From Airlie Beach, I had to make my way south to Brisbane cause my flight was there, but I decided to make a stop before Brisbane otherwise the journey would be too long. I basically searched about where Greyhound stops on the way and that’s how I decided to visit Agnes Water. I knew nothing about this place but if the bus was stopping there it was because there must be something, right?
So, Agnes Water it was. Again, I booked a hostel not far from the bus stop because there is no transportation whatsoever to easily move around, or even cheap. I arrived very early in the morning and the place was absolutely dead haha. Nothing was going on! Saw no one, so the walk to the hostel was very quiet.
What is there to do in Agnes Water? Hmm, I did something to occupy my time of course, but overall, I wouldn’t say this is a worthy destination. I’m sure I didn’t see it all, but still…
Nesting Turtles in Agnes Water
I believe the major attraction of Agnes water is the nesting turtles. This is a spot where you can spot the turtles nesting at night at the beach. Agnes Water is a beach destination and I was staying quite near the beach so I spent most of my time there. I met some people at the hostel who claimed to have seen turtle tracks the previous night, so I decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t expecting what happened, and no I didn’t see any turtles.
The turtles should be spotted late at night, after midnight. I needed to ask if it would be safe for me to go by myself to the beach at that time because the street barely has light and I don’t really like to walk alone at night in the darkness. At the hostel, I borrowed a flashlight, and approaching midnight I went to the beach on my own. I saw some people sitting on chairs at the beach and thought they should be there for the same reason, but I went further and far from them. I sat on the sand to stare at a sky full of stars, which was ultimately very calming as the waves crashed right in front. The moonrise that day was after midnight and the moon rises at sea. This is why we should have to wait for the moonrise to see the nesting turtles cause they use that light to lead them back into the ocean.
Awkward episode
But, before the moonrise, I saw someone’s shade walking along the beach. It got close. “It is an older guy, I can see even though it is so dark. I wouldn’t recognize him during the daytime, but he was obviously way older. He asks if he can sit next to me, and I agree as he states he is also there to see the turtles. He actually mentioned that he was there the previous night and was able to see some turtle tracks, but not the turtle itself. I found it pretty cool so we were talking about it and about traveling either.
That’s when I started noticing that his hand was always moving in a repetitive motion. He is doing the same movement repeatedly and I start to find it strange. Honestly, it came to my mind the thought that he was touching himself, but I refused to believe that could be an option because we were having a very normal conversation about turtles and our countries too. Then, we agreed on walking a bit further as he said he had seen turtles further ahead and that he also had seen bioluminescent plankton. So we approached the sea and that was actually cool cause I saw the plankton too. Just a few tiny bits of it, but it was still something I had never seen in my life. Awesome, I was delighted. I didn’t notice him doing any movement while we walked.
Then we sat again and he started doing it. Oh my. It was so dark that I couldn’t analyze the situation properly, plus, I didn’t want to look directly at his genital area, obviously.
But finally, the moon rises, and with it some needed brightness. By then, I don’t have any doubt. He is doing it. This guy has been touching himself the whole time while talking to me. A very normal conversation!!!! HOW COME!!!? I started to feel scared at this time. I didn’t know if I should confront him or if I should just say I had to go. I tried to predict future action in different scenarios, I wasn’t listening to his words anymore, I was thinking about how I deal with this in case it goes wrong. I was a bit frightened but at the same time, he was nice and had very normal talk, not dirty talk or whatever. So I decided to say it was getting late and I should go and that I was tired of waiting. He asked if I wanted him to walk along and I refused. All in a very polite way. When I am leaving I finally had the confirmation I wasn’t delusional as he asks: “Do you wanna F*) HOLY SHIT HE SAID IT!!! I SWEAR! And what a nice person am I that I answered, “No, thank you”- WTF is wrong with me haha.
I left at a rushed pace completely mindblown about what had just happened. I couldn’t believe it just happened. It took me more than just a few minutes to assimilate all that happened during that time sitting at the beach and how wrong things could have ended up for me. There was absolutely no one else at the beach! I came across no living soul on my way back. I was scared but at the same time, I wasn’t that scared. I don’t know… I started laughing at the situation on my own. I never really believed something very bad could have happened, maybe that’s why it didn’t… I don’t know, this man didn’t give a bad person vibe while we talked. This must have been one of the most awkward situations I have been through while traveling. Anyway, as a female traveler, maybe it is not the best idea to go on your own this late to the beach. Join someone else and go together.
Agnes Water Beach
This was the beach close to my hostel and the place where I spent most time. It is a very wide beach. It was where I tried to see the nesting turtles.
This beach is very average I would say. Water colors are not amazing, the temperature is not my favorite. I decided to walk to a viewpoint where this beach is seen from above.
Discovery Trail Lookout
This was a viewpoint where I could see both Agnes Water Beach and Workman’s Beach. It has some nice ocean views and takes a bush trail to access it. The trail is very easy and short.
Workman’s Beach
From that Lookout, I went to Workman’s beach through the bush too. There weren’t many people at this beach and there was some nice shade provided by some trees, so it was my day spot. In this area, there are some bush trails, in case you want to go for a walk.
And that was all for me in Agnes Water. There was this paperbark forest that I wanted to visit, but it was too far for a walk, and I decided to not spend any money on transportation because my Australian trip was already too expensive. So maybe Agnes Water is way more interesting than this, but it is what I have to share.
Next, I headed to Brisbane, my last destination in Australia.
