The Masteka Log

a Whitsundays chronicle

Day Two

The Peak

Stone steps to Whitsunday Peak, whales off Lindeman, and the spa on at sunset off Shaw Island.

The Whitsundays · Sunday 26 July 2026

Cid Harbour and the islands spread out below Whitsunday Peak

The reward: Cid Harbour and half the Whitsundays, from the top.

Four hundred and thirty metres up, the anchorage looks like a toy.

Morning watch

Stories over breakfast

First morning at anchor, and the breakfast table did brisk trade in reviews of the night's sleep. No major drama reported. The spread helped: eggs, tomatoes, croissants and a table that looked better than most restaurants manage on land.

The breakfast spread laid down the saloon table
The breakfast spread, first morning at anchor.
The table at breakfast, stories of the night's sleep going round
Sleep reports tabled. No major drama.
Midday

The tender to Sawmill Beach

The tender ran the crew ashore to Sawmill Beach, Masteka 2 shrinking astern against the anchorage. A national park sign, a stony shoreline, and at the top of the sand the start of the track.

Masteka 2 at anchor, seen from the departing tender
Leaving her at anchor, Sawmill bound.
The tender pulled in at Sawmill Beach
Landing at Sawmill Beach.
The climb

2.6 kilometres, 430 metres up

The track to Whitsunday Peak goes up and doesn't apologise for it: stone steps through rainforest, 430 vertical metres over 2.6 kilometres. The forest gave way to lichen-covered granite at the top, and then the whole archipelago at once. Worth every step, by general agreement.

Stone steps climbing through the rainforest
The stone staircase through the rainforest.
The climb, from above: 2.6 km and 425 vertical metres in 54 minutes. Also on Relive →
Turquoise water and islands from the summit of Whitsunday Peak
From Whitsunday Peak: the islands in every direction.
The whole group on the summit rocks
Summit crew, all accounted for.
Two hikers at the summit with islands behind
430 metres of smug, fairly earned.
And the run back down: same hill, half the time, twice the knee involvement. 10:25 a kilometre.
Steward’s note — the climb

For the record: a third of the way up, the heat got to Mic properly. Face like a glowing bulb, breakfast briefly resigned, the works. Billy from the crew prescribed a bottle of water over the head, which worked instantly, and Mic finished the climb to the top and back. Offers to carry his backpack were plentiful and, in the army tradition, declined. Verdict from the recap meeting: only a slight amount of trauma, and he's never going to live it down.

Back aboard — interlude

The tender ride home came with Coronas, lime wedges included, and lunch was a whole slow-cooked roasted rump with chimichurri, described in the chat as gorgeous, which undersold it. Legs were compared. The stairs won.

Beers clinked on deck after the climb
To the peak, and to sea level.
The long lunch table on the aft deck at anchor
The gorgeous lunch, aft deck edition.
From the trail — quote of the day

The chorus

Asked on the stone steps, at every switchback, in rising pitch, by every member of the party at least once:

“How much further?”
Everyone
The afternoon

Whales off Lindeman

Anchor up after lunch and south past Lindeman, bound for Shaw Island. Halfway there the sea decided to upstage the itinerary: humpbacks, close enough to hear, one sounding with a full show of fluke while the whole rail held its breath.

A humpback whale's tail fluke raised above the water
The fluke. The chat went quiet, then very loud.
A humpback's back breaking the surface off Lindeman Island
Company on the passage south.
Shaw Island's green hills ahead from the rail
Shaw Island ahead, past Lindeman.
Golden hour

The spa is on

At anchor off Shaw, the day split neatly in two. The skis went back in for an evening paddle across water gone pink and glassy, and on the bow the question of the trip finally got its answer: the spa was on, champagne in it, sunset behind it.

Three surf skis on glassy evening water below the bow
The evening fleet, glass beneath them.
A lone paddler in the last light off the bow
Last light off the bow.
The spa on the bow at sunset, full of guests with drinks raised
The answer, Mark, is yes.
Guests in the bow spa with champagne, Shaw Island behind
Champagne at 38 degrees, Shaw Island at anchor.

Up the stairs, past the whales, into the spa.