| Weekend Run // Session 19 October 2009 By: Rob Pirie Location: Queensland With more classic weather on the way, I rang the boys and organised a road trip to a fun little place, a few hundred kilometres up the coast. Everyone was super keen as this has been one of the best seasons we have had for surf and weather in years. We loaded up the 4WDs with a heap of SUPs and started our dawn journey north.  By the time we got there a fresh nor-wester was blowing and the kite surfers were setting up (not a good sign) but the southern side of the point should be protected. As we made our way along the beach towards the point, I gazed at the huge sand dunes, in ore of all the different coloured sands, and I could see how the ocean laps at the dunes' feet at high tide. This is why you have to time your run right because if you get bogged on an incoming tide there is no escape. This stretch of beach has claimed almost 400 vehicles in the last seven years alone. You can only get around certain sections an hour either side of low tide but so many people push their luck and try to drive through the water. They get caught and have to watch their beloved 4WD be slowly engulfed by the foaming mouth of the incoming sea. To add to the danger, the sand at this time of year is extremely soft due to the lack of rain. We made the run around the rocks and down the beach without a hitch until we came to the entrance of the track which takes you over the dunes to the southern side of the point. That was the first of many 'get out and push' scenarios. As soon as we hit the soft sand towing the jet ski, we stopped dead. By dropping the tyre pressure down to 14 psi and with four guys pushing, the X-Trail broke free and hauled us all over the other side.  The surf was only small but it was postcard perfect. Crystal clear water, blue skies and completely protected from the wind with only two guys out. We ripped the boards off the roof and the seven of us spread ourselves out over a hundred metre stretch. I paddled straight to the headland where a pod of dolphins were lazing about in the sun, birds were diving on the bait fish and a small turtle cruised past. I jumped in and followed him under water until my breath ran out, the water was so clear I could see the bottom clearly in 20 feet of water. It was so beautiful. Nature at its best. The boys were surfing three to a wave swapping boards mid wave and just having a ball in the one to two foot waves. We all looked at each and said, "How good is this?". Pure stoke on the SUPs. Loosing track of the time and tide, it started to get dark as we loaded the boards on the car and realised that the tide was too high to get back along the beach, which meant we had to take the overland track. This sand track on a good day is difficult but in the dry conditions it was a nightmare. The first part of the uphill climb we came to was littered with half buried 4WDs including a pro fisherman. Still pumped from our day in the sun the seven of us teamed and one by one we dug and pushed our way up the sandy mass. It took us one and a half hours to travel eight kilometres. We got back to our hotel at 7pm, had a quick shower and headed out to the local pub. This used to be a classic old pub but it had recently been ripped down and a new family friendly establishment built in its place. It didn’t go down well with the locals which probably explains why it was so quiet for a Saturday night but the beers were cold and the food was great. They kept a huge wall of old photos of all the cars that have been caught in the surf. Some of them looked like rolled up tin foil after being bashed by waves all night. We knocked down a few and then a few more and rolled out of there around midnight and made the short walk back to our hotel. The tide was low really early the next morning but because we got back so late the night before, we had to wait for the bakery to open at 6am to stock up on some tucker and drinks. With our bellies full we bolted down the beach again, racing the tide. When we got to the narrow section, it was too late, so we had to double back and take on the overland track again. At least this time it was mainly downhill and we knew what was coming. After a 40 minute pounding, the clear blue vista of the ocean rose above the sand dunes and it was another perfect day. Being a Sunday, there were a few more people about so we headed a few kilometres south and came across some professional fishermen just as they set a giant net around a huge school of tailor. It was a spectacular sight watching their jet powered, custom built boat just punch straight out through the surf, around the school of fish and back onto the beach in a matter of seconds. Like clockwork, the pros lashed the net to both 4WDs and reversed back up the beach, they repeated this over and over again until one 4WD became stuck then it was all hands on deck.  After helping the fishermen, we continued heading south and found a great little break all to ourselves. All the crew were straight out there until Danny called out that he had seen an eight to ten foot Tiger shark cruising by. The boys paddled over to it and herded it out to sea by bashing their paddles on the water behind it. I headed back to shore and grabbed my 12'0" and camera gear and paddled back out to shoot the shark. By the time I got there, he was gone although a pod of dolphins were making their way along the beach but I really wasn’t in the mood to jump in and take some shots knowing the Tiger shark was still close by.   Lunch time came so we refuelled our stomachs and made our way back up to the point. The beach was packed but hardly anyone was in the surf because it was so small. We cruised out anyway and started riding the nice little rollers and before we knew it people where coming up and asking for a go. It was great sharing the stoke with complete strangers. The setting was idyllic - something you would find up in the Whitsunday Islands with all types of marine life just cruising around below us. That part of the coast is truly a beautiful place. As the sun started to set, we loaded the boards for the final time and started the journey home, tired and hungry but with smiles from ear to ear. | |
