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4/29/07
Got an early start this morning - took a shuttle bus to the Brisbane Airport for our flight to the Whitsunday Coast. The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands, only 8 of which have resorts on them. They’re located off the northeast coast of Australia and are amongst the Great Barrier Reef. We spent the night in Airlie Beach, which is on the coast and is a hub for arranging sailing trips around the Whitsundays, daytrips to parts of the Reef, or transportation to and accommodation at the islands. We signed up for a 3 day/3 night sailing trip aboard Whitsunday Magic (a tall ship), leaving the following afternoon. There are a ton of options, so after going well over budget (the accountant side of us shinning through….), we hoped we made the right decision.
4/30/07
Our Whitsunday Magic experience began with a bus bringing us down the Marina where we were greeted by the crew and fellow passengers. We set sail at around 3pm. We started off on the right foot with a champagne toast and spent the next few hours getting to know everyone. We were also informed that shoes would be optional for the
Whitsunday Magic
Our home for the next 3 nights duration of the trip (nice…). Turned out to be a great cast of characters - 22 passengers, representing England, Germany, Italy, Holland, Canada and of course the good ol’ US of A. Most of the passengers were couples, ranging in age from 25 - 60, with most being in their 30s. It was a really good dynamic right off the bat with tons of laughs and we could tell that the next few days were gonna be great! We were shown to our cabin, which was very small and immediately felt at home (Mom P. - you would have died - the two of us could barely stand in there at the same time). We made our way to the deck and enjoyed some cocktails, good conversation with our new friends (it was so nice to have other people to talk to (not that we are getting sick of each other or anything…..)), and a beautiful sunset.
All of this was followed by a wonderful dinner - the most gourmet meal we have had yet….chicken with roast cashews on a bed of roasted sweet potatoes and rocket (a type of lettuce) followed by a dessert of chocolate and cointreau
Whitsundays
View from the aft (back) deck pannacotta - yuuuummmmyyyy!! When signing up, we were told that one of the things that distinguished this boat from the others was the food - there’s actually a chef and assistant chef on board (as opposed to the regular crew just cooking up some BBQ or something like that) - they were right.
5/1/07
Woke up to find ourselves at arguably one of the nicest beaches in the world - Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. Took a dinghy to shore, went to a lookout spot, and hungout on the beach. Turquoise water and the whitest, finest sand we’ve ever seen. After enjoying morning tea on the beach (one of the up-sides of this boat was that there was always a ton of delicious food at your fingertips - both morning and afternoon tea and snacks were served), we headed back on board. Mind you that these few hours was the only time we spent on land in the 3 days onboard.
After lunch we set sail (the first time the sails went up) and Jay got to help. We spent the afternoon on the sundeck relaxing. One of our favorite aspects of being on the boat was that
it was complete relaxation - we were forced to do nothing - we couldn’t make travel arrangements, no cell phone service, no internet and we knew where we were eating every meal. It was a very tranquil setting - being in the middle of the ocean with both ourselves and the other passengers lounging on the sundeck and enjoying the scenery. For dinner, Steph had a delicious pork dish with sautéed apples and creamed potatoes. Jay opted for the fish dish.
5/2/07
Spent most of the day snorkeling - in the morning at Maureen’s Cove off of Hook Island and in the afternoon at Blue Pearl Bay off of Hayman Island. This was by far the best snorkelling we have ever done with a chance to see parts of the Great Barrier Reef, tons of tropical fish who were very friendly, and a 150 year-old clam that was as big as a person. We all thought it was amazing how close the fish got to us - one even nibbled on Jay’s finger. The only downfall of swimming in this crystal clear water was having to wear a “stinger suit,” to protect us from deadly jellyfish. The skin-tight suits
were also a good source of entertainment. After our second snorkel adventure, we went out on the glass-bottom boat to explore some more. We also saw a bunch of huge sea turtles from the deck of the main boat.
We had a really fun night with our new friends (Denise, Paul and Rob) - spent most of it drinking, laughing and sharing experiences. It’s fascinating to hear everyone on the boats “story” - what job they’ve left, where they’ve been, where they are headed, how they have so much time to travel and what they are passionate about.
5/3/07
We spent our last few hours on the boat reading, chatting and eating. Overall, it was a great experience and we would highly recommend the ship we took or a similar type of trip.
This afternoon we traveled to Hamilton Island, which is one of the Whitsunday Islands, by ferry. Hamilton Island, although it's walkable from end to end, is the most commercial of the resort islands (actually has more than 1 restaurant unlike many of the other islands) and offers the most activities. It’s a beautiful vacation spot with great pools, water sports and scenery. The island
is inhabited by many exotic birds, including cockatoos with a knack for entering rooms and raiding the mini-bar (no joke - we heard a firsthand story of this happening and the hotel also cautioned us about this). The only ways to get around on the island are the free shuttle buses, a rented golf cart or to walk. We were told that within the past few days, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Ivonna Trump were spotted on the island. Once we arrived, we took advantage of the free shuttle they offer to get the lay of the land. At dinner time, we sat at the marina and enjoyed the view.
5/4/07
Our last full day in Australia - got an early start and went for a hike to a place on the island called Coral Cove - it is a beautiful secluded beach where we were the only 2 people - so serene to look out for miles and only see the water and other islands with no one around. On our way back, Steph spotted a huge guayana lizard through the bush (appeared to be about 3 feet long).
Spent the rest of the day poolside recovering
from our hike. In the late afternoon, we went to One Tree Hill, which is a popular spot to watch the sunset and is located at the top of the island, offering panoramic views of the other Whitsunday Islands.
5/5/07
A long travel day….shuttle bus -> ferry -> bus -> plane to Sydney -> plane to Hong Kong
RANDOM THOUGHTS BY JAY AND STEPH:
- Australia is home to many of the world’s deadly animals - we were often informed by Aussies about how they have “the second deadliest spider in the world” or “the deadliest snake in the world”
- “How you going” and "no worries" - love these phrases….
- Average prices of things in Australia:
o one night at a hostel, with a private room and private bathroom: around $80 USD
o we found it very difficult to get a main dish at a restaurant for under $15 or $20
o flights within Australia were pretty reasonable, utilizing Jetstar or Virgin Blue as an alternative to Quantas - one ways ranged from about
$60 - $100
- Overall, we really enjoyed Australia. It is a great vacation spot and has
Jay raising the sails
Or, at least, helping some really beautiful cities and beaches. Although you would need a month plus to cover all the major tourist destinations in the country, you could surely do a 2 or 3 week vacation here to visit the best spots (include Sydney and the Whitsundays for sure) and it definitely be worth the trip
- We heard really good things about Fraser Island (off the east coast by the Gold coast), although we did not have a chance to go there
- Next stop……..Hong Kong
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mom Pitofsky
non-member comment
What is not to like!!!!!!!!
The pictures of the islands are amazing. If the boat was a cruise ship I would like to go to those islands. You are right I would have had a panic attack in the room. Love you and miss you!!! mom Pitofsky