Helene Young's Blog, page 6
August 2, 2016
Exploring Orpheus Island
Our day started with a leisurely kayak ashore as the tide reached its high for the morning. In the shallows a black-tipped reef shark did its best to pretend we weren’t there.
Black tipped reef shark
The walking track to the ridge line starts from the picnic table. It’s loosely marked with varying colours of tape and string but easy enough to follow.
A couple of hundred metres into the walk are the remains of an old stone hut. At one point goats and cattle grazed on the island and it seems this may have been a shepherd’s hut. Its stout walls have bowed and broken beneath the weight of time, but it still has charm.
The view from the top is spectacular. Orpheus Island is steep and rugged on its eastern side with no place to land and no real protection. A stand of rocks on the top look like a sacred circle. Looking to the west the view is sublime with the fringing coral reef easy to see.
Standing stones
The view looking west with Roobinesque moored in the bay.
View looking east and south towards Palm Island
Loved the colours of the grass.
On the walk down the butterflies were everywhere, feasting on the lantana flowers. It was a magical way to spend the morning before we headed back to the water to explore the coral again.
Butterfly drinking its fill.
This may well be a weed but its flower is very pretty!
Orpheus Island is now the top of my ‘Favourite Island’ list. We’ll be back!
August 1, 2016
Under the waves
What a day! We’re both exhausted from exploring, kayaking and snorkelling. If you get the chance to visit Orpheus Island then take it. The fringing coral reef is spectacular and my photos don’t do it justice.
Even more special is the clam garden which is full of giant clams. They were bred here in the 1980’s and stock was then relocated to reefs where the clams had been decimated either by predators or poachers. They are extraordinarily beautiful with so many variations of colours and patterns. They are also highly entertaining as the tide recedes and they start squirting water. It’s a little disconcerting kayaking over them and feeling the jets of water hitting the bottom of the boat.
We donned our stinger suits and headed for the outer edge of the reef where the variety of soft and hard corals is spectacular. Add in a huge range of fish and we were in the water until our teeth were chattering. Too good to miss.
Tomorrow the wind is forecast to drop further so we’re hoping for another wonderful say in the thrall of Mother Nature.
Do you have a favourite snorkelling spot you’d like to share?
Giant Clams at Orpheus Island
Love the colour in the clams.
They can weigh hundreds of kilograms when fully grown
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July 31, 2016
Orpheus Island
We had a delightful sail from Horseshoe Bay to Orpheus Island – although I lost count of the sail changes as the wind was up and down. When it reached 17 knots in a rush, and we still had our beautiful pink spinnaker up, I think we were both a little concerned we were headed for disaster! Thankfully the sock worked and the spinnaker’s back in the sail locker for lighter winds 
July 30, 2016
Media Articles and Interviews
Ever wondered what a plane crash feels like? It’s all in a day’s work for multi-award-winning author and airline pilot, Helene Young.A check captain with Australia’s largest regional airline, QantasLink, her job is to ensure aircrew can handle all inflight emergencies. It comes in handy for writing fast-paced suspense novels starring feisty women and sexy men.
The inspiration for her first novel began with a tragic discovery. “Early one morning, walking our dog, I found a body washed up on Trinity Beach. While there was nothing sinister in that discovery, it planted the seed of an idea for a novel focusing on the terrorist threat to Australia. Working as a captain with Australia’s largest regional airline I fly with crews who have flown for the current Customs and Border Protection contractor. That made it easy to draw on their experiences and weave my characters through a realistic scenario.”
Helene books have won the Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Book of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012. She was also voted favourite romantic suspense author by the Australian Romance Readers Association in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and was shortlisted for the same award in 2012. Burning Lies was shortlisted for the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award Mystery/Suspense in America.
Helene has just taken leave of absence from her role as a Regional Flying Manager with the airline. You’ll now find her sailing the Coral Sea with her husband aboard their catamaran, Roo Bin Esque. In between seeking new adventures she finds time to indulge her love of tropical gardens, cooking, and discovering new authors and their wonderful books.
