Whitsunday Islands

We have been waiting for a trip to the Whitsunday Islands so it was a perfect opportunity for us to tag along with our friends Craig and Mo during their trip to Australia. The Whitsunday Islands are a group of 74 islands on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. You could spent weeks sailing around the islands but we only had four days. There is only one island with an airport, 7 islands that have accommodation, and only about three with ferries available (which are very expensive) which makes it difficult to explore too much without tours or a boat.

We stayed at a resort on Hamilton Island which had some great pools, a large beach, and a little marina with a few great restaurants. Unfortunately, the beach was a little ripped up during our stay from the previous weather but at least we had some sunny weather while we were there. So we opted for a few day tours…

The first day tour was a helicopter ride over the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. It was a little expensive but worth every penny. The pictures just don’t do it justice. We flew over Whitehaven Beach which is one of the top ten in the world and it looked breathtaking from above. The reef was also beautiful and looked like it went on forever…amazing to see. We flew over tiny heart reef which is all natural and really in the shape of a perfect heart. Then the helicopter dropped us off on a pier in the middle of the reef where we spent a few hours snorkelling before cruising back to Hamilton Island. The reef was actually pretty deep but there was plenty to see at the surface. Tons of amazing tiny fish and they were everywhere. Unfortunately as this was a permanent pier on the reef and it is close enough for day trips, this part of the reef wasn’t as great as it probably could be. There were some dying corals and the water wasn’t as clear from the constant tourists. The Great Barrier is actually experiencing a lot of problems with tourism and pollution.

The Great Barrier

Heart Reef

Snorkelling on our second day tour was much better. We took a sailing trip for snorkelling and beach time. This time we visited a small fringing reef on one of the Whitsunday Islands…Cahill’s Beach. Here the coral was amazingly vibrant, the water warmer and clearer, and still tons of beautiful tropical fish. We even saw a family of Nemos! After snorkeling in the morning, we spent the afternoon at Whitehaven Beach! We did a little swimming in the crystal clear water and then laid out on the beach. The sand is so white and as fine as flour. It even squeaks when you walk on it. The sand is so fine that it used in the Hubble telescope and other items. In fact, the sand is worth so much that if you get caught with 1 gram of it you are fined $10,000. We weren’t taking any with us! But we could have spent all day there. The sailing was wonderful as well…another item we have been dying to do. It was so relaxing and they fed us a great lunch and snacks with wine and refreshments. It was a fullfilling day and a refreshing vacation. We can't wait to go back to Queensland.

Whitehaven Beach