Home From The Whitsundays

The Whitsundays are known as one of Australia's premier tourist destinations. They are a group of over 70 islands just off the northern Queensland Coast which were first discovered by James Cook on his voyage of discovery. The waters surrounding the Whitsundays are pristine and a delight to see. The islands are also home to numerous resorts, Daydream Island, Hamilton Island, Hayman Island, Croc Resort and others.

We were doing a cruise of seven days in a motorized catamaran. Trish and I arrived at Airlie Beach on the mainland (where the craft was sailing from) a day before departure to complete arrangements (ice for beer, deliver drinks etc). Usually this pat of the world is calm but we struck gale force winds for the first three or so days of our one week on the water.

This photo shows Airlie Beach which is a backpackers paradise. Remember to click on the photo for a larger view, then click on "Back" to return to this page!

Our other friends were flying up to Hamilton Island (2 hours away by sea from Airlie Beach )from Melbourne. The weather was so rough it took us almost double that time to get across to pick them up.

After we had all boarded we set off on our own. We were limited by the rough weather conditions as to where we could go for the first night. We selected a spot called Cid Harbour and spent our first night on board together. It seemed to be almost one party to another with plenty to drink and eat. It was great to catch up with old friends. Though some mornings were a little difficult for several group members.

One of the things this part of the world is renowned for is "Stingers". These are small dangerous sea creatures which can kill in extreme circumstances. To offset the possibility of stingers, you wore a stinger suit! The water was glorious to swim in and became our 'shower' each morning.

We visited places such as Stonehaven, Butterfly Bay, Daydream Island Resort, Croc Resort and dropped back in to Airlie Beach for more ice for the beer! Every day was a party.



However the highlight of the whole trip was easily Whitehaven Beach, described as one of the three top beaches in the world. We spent 24 hours there. It has white silica sand which seemed to glow. Even in the moonlight overnight the sand glowed in the dark. Being close to the beach made keeping the drinks up a little easier!



The water was sensational there and the early morning swim off the back of the boat to the beach was something else! During the day tourist boats flocked to this spot and unloaded boatload after boatload of tourists to enjoy this sensational spot. Truly one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Life on board was a little difficult with basic toilet and shower facilities. However with places to see like Whitehaven Beach, and even snorkeling at Chalkies Beach where small reef fish swim up to greet you made for a wonderful week.

We completed our 1000 km drive home mid afternoon on Saturday tired and ready for a good night's sleep in our own bed.

I am considering doing a web page to better describe our great week away.

30 degrees here right now at just after 8:30 am. Summer has arrived while we were up north. The pool is warming up nicely!