Helene is available for speaking engagements, school visits or library chats. She conducts writing courses at Writers Festivals and on behalf of the Queensland Writers Centre. She also travels to book clubs and writing groups on request.
Contact her:
Via the “Contact’ tab on this website.
Or via her agent, Clare Forster, from Curtis Brown on 61 3 9388 8145 or email [email protected]
Her books:
WINGS OF FEAR(Border Watch), voted Romantic Book of the Year in 2011, is the first of her loosely linked trilogy focusing on the coastal surveillance operations round Australia.
SHATTERED SKY, the second book, which also won the Romantic Book of the Year 2012, is set in the world of the Outlawed Motorcycle gangs and organised crime. These first two books were also awarded the Favourite Romantic Suspense novels by the Australian Romance Readers Association in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
BURNING LIES, the final Border Watch book, was released in July 2012 by Penguin Australia. A passionate love story, it’s set on the Atherton Tablelands at the height of bushfire season.
Helene’s fourth novel, HALF MOON BAY, released 22nd May, 2103 was chosen as the June Book of the Month by The Get Reading team and Helene toured Australia talking to readers at libraries and community centres. Her story of a small town fighting a corrupt local government resonated strongly with readers. It was voted Favourite Romantic Suspense novel for 2013 by the Australian Romance Readers Association.
Helene’s fifth book, SAFE HARBOUR, released in April 2014. Set in the coastal hamlet of Banksia Cove this ‘friends to lovers’ story is set against a back drop of drugs in sport and international crime syndicates. The action starts on page one and doesn’t let up. It was also voted Favourite Romantic Suspense 2014 at the Australian Romance Readers Convention making it back to back wins for Helene’s stories.
NORTHERN HEAT released on 27th May, 2015. Set in Cooktown, with a cyclone bearing down on the coast, this is a redemption story with the awful consequences of domestic violence at its heart. Picking up from SAFE HARBOUR, almost twelve months on, we see Conor finally show his true colours. It took out the Favourite Romantic Suspense award in 2015 at the Australian Romance Readers’ Awards night.
Professional Aviation Qualifications
Regional Flying Manager, QantasLink, QLD
Check and Training Captain Dash 8 400
Airline Transport Pilot Licence
Grade One Multi-Engine IFR Flying Instructor
Civil Aviation Safety Authority Approved Testing Officer
Articles on Helene – Please also see the other pages under Media
The Age – Story written by Helene for the Melbourne Age 5/02/2011
Courier Mail March 2010 – Fiona Purdon
Herald Sun March 2010 -Fiona Purdon
Radio Interviews
612 ABC Radio Podcast, 2012
BBC World News 2011- Birmingham, Conventry and London. Live crosses during Cyclone Yasi
ABC Far North – 2010 Fiona Sewell
Community Radio Cairns 2010 and 2011 – Bev Blaauw
July 29, 2016
Maggie Island
I love North Queensland! We hopped on the bus to go to Nellie Bay and the driver was busy checking up on the health of one of his elderly regulars who’d been taken ill yesterday. Same driver on the way back announced to the bus via the PA that ‘the couple that wanted to buy something for their camera should get off at the next stop. It’s their best bet.’ He also randomly stopped to let passengers off to save them a walk. Service – all delivered with a gentle smile.
We’ve had three glorious days on Magnetic Island. It’s just off the coast from Townsville and I’ve flown over Maggie more times than I can remember during my 18 years with QantasLink.
Horseshoe Bay, where we are anchored, is a stunning spot on the northern side so it’s great for sheltering from the south easterlies. Dinghy access to the beach is easy as it shelves very quickly – for once ours didn’t fill up with water while we were off exploring.
There are heaps of walks – and some of them not for the faint-hearted nor croc wearers (Graham please take note 
July 27, 2016
Time for a change
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you may notice things have changed a little! I hope you like the new look. I’ve gone for something simple, something that allows me to share more of my photos – since we’re seeing so many wonderful out of the way places while we’re cruising it would be a shame not to showcase them
