Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef!

Take a deep breath and say "Ahhhh"....I struck paradise in Australia! Turquoise blue waters, white sand beaches and of course a nice warm tropical breeze and lots of sun.  Those are the elements that make up for a grand time in the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland Australia.  

Taking a relatively quick weekend trip to this tropical paradise wasn't enough and I surely will have to return at some later date in my lifetime to come back and get the full real deal.  Traveling to this area took a full day from Melbourne with a quick layover in Brisbane.  

From Brisbane my flight landed in Proserpine, a small town which is mostly made up of sugarcane fields and kangaroos.  I hopped onto an airport transfer shuttle and made my way to my accommodation in Airlie Beach.  This small town consists of serviced apartments and a strip of restaurants.  Nothing more than a sleepy beach resort town.  I had booked a full day tour to the Great Barrier Reef for my full day and only day there.  

Airlie Beach is considered to be the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, which consist of 74 islands with plenty of the world's best white sand beaches.  I unfortunately didn't allow myself enough time to experience these beaches, perhaps for a romantic honeymoon? haha....plenty of time to come back.  

I checked into my budget friendly apartment and explored the small town on my first evening.  Got some good fish and chips, walked the strip and drank a couple of pints at one of the local pubs.  Then strolled by the lagoon which is there outdoor pool as their beaches aren't that...useful.  

The next morning a shuttle picked me up from my apartment and took me to Whitsunday Cruises which was the outfit to take me to the Great Barrier Reef.  I hopped on board Seaflight their modern catamaran and jettisoned to the first stop, Hamilton Island.  

A quick 45 minute cruise to Hamilton Island, led us through some of the islands of the Whitsunday's, past sand white beaches and empty coves ideal for those tropical images of a sailboat moored alone in pristine clear blue waters.  At Hamilton Island we picked up more Great Barrier Reef tourists and departed to our destination, Hardy Reef.  On a side note, Hamilton Island is the luxe of islands with some of the fanciest resorts in all of Australia.  Golf carts roam freely as the main mode of transportation...and the minimum that one could spend there begins at $500 a night....not something that I could afford, but could only dream and drool over.  Looked like a fun time!

Casting off from Hamilton Island, the two hour cruise to the Great Barrier Reef was filled with more delightful  beaches, islands, and dolphins.  

At our destination, we arrived to our pontoon which housed everything we needed for our day's adventure.  I took to a guided snorkel tour where a marine biologist took me and another on an hour long guided tour to explain what I was looking at and to get myself accustomed to snorkeling.  It was great.  Wetsuits provided it was a grand time.  I saw some amazing coral and fish.  No sea turtles, but everything else made up for it!  I then ventured by myself after the tour to see more of the great reef and captured some images of what I saw.  The photos do no justice of what I actually saw, but you can get an idea of what was there.  Giant clams, anemones, colorful fish...etc.  The reef was bright and colorful and the images don't show that, but I can vouch.

Parrot fish! They make the sand....they poop it out and make the fine sand. :P

Snorkel Shot

Face shot.

Coral - its blue tipped......but my camera doesn't show it

Giant Clam, produces the largest pearls in the Sea

Hamilton Island Bay

Once I was finished snorkeling for a good 2.5 hours, I took to the sky.  I jumped aboard a quick air tour of the Great Barrier Reef and was able to see the Heart Reef....(yes...romantic and sappy, but its in the shape of a heart!).  It was a amazing experience and was fun flying in a helicopter for the first time.  I have two videos of the flight below to view.  

See the heart?  Its upside-down......

Riding co-pilot in the helicopter!

After the air tour I took to the lunch buffet and filled myself with prawns and other delights!

Here's what the snorkeling looked like as there were ropes that helped lead us over the reef.

A nice panorama shot of the reef

Sunset near my apartment

Airlie Beach Bay where the waters are blue

It was a fun and action packed weekend and I will have to return again to see Whitehaven Beach...and other spots that get this place ranked as the world's best beaches.  

This was also a great way to wrap up my 4 month stint in Australia.  As I prepare for my return back to the States in two weeks.  I will be headed back on Australia Day, January 26th, the equivalent of Independence Day in the US.   Its been a great experience and awesome opportunity and all I can say is "Thank You, Mr. Boeing" and of course to my manager as well for giving me this great opportunity! :)  

I'll have one more entry after this to conclude and summarize my trip.  Thanks for following and enjoy the photos!

Cheers!