I drove to Airlie Beach from Hervey Bay and the cyclone from the north extended down to this area so there was lot's of rain. This was one of the place's to jump off to the Great Barrier Reef and either scuba dive or snorkel. After two days of waiting out the weather, I was able to go out to Hardy Reef and had a great time snorkeling (once I properly adjusted the mask and got used to breathing out of my mouth). Swimming with and enjoying the tropical fish was very satisfying and I even watched a loggerhead turtle for awhile forging for something to dine on. The coral itself was really cool to view. It was a great day for the trip out.
The following day I checked the Queensland road reports online to see if the route I planned to travel was not flooded. With all the rain they've had this season there were many reports of flooding, etc. Unfortunately after traveling 5+ hours I came across the dreaded Road closed due to flooding sign. I waited awhile but was told by a guy who went through ~ three feet of water w/ his truck that the road was even flooded further on and he figured it could be 36 hours before the water levels went down. So I backtracked late PM into the night to make up some lost ground. The major roads in this part of Queensland are similiar to out state highways, even worse in some areas so driving takes quite a bit longer. I spent most of the last few days driving south and reached Byron Bay Sunday AM. Byron Bay is famous in AU and is the eastern most place on the continent. Nice beach but the town is incredibly commercial. Plan to do a mountain bike ride into a rain forest w/ a tour.
