch the reluctant victim.

We are all here once again having a great time singing and dancing for our Probus members and guests.The 'Late Bloomers' have lots of fun rehearsing for these shows and we are already in the process of planning a Christmas Production, the theme of which,at the present time is undecided.

The Whitsunday Probus Club is a vibrant, interesting group of Seniors who have regular outings to places of interest,Beach BBQ's at locations close by and usually an 'Annual Week Long Jaunt' farther afield.If your calling is not of a Thespian Nature,you may like to join one of the other groups that operate within the club.ie. Australian History,Badminton/Tennis or The Book Club.

Whitsunday Promo.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:26:00 +0000

Starting at 9-00am on Tuesday 8th of September, The Queensland Government and Virgin Blue boss Brett Godfrey are joining forces in a 74 hour, "Out of the Blue" Whitsunday Promotion, targetting The Australian Domestic Markets of Brisbane,Sydney and Melbourne. Cheap flights and the benefits of Cheap Accommodation are the drawer cards that will hopefully stimulate this market at a time when it is most needed.Lets hope this will be the catalyst to propel the Multi Million Dollar 'Hey Hey This is Queensland' Campaign that was launched by Queensland Tourism last week.

Video Whitsundays.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:10:00 +0000

Our visit to Cactus Jacks for dinner last night was an opportunity for me to catch up with an old friend from The Hammo Days.We reconnected initially via Twitter and it was a while before we realised that we knew each other.JD has been broadcasting Live TV,WebCams, Music Videos, Live and Archived Events, Directory, News, Weather and more from the Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia for almost nine years now and it was interesting to catch up with him.Our Video Whitsundays Page has a few elements of JD,s site included and you can find his site at Channel Whitsunday.com.au
I am beginning to understand a few of the applications that he uses, one in particular is The WebCallBack Service that is explained better by him than I on his
My Whitsunday.net Site.You can follow JD. on Twitter QLD Whitsundays

Cactus Jacks.

Whitsunday Probus Annual Dinner.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:25:00 +0000

Twenty Five Years.

The setting for the 25th Anniversary of Whitsunday Probus Annual Dinner was The Whitsunday VMR.On Friday 28th of August, members and distinguished guests arrived to celebrate the auspicious occasion.Mike Storkey The President of The Whitsunday Rotary Club was accompanied by his wife Lesley,and Lions President Alan Grevelle and his wife Sue were in attendance,as was The President of Bowen Probus Club, Janet Bond.The evening was a delightful affair with an accompanying Slide Show that presented photos of past occasions and trips that prodded a few memories of the diners.Ted Wright's good lady Sylvia, who is the current President of Probus,gave a welcoming speech to the Special Guests and thanked Mike and Alan for the support that The Rotary and Lions Clubs had given to Probus over the years.The dinner was most enjoyable, particularly the pavlova and sticky date pudding covered in caramel sauce that I managed to devour with alacrity.Let us all look forward to the next 25 years of Probus in The Whitsundays.

The Presidential Table.Rae,Liz and Shimmy.

Anny Chih Road Trip.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Anny Drives North.

Island Reef Job Applicant Anny Chih is heading our way. Wicked Campers has sponsored a 1 month trip for Anny to explore North Queensland.She leaves Brisbane on Tuesday 1st September heading North.Queensland Armchair Guide has managed with the cooperation of 2 of the finest Cruise Companies in Australia to aquire complimentary tickets for Anny and a companion to a Reef Trip in The Whitsundays and a Reef Trip in Cairns with a Green Island visit thrown in for good measure.Peter Farrell of Reef Safari has kindly added his weight behind us by giving Anny and a companion 2 complimentary dives on her trip to The Reef in The Whitsundays.Cruise Whitsundays,Reef Safari Whitsundays and Horizon Dive Cairns were only too pleased to answer in the affirmative to our requests.Queensland Armchair Guide has close associations with the Companies and we are extremely grateful for their support.Liz and I are looking forward to drinks on the Verandah with Anny to celebrate her adventure.

Anny at Tourism Queensland HQ,with Chris Chambers.

Shute Harbour Inquiry Imperative.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Att: Anna Bligh.

The extension of the lease to the site at Shute Harbour which is being proposed as a Marina Project has to be investigated vigorously.The CEO of Port Binnli,Jeff Smith, just happens to be the former Regional Services Director of The Department of Natural Resources,that just happens to be the Department that is in control, of the lease.A conflict of interest breach couldn't possibly be involved,Could it?
We are watching with interest to see if The Premier is really concerned with the accountability of her Government with this impending disaster that looms over Shute Harbour. There are a lot of questions to be answered regarding this issue, including The Ngaro Claim.Incidentally,if Jeff Smith is really interested in developing a Marina that will really benefit a community,he can take his Port Binnli crew up to Palm Island and have a word with Mayor Lacey.Unlike the residents of Shute Harbour,he would be interested. The Queensland Armchair Guide supports Save our Foreshore and Suzette Pelt in their efforts to get some honesty into this matter,because it not only looks like fish, it stinks like fish too.

Shute Harbour

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Queensland Holidays

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:51:00 +0000

Just spent 2 weeks giving The Queensland Armchair Guide Website a thorough overhaul.The snapshots are an example of the 'New Look', which I believe makes a big improvement to the site.I would like to thank my friend Tony B.from
New Horizons in Cairns for his input and recommend everyone visiting Cairns to take a 2 or 3 Day Dive Trip with his company.P.S.I borrowed Wally.If you want him back let me know mate.

Australian Backpackers Comp.

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:52:00 +0000

Last Thursday the AGM of Backpacking Queensland took place at The Cannonvale VMR.Two very welcome guests were Hamish and Adam.These 2 lucky Kiwis were the winners of a Competition for a Free Road Trip round Queensland run by World Nomads.They were visiting The Whitsundays as part of their adventure.The Competition was similar to the one run by Tourism Queensland in as much as they have to contribute to a blog and produce videos of their travels.

More Trips to Win.

At this point in time there are 5 more trips to win.The closing date for entries in The Victoria Comp is August 30th 2009 but the other 4 Competitions have plenty of time for entry details to be submitted. If you feel adventurous and can find the time, it is a fantastic opportunity of a lifetime.The Queensland and New South Wales winners are already underway, but the others await your applications.So,go for it guys and Good Luck.
Details for the remaining competitions and the adventures of the winning applicants can be found at Vantastic World Nomads.com

Australian Navy visits The Whitsundays

liz@queenslandarmchairguide.com (alf.) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:52:00 +0000

HMAS Launceston.

Photo taken from our verandah as HMAS Launceston steams
North past South Molle.

An interesting visitor to The Whitsundays recently was HMAS Launceston an 'Armidale' Class Patrol Boat.We watched her travel up from the South and she slowed to a stop just South of Canecockies Cove.After a brief stay she slowly moved North, disappearing from our view behind the Shutehaven Headland know as The 'Beak'.HMAS Launceston is based in Cairns and her duties include breaches of Customs,Immigration and Drugs Legislation.
These vessels are equipped with State of the Art communications and navigation systems, have a range of 3,000 Nautical Miles and a top speed of 25 knots.