Cyclone Debbie at Rainbow Beach
When we arrived at Rainbow Beach, we knew this was a great place to stay and hang lose even with a major cyclone approaching the area. We found a great place to stay. A bit upmarket priced, but it was low season, so we got a very good deal. Even our car got shelter in solid-built garage underneath the complex.
Inskip Point
The next thing we did was to check the area for beautiful spots. And as the sun set, we found one. It’s the beach at Inskip Point, slightly south of where the ferries leave for Fraser Island. It was a remarkable sunset and we enjoyed ourselves a lot and took great pictures.
There was just one drawback. Sandflies. Armies of them. We didn’t actually notice their bites until we got back to our room later that night. But the itching was horrible. It was so horrible that we went to a pharmacy to get some more soothing gel. And the itching lasted forever. Even back at home a few day later, we still applied the gel just to have a bit more comfort. It was really bad. – So if you go to Inskip Point for sunset — apply tons of repellent!
Cyclone Debbie
The next day, we did just a short trip in the morning to one of the nearby freshwater creeks, then stayed in our room in the afternoon as Debbie approached the area.
It hit Rainbow Beach in the afternoon and made palms leaves go sideways. I don’t think I need to tell you that we were concerned about our safety, but there was not a single minute, where we were afraid. Rain came in horizontally and the storm howled on for all afternoon and into the night.
As we got up the next day – the weather played innocent. As if there had nothing happened the evening before, the sky was clear blue and the sun was bright again.
So we decided to take a walk to the nearby Carlo Sand Blow. If you are in the area, it is definitely worth the approx. 15 minutes walk from the access point at the south end of Rainbow Beach.
The views could not have been more spectacular. Although the track to the Carlo Sand Blow clearly showed signs of Debbie with some fallen trees, we seemed to have been lucky to pick the right spot for weathering the storm. In other part along the coast line, like Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, the storm had a disastrous effect.
A day later we were bound to Brissie for our last two nights in Australia.