Day 136 - Whitsunday Sailing

Wow... had a great time. For two days I sailed on the Atlantic Clipper around the Whitsunday Islands. The first day we boarded the boat at lunchtime and sailed to Whitehaven beach. Below are the pictures of the beach I took from the lookout point; the sand was white and the sea was warm and shallow, with stingrays skimming across the bay.



After Whitehaven beach we sailed to a sheltered cove and dropped anchor for the night. The chef cooked fresh fish with veg and mashed potato (it was delicious) and we took our plates up onto the deck and ate and drank as the sun set behind the sea. After it got dark some dolphins came to play around the boat and the whole cove was illuminated by the full moon.

The next day we got up early and went snorkelling in the reef. It was AMAZING. The reef was fantastic (particularly like the ones that looked like brains), something straight out of Finding Nemo. There were thousands of fish of every colour and shape, turtles too. I had bought an underwater camera and used up all of my film.

Afterward we sailed to the next location - apparently the beast place to snorkel/dive and the place where we would be spending the next night. The weather was sunny and we stopped briefly to have some jumps off of the boat (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghsplash).



Dropped anchor in a different cove, then did the same routine as the day before; big dinner, early snorkelling the next day. If possible the reef was even more amazing (I really wished I hadn't used up all my film the day before). One of the guides brought the leftover bread from breakfast and threw it in after us - the fish just went bonkers and there was hundreds of them swimming round us like loonies. It's quite hard to describe just how cool it was, you had to be there...

We got back to the Marina at lunchtime and all got off hot, tired and happy. Great trip, so glad I forked out. Tomorrow I leave Airlie Beach (finally) to head north for Cairns.

Day 133 - Airlie Beach

There's been a change of plan - I'm going sailing! At 1 I'm climbing on board the Clipper, a posh sailing boat complete with hot tub, and heading off for 2 days sailing round the whitsunday islands. I've bought a silly cowboy hat (so I don't burn my nose) and a waterproof camera (for the snorkeling around the barrier reef), so I'm all ready to go.

The trip cost $250 (a hundred quid), but I figured I had to do it; once in a lifetime opportunity and all that.

Day 131 - Airlie Beach

Airlie beach still... not much to do but sunbathe and read. I've been browsing through Anna's pictures and sighing, remembering when I was going somewhere new every other day amnd never even had the chance to get bored (unless it was with yet another ruin!)

Yesterday I tried to get a volunteer position on a boat, but the waiting list is huge, so that's out of the window. The sailing trips are about $340 for 3 days (on average) so I think I'll skip it and go snorkelling further north.

Tonight it's new years, and I'll probably be with a few of the guys from the Oz bus - sitting next to the sea watching the fireworks and drinking cheap wine.

On the 2nd I'm going further north, to magnetic island, where I can go walking, sea kayaking and snorkelling. I'll be there a few days before travelling up to Cairns on the 6th and finally flying to Auckland, New Zealand on the 12th. Really looking forward to being in New Zealand, and have already been registering online with job companies so that I can a job as soon I get there (so sick of spending lots of money without being able to earn any back!) So, that's the plan! New country, all very exciting.