Catching the wave... in Agnes Water

Everything happens for a reason. If we hadn’t been taken down a dirt road thanks to our completely unreliable GPS, we wouldn’t have seen dozens of kangaroos hopping around as we tried to work out how to get back to the main road! And, if we had been able to visit the Whitsunday islands, we wouldn’t have been able to spend a couple of nights in the pretty little coastal town of Agnes Water, where our only regret was not being able to stay longer.

Agnes Water is on the central coast of Queensland, Australia. And when in Australia… you’ve got to surf, right? So we did just that, or rather tried to do just that. I honestly have respect for anyone who can jump on to a wet, slippery piece of fibreglass and maintain their balance while being chased by an angry wave, threatening to force them into the water as it crashes. But when you do catch the wave, even for a couple of seconds, you feel like Neptune, God of the Sea, in control of the elements, proving the impossible possible... until the sea swallows you whole, and violently chews on you before spitting you back to the shore. I would never have guessed that I would enjoy something so difficult as much as I did!

On a complete high from trying something new, we agreed to go to the surf instructor’s place afterwards for a barbecue and drinking games. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It didn’t seem like a good idea the next morning when we remembered we had a boat excursion to Lady Musgrave Island, the most southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. But despite feeling worse than we looked, seeing dolphins jumping alongside the boat as we got closer to the island made all the sea sickness sink.

Once we reached the island of Lady Musgrave, named after the wife of a former colonial governor of Queensland, we jumped into the sea to go snorkelling around the stunning, seventh wonder of the world: the Great Barrier Reef. And what a beautiful world we live in! We were surrounded by flamboyant Parrotfish, schools of Angel fish, and Grouper fish amongst others. But what was really special for me was seeing a group of sea turtles! Surprised by how gracefully these huge creatures can move, we swam around for what could have been seconds, minutes or hours; it’s as if the notion of time simply doesn’t exist when you’re in the ocean.

A bush walk around the actual island was followed by a journey along the reef in a glass boat, where turtles gliding through the coral sea below appeared to 'bid us farewell', marking the end of the excursion. I dozed off on the boat back to Agnes Water while day-dreaming about living on an island, my fancy cut short as we reached land.

Now, as we face a long drive through dusk to our next destination I think about how there are certain days you will remember for the rest of your life. Today, I am certain, was one of those days.

Guess what I found out in Agnes Water?

1. The first account of surfing was given in 1778 by Captain James Cook when he saw it being practised in Hawaii. He wrote: “I could not help concluding this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so fast and so smoothly by the sea.”

2. The Great Barrier Reef has a length of 1,600 miles (2,600 km) and covers 133,000 square miles (344,400 sq. km). It is the largest structure in the world created by living organisms and can even be seen from outer space. The real Lady Musgrave was given the honour of having the island named after her because she had such fabulous tea parties! She never actually visited the island.

3. The real Lady Musgrave was given the honour of having the island named after her because she apprently had such fabulous tea parties! She never actually visited the island.