Saturday, March 8, 2025

Overnight, our Norwegian Sun cruise traveled south along Australia’s eastern coastline from Cairns to Airlie Beach, Queensland. Airlie Beach is a coastal town in the Whitsunday Islands, a popular tourist destination and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef was always on our Australian bucket list, but Andi and I weren’t sure we could make it happen this trip. For one, flights were expensive from South Australia to Cairns, and we weren’t sure it was worth traveling to the Northeast just for the Great Barrier Reef. When we saw this cruise pop up as a possible method of travel to Indonesia and we’d get to see the Great Barrier Reef along the way, it just made sense to us.

Australia has two seasons — the wet season (December-April) and the dry season (May-November). Essentially, this is Australia’s summertime with high heat and humidity levels. Every Australian we’ve talked to about traveling to North Queensland has responded the same way: “It’s going to be hot up there!”

Well, can’t say they didn’t warn us! It’s really hot in this part of Australia. Out of curiosity, I researched whether it’s hotter in Australia’s Outback or in North Queensland. My findings were a bit mixed. The Outback’s actual air temperature is hotter with average temperatures reaching 100-110 degrees, but it’s a dry heat with low humidity. Temperatures in Cairns or Airlie Beach are technically lower around 80-90 degrees, but the “feels like” temperature with the humidity might make it feel hotter than the Australian Outback. In any case, it feels like we’re walking around inside an oven.

All four of us were looking forward to our day in Airlie Beach because today we were going to see the Great Barrier Reef. Andi booked us flights with Air Australia Charters to fly over the Great Barrier Reef. He and I went back and forth about the best way to see the world’s largest coral reef and in the end, we decided flying over it suited our family best. Tory’s one request for this trip, before we even left Wisconsin, was that she did not want to be pressured into snorkeling. Both Andi and I felt like we needed to respect her wishes. It’s also jelly fish (stinger) season in Australia, so we’d have to wear special “stinger suits” if we had chosen to snorkel. Um, no thank you.

Since Airlie Beach doesn’t have a cruise terminal, the Norwegian Sun had to anchor off-shore and use tender boats to transport passengers from the ship to shore. This was a process, of course, to get 1,500 people from Point A to Point B. Fortunately, we were in the first group of passengers to leave the ship at 9:00am so we didn’t have to wait long. The tender boat was full of excited people ready for a day of adventure at the Great Barrier Reef.

Our first stop in Airlie Beach was for breakfast. Andi picked a restaurant called Rufus Cafe overlooking the marina. As soon as we sat down at a table, Tory said she didn’t feel well. She had been quiet all morning, but now sitting in the heat, she had tears in her eyes and said she felt like she was going to throw up. Oh no.

Our non-refundable flights over the Great Barrier Reef were already booked for Noon today. There wasn’t enough time to take Tory back to the ship on a tender boat, and then come back to Airlie Beach before our scheduled flight. One of us could have gone back with Tory, but neither Andi or I wanted to miss seeing the reef. Ugh, what to do?

Andi, Aden, and I ate our meals at Rufus Cafe while Tory sat miserably. Andi ordered her a fruit smoothie and a piece of toast, hoping she’d eat something and feel better, but to no avail.

“How about we go to the airport early and wait there in the lobby? If you’re still feeling sick, you don’t have to go on the flight; you can wait for us in the lobby,” Andi told Tory. Flight time was only an hour, and Andi promised we’d return to the comforts of the ship as soon as our flight was over. Tory agreed.

We cabbed to the Whitsunday Airport - Shute Harbor. By the grace of God, the lobby of Fly Australia Charters was air-conditioned! Seriously, nowhere besides the grocery store seems to have air-conditioning in Australia. It’s so hot, and Tory is very sensitive to the heat.

The four of us sat inside the cool airport lobby and used the free wi-fi for the next hour. I was happy because I brought my computer and was able to upload photos on my blog for the first time in days. The internet on the ship has been brutally slow.

By Noon, Tory said she was feeling better. “I think I can go on the flight,” she said. I was so glad. I would have hated for her to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We sat through a brief safety presentation about the flight, then boarded the aircraft. In addition to the pilot, the fixed wing airplane had 7 seats for passengers. Each person was seated next to a viewing window. This was the first time Aden and Tory had ever flown on a small airplane such as this. I asked Aden if he was nervous. He smiled big, and said “No, not at all.”

Our one-hour flight took us over several of the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. Photos couldn’t capture the magnificence of this place; it was incredible. The Great Barrier Reef is so large that it can be seen from space.

We saw manta rays, sea turtles, and dugongs swimming in the water below us. We also saw a few snorkel tour boats on some of the beaches, but mostly the turquoise-blue water and white sandy beaches were untouched. Our pilot was great, offering commentary about the islands and the reef as we flew. He pointed to a few spots of “coral bleaching” which is caused by climate change.

Our one-hour flight was the perfect length of time to see the reef. Although there was air-conditioning inside the plane, it didn’t work very well. Inside the plane was hot. Tory did very well throughout the flight. I kept my trusty Ziplock bag close by in case she needed to throw up, but she held it together.

After we landed back at the airport, we thanked our pilot and then took the shuttle back to the marina. Tory made it through our Great Barrier Reef excursion, but now she was ready to go back to the ship, she said. Andi and I considered taking the kids back, and then returning to Airlie Beach to walk around the town, but as soon as the cool air-conditioning of the ship hit our bodies there was no way we were leaving again.

Andi, Aden, and I grabbed a late lunch at The Garden Cafe buffet. The usual lunch buffet wasn’t open at 3:00pm, but there were sandwiches, burgers & hot dogs, and desserts available. We were all starving by this point in the day; the food tasted really good.

Tory rested in her cool air-conditioned room the rest of the afternoon, and was feeling a little better this evening. She said she had a headache and a sore throat now. We brought her some food & ice cream from the buffet.

The last tender returned to the ship around 4:00pm, and the Norwegian Sun cruise ship departed Airlie Beach shortly thereafter. What a cool day this was! Andi and I talked about it over and over as we looked through all our pictures and videos. Definitely a memory we’ll never forget.

Aden was excited to go back to Splash Academy this evening, so it was just Andi and I for dinner. We went to the buffet again to grab a light dinner; neither of us were very hungry after eating a late lunch.

We ended our night watching episodes of 1923, Shifting Gears, and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage on Andi’s computer.

Tomorrow is another sea day as we travel from Airlie Beach to Cooktown, Australia. Hope Tory feels better soon.