A week on the road with Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden in his backyard of Queensland was a pretty exciting experience. Not only because I was sharing a journey through the sunshine state with a boyhood hero of mine, but because of the reason why we were doing the trip.
Operation Sunshine was an initiative of Matt’s, hatched out of a desire to get people back to Queensland to see that despite the recent floods and cyclones, the state is still open for business. He brought together partners of his, like Jetstar, Ford, Village Roadshow and various tourism bodies, then it was time to hit the road. The mission was simple. Visit the devastated centres to meet the locals and have a chat about what can be done to help them. Then through Facebook, Twitter, radio broadcasts, TV crosses on Sunrise and the print media, Matt would be able to showcase to the public that indeed there are some places that have been damaged, but most of the state is ready and waiting for tourists.
It all started on the Gold Coast with the Gold FM breakfast radio crew, before heading to the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane. This tiny community bore the brunt of massive flash flooding, and was the scene of incredible devastation and loss of life. Here we met a few of the locals, including Mark Tully, a livestock breeder that lost almost everything in the disaster. His story is similar to many in the region. Mark might be doing it tough, but he’s battling on.
Next it was back to Brisbane for a press conference. Here Matt engaged the media about his plans and signed a pledge to do his part to help Queensland. There were journalists presents from around the world that all heard Matt’s passionate plea to spread the word that the Sunshine State needs you and that it is one of the most amazing playgrounds on the planet. This event set the scene for the days ahead, as we headed north.
An early morning flight to Townsville saw the journey begin proper. The smiling Jetstar crew made the dawn start a little more pleasant. Arriving we were greeted by sunshine and immediately got to work. First stop, Reef HQ to learn a bit about the turtle hospital and release a turtle back into the wild. Next we met with a tour operator, Tropic Sail, who has been doing tough for the past 6 months. Wendy was all smiles as Matt reassured her he’s doing his best to get people back to the area. From here there was a brief bit of respite, as Matt had a cooking lesson at the Townsville Holiday Inn with the resident chef. But the highlight of the day was meeting Jonathon Thurston from the North Queensland Cowboys. He was a lot of fun and happy to lend his star power to the cause.
The following morning it was a 3:30am wakeup to meet the Sunrise weather team at Reef HQ for a live cross. Here Matt donned a wetsuit and dive gear and swam with the sharks in the aquarium. It’s not often you get to hug a man-eater, but Matt jumped at the chance! From there we drove into the region where cyclone Yasi struck the land. It was the towns just north of Townsville and south of Cairns that were battered most by the wind and rain. Places like Tully and Ingham were nearly wiped from the map and several months on the fallen trees and roofless homes are evidence of the storm. We stopped at both these townships, where Matt handed out grants to community groups to help them get their sporting and social clubs started again. It was also a chance to chat to the locals and enjoy a barbecue lunch. The day ended with the beautiful drive to the Daintree Rainforest, where we spent the night at the stunning Daintree Eco Lodge.
The next morning saw a walk through the forest with an indigenous guide from the lodge. His stories of the past and the significance of the forest put a lot of things into context. His people have lived here for thousands of years, in harmony with nature. But there wasn’t time for too much relaxation because there was a tight schedule to stick to. 
A helicopter flight over the forest with Sky Safari brought us to Port Douglas where a quick trip to the reef on board Reef Sprinter provided some respite from the heat. Next it was lunch at the pub before heading to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures to feed the resident crocs.
Capping off a hectic week was the best thing of all, spending some time on a secluded beach! It was a great journey and for several reasons it was a real eye opener. We saw some amazing sites, met remarkable people and heard many stories. But most importantly, it was a chance to be part of something special – Operation Sunshine. Lets hope this is the start of something much greater and we can play a part in helping Queensland recover.
Visit: www.operationsunshine.com.au to keep up to date with Operation Sunshine.
Or go to: www.facebook.com/Opsunshine
