Holidays, Hellidays and the Journeys in between....: It's not all about the islands

Having experienced the reef on boat and plane, we decided to take a car trip and explore the area. My plans to visit Cedar Creek Falls, 30 minutes away from Airlie, but as the rain hadn't been falling, we decided to go north instead.

Montes was closed for renovations, so we headed to the Cape Gloucester Eco Resort for lunch at the beach. It is fairly remote but you arrive at a small bar and restaurant on a stunningly beautiful beach (my photos don't show the true bright blue of the water). Hydeaway Bay (or Hideaway as some of the blogs seem to call it) is the secret gem of the region, and as beautiful as any of the island beaches.

Restaurant guests are welcome to use the resort pool (as our waitress did not recommend swimming off the beach due to stingers) so you can make a lovely afternoon of it.

Looking towards Montes

The food was reasonable, and the seafood was fresh and sensational. So much so that we considered returning for our last lunch.

After lunch we headed to Dingo beach for a swim in the stinger net. However, arriving at low tide meant it was not really possible. So if you visit Dingo beach, check the tides first.

The Dingo Beach pub looks like a very popular spot for lunch too, however for view and ambiance, we were glad we'd chosen the Eco Resort.

The drive takes about 40 minutes to an hour (due to road works on the dirt road) and past the sugar cane farms so you see the variation in the landscape.