Wonders of the Whitsundays

Chris and I had a wonderful day yesterday, on a cruise amongst the Whitsunday Islands, visiting the pristine white sands of Whitehaven Beach, and snorkeling off Hook Island.  Wonderful weather and warm water (22 degrees for the water, mid-20s for the air temperature) made the snorkeling a delightful experience, as we floated above colourful coral reefs, watching lots of colourful fish.  All the gear was supplied by the operator, who had cups of tea ready for us when we returned to the boat.  Then we headed through rather bumpy seas to Whitsunday Island, the largest in the group, where we landed on the almost pure white sands of Whitehaven Beach, where we had a BBQ lunch.  

Whtehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, near Airlie Beach, Q.


We were pleased to find  toilets hidden out of sight from the water.  Goannas were plentiful at lunchtime, wanting to share the food. 

                   Goanna trying to get some of our lunch


There were quite a lot of small fish in the shallow water right at the edge of the beach, and we'd seen a green sea turtle next to the boat when it stopped- unfortunately she'd dived before we got our cameras out, but we did have a good look at her.


After an hour or two on the beach, we returned to the boat and resumed our trip, this time rounding a headland at the opposite end of the beach where we landed once again and walked up to a lookout over the estuary.  Great views, including the yacht which was beached here 6 days ago- the moron who hired it had tried to sail it into a protected area at high tide, and didn't notice the sandbar.  Attempts to refloat it have so far been unsuccessful  No doubt it's becoming an expensive mistake for the hirer as we believe he'd hired it for 4 days only.

                       Beached yacht on Whitsunday Island

                          Whitsunday Island

                           Whitsunday Estuary


We had a speedy trip back to the harbour, passing several other cruise boats on the way. I managed to get a photo of Airlie Beach (through water-sprayed windows) on the way back.

Blurry, waterlogged image of Airlie Beach from the water