Day 4 was a bit more chill as we drive back to Brisbane for a flight to our next destination- halfway up the Queensland Coast to the Whitsunday Islands. Mom conquered her fear of prop planes- and we had fantastic views of the Queensland Coast. From the air it becomes even more apparent- Queensland has so many gorgeous beaches (and not that many people_- many of them are completely undeveloped- some without any access roads. After we arrived the very small airport on Hamilton Island- we found our great air bnb which had amazing coastal views. One of the highlights of Hamilton Island- which is only about 1 mile long by ½ mile wide- is the transportation. We had our own personal golf cart for the 3 days to cruise along the quiet streets! First stop was Catseye Beach- where we practiced a bit of snorkeling (low tide made it tough) and then enjoyed the slightly cold series of 5 different swimming pools. We then golf carted over to the fantastic harbour with tons of awesome boats. We grabbed some supplies to grill- and then had a sunset bbq back at our air bnb! (Amazing the family bonding time you can have with no wifi!)
Day 5 was one of our big adventure days- our 1st chance to see the Great Barrier Reef. We got aboard our huge boat (part of Whitsunday Cruises) to travel 1.5 hrs out to Heart Pontoon at the Hardy Reef (we learned that the Great Barrier Reef is composed of 1500 individual reefs. On our way we have fantastic views of the Whitsunday islands, staved off sea sickness in the very choppy open ocean and spotted several humpback whales. The reef itself was amazing even from the surface- every color of green and light blue- in stark contrast to the deep blues of the ocean around it. Later in the day, we even saw several whales less than 100 yards from the boat- close enough to see the white backs of their tales.
When we got to the reef we started out taking a ride in a semi-submersible submarine. We were impressed by the mountains of staghorn coral and then saw schools and schools of bluish silvery fish that perfectly reflected the sun’s rays. Next up was some serious snorkeling – we geared up in our wet suits and Bee in a stingray suit (luckily only needed for warmth in the winter, in other months there are some deadly stingrays- yet another way Australia can kill you), took a few funny pictures and then made the plunge. Waters were filled with colorful fish, which we later found out were parrotfish, angelfish, damselfish and triggerfish. One particular big fish was the Maori Wrasse- and the one who patrols this reef is known as Maggie. Maggie is actually changing from a female fish to a male fish to show his/her dominance. We saw some bright blue staghorn coral along with rock coral, brain coral and some soft waving coral. Bee held on for his first big snorkel in the open choppy waters. After the snorkel, while Bee and Dad got some lunch and saw a big humpback up close- Jay and Mom did an intro scuba dive. Jay got to observe Maggie up close and personal, dove down 5 meters and hung out with some….After they got back, Dad won the snorkeling by being the last person out on the water. We said our goodbyes to the reef, got to see all of our cool pictures and rode the choppy waves back to town. Back in town, we opted for a pizza dinner as we watched sunset over the harbor.
On Day 6 we set out for another cruise with Whitsunday- this time a half day trip to White Haven Beach- a gorgeous white sand beach on the north side of Whitsunday Island (the biggest of the island chain- entirely protected as a National Park). After a shorter boat ride, we pulled up on the beach. Dad and Jay got to feed some crazy black and white fish jumping out of the ocean while waiting for their hike. They then trekked 30 minutes up a fantastic lookout- learning about a type of pandamus tree that has candy corn shaped fruit and the crazy nests of the edible green ants, and a species of huge spiders that can even eat birds. Back at the beach, Mom and Bee were working on a masterpiece of the sandcastle- complete with a huge moat and 9 different towers. We did a bit of swimming and headed back to Hamilton Island. Had a pretty lazy afternoon, fish & chips for lunch on the harbor and a bit frisbee water polo (Bee invented that new sport). Jay and Dad also took a tour de golf cart around the island- discovering a beautiful view of the cost- and almost running out of battery power climbing up the hil! Then we tried our luck at the minigolf – glow in the dark ball style. (Dad dominated)…Back to the harbor for an ice cream dinner and then back to our air bnb for a little bit of stargazing before bed!
Day 7 started with a cockatoo eating Jay’s breakfast (but we got some great photos and video out of it anyhow), then one last golf cart ride and early flight up the coast- destination Cairns. This flight was even more spectacular than the last – as we flew over the Whitsundays (including Whitehaven Beach and Hill inlet- a whirl of blue water coming off the sea) and tons of other beautiful islands – all with fringing readers and azure waters!
