Blogs from Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 2

Another couple weeks have gone by again... And it has been pretty much the same; working hard for Brett, some work for Kara, great weather... Brett's boss Simon, came up for 2 days from Melbourne for work (or more likely to escape the cooler weather down there)... but it was great to see him again and we had a good night with him with a few drinks and some really good Chinese food (one of about the 5 choices for dinner in Bowen...), but at least it's good! Then this past weekend, Brett took 2 days off (in a row) and planned a trip over to Hamilton Island for my birthday. Hamilton Island is one of the 74 islands of the Whitsunday Islands, which are part of the Great Barrier Reef. Hamilton is the 2nd largest ... read more

Hello all, Its been a while so get yourself comfy... Am I glad I got up early for the arrival into Sydney Harbour! Wow!. The alarm was set for 5am and I was up on deck by 5.30 just as the lights of the opera house came into view. Its very dark and errie as we sail in silently. I took endless photos as the night turned into day and sat up on deck for nearly 2 hours just taking it all in. It all seemed very familiar, having seen so many photos and films of this iconic sight but to actually be here was mind-blowing. Although not everyone was as impressed as me... I was constantly amused by people walking past and asking thwy're partner what that white building was - I guess they must ... read more

Well here we are on Hamilton Island and at last we have some sun. It is a beautiful place and we have a free day from travelling in the coach which is an extra bonus. We spent last night at Rockhampton although we didn't see an awful lot of it as we didn't arrive until 4.30, dinner was at 6.30 and we had to leave our rooms next morning at 6am. (another early night!!). Sunday and Monday we spent on Fraser Island, in wooden eco acommodation. The island has a host of wildlife but they were quite elusive although we did see a dingo raiding someones bag on the beach. On the way here yesterday we visited a Cattle Ranch in the Outback, very wild and rural so this Island is quite a contrast. We are ... read more

The final pitstop before heading back to Sydney was Hamilton Island for Dave and Jeri's wedding. Such a beautiful place, it was a shame we couldn't stay longer. Hamilton Island is pure paradise, we spent two and a half lazy days in a gorgeous hotel room with a view of palm trees and beaches. The wedding was lovely, and the reception was held on a boat that sailed around the Whitsundays for four or five hours - we couldn't have had a better time. The months that followed back in Sydney were tough - finding an apartment in the ridiculously competitive rental market, and looking for work at the same time, both hard to get without the other. Nevertheless, I will always remember our little island escape as a perfect ending to an amazing year away. ... read more

Last day in Hamilton Island and we had a trip booked to Whithaven Beach. We got up early and were waiting for the boat by 9. It was a sailing boat called Banjo Patterson and was to take about 30 of us to see one of the top 10 beaches in the world. The crew were great and after the usual safety stuff we were handed a 'stinger' suit, this is a rather fetching lycra number that offers all over body protection (apart from hands, feet and face) from the jelly fish. We motored out of the harbour and because the water was like a millpond had to continue on the motor rather than the sails. The journey was great with some magnificent scenery of the WhitSunday Islands. The journey took about 1 1/2 hours and ... read more