Airlie Beach and Proserpine

Monday 7^th October 2013


After Townsville my next stop on the journey south was Airlie Beach where I'd originally intended to spend a couple of days relaxing on the beach and enjoying the party atmosphere.

                                                                                      Airlie Beach Lagoon

However when I found out that there was a 30km walking track nearby that was said to be good for mountain biking, it seemed worth investigating further.


The Whitsunday Great Walk traverses Conway State Forest and Conway National Park, and it doubles as a walking and mountain biking trail. From the start, up several flights of steps at the top of Airlie Beach, it ascends up a very steep track and I was pushing the bike most of the first 5 kms:

There was a good view over the town from the summit, with the Whitsunday Islands in the distance:

Then the next 15kms or so was a rollercoaster ride along a bumpy, rocky track, it was hard work but fantastic fun, especially as I've not had much previous experience of proper mountain biking.

There was another good view over the islands later:

...and a couple of fairly shallow creek crossings:

Then I suffered my first flat tyre  in ages. It turned out to be not a puncture, but a torn valve stem – probably caused by the roughness of the terrain. Obviously this couldn't be repaired so it was as well that I had a spare inner tube with me.

The last 10kms or so were fairly flat, but still good fun. I didn't see much in the way of wildlife, apart from this large goanna climbing up a tree:

The route ends at Brandy Creek and from there it was about another 15km into Proserpine, the nearest town. I decided it would be good to take a look there as I'd not been there before, but needn't have made the effort, there is nothing much to see in Proserpine. Just one or two reasonably good Art Deco buildings:

...And a sugar mill belching out foul-smelling fumes over the town:

Distance cycled today just 56kms – but they were tough ones. I caught the bus back to Airlie Beach from Proserpine, feeling lazy after all the climbing earlier on.