After we got our car, we zipped further north to Mossman Gorge- part of the Daintree rain forest- the oldest rain forest on earth checking in at 180 Million years ( and we thought our grandparents were old). After a cool locally sourced lunch at the cafe, we went on a 3 km hike where we saw a crystal clear river with beautiful waterfalls and pools! The rain forest has some awesome monkey vi es and trees with huge buttress roots. While we didn’t see Dads favorite animal the cassowary, we did spot a wild pig ( nice eyes Jay)
Next up we drove a little further north to a photo cruise on the Daintree River. Cruising for 2 hours, we spotted 6 crocodiles- the biggest being almost 5 meters long. The guide told us that some of the cows who fall down the hill from their grazing grounds actually get eaten by the crocs! Mom also confirmed her fear that crocs can wander all the way down the river to the ocean- to regulate their body temperature in the different seasons.. so we avoided the beaches here!
The other highlight of the cruise was bird spotting- as we saw Little pied cormorants, Black cormorants, Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets ( about 1500 of them all come back to one tree each night- at almost the exact same time. They have their own spots – “no Bee I want the top bunk”), a Spoonbill, a Brahman Kite ( looks like a more orange bald eagle), Black Necked stork, Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher the Papua Frogmouth ( a good bird to play where’s Waldo with…) and a Welcome swallow And a Bird that flies 22 hours a day ( we forgot his name)… also saw some beautiful yellow and red hibiscus and a very cool match box seed pod…after dinner we found our way to our Air BNB in Shannonvale ( called “ de shed” ) where we even got to sleep outside and enjoy the harmonies of the local bats (Mom didn’t really appreciate them for some reason)
Day 8 was set for another big adventure – back to the Great Barrier Reef. This time we traveled with a much smaller group (20) on a huge catamaran with giant sails – with a company called Sail Away. We cruised out to the reef enjoying the huge deck of the boat and the nice pastries. At the reef, we geared up and jumped in- and almost immediately found 4 green sea turtles. During our 1 hour snorkeling- we found 2 more- 1 up really close as he rested on a patch of coral. The giant sea clams again stole the show- and awesome amounts of coral and bright tropical fish everywhere. Some huge white, black and gold bat fish also swam under the boat as we jumped back on. Jay got some awesome go pro footage (see upcoming video on the You Tube Channel) while Bee did a great job spotting some very unusual fish.
TUUURRRRTTTLLLEEE!!! 
Next stop on the boat ride was a pure sand island- only maybe 30 yards long by 10 yards wide- right on the reef. Tour guide joked that it was the nicest collection of fish poop you could ever find! We did some shell hunting and photo zapping as we enjoyed our own little slice of paradise.
After a great buffet lunch on the boat, we took a short ride on a small boat out to a spot where we got to snorkel back to our catamaran- going to a part of the reef with even more giant coral, beautiful colorful schools of parrotfish and even these cool Christmas tree glow worms- worms that shoot up a structure that looks like a Christmas tree to catch food. Jay and Mom even tried some “duck diving” – Jay to capture some more great shots! We again succeeded in being the last back on the boat… we said our final goodbyes to the reef and sailed back to shore while with our guides help identifying all of the fish we think we saw and Bee even got try the cool GPS navigation system ! Back on land enjoyed some nice drinks overlooking the another beautiful Harbour – then headed back to a great local restaurant for dinner and watched a bit footy on TV ( Rugby League – the Australian sport that was in season)
Our last started with an early mass at St Augustine in the town of Mossman. Back at our air bnb, Dad found the bat “cave”- a group of trees that serves as the daytime home for a few hundred a the fruit bats.. also saw some crazy spider webs on the ground….then into town for the Port Douglas Sunday market- where we ate great sausage and donuts, and Mom found a great photo of a boat in an Australian Harbour. We then took a short but challenging hike up to Flagstaff Point lookout – from where we got a Birds eye view of 4 Mile Beach! On the way back we spotted a cool lizard.
After an obligatory stop at the supermarket to stock up on Tim Tam’s, we headed south- stopping at another great beach photo spot called Rex lookout. In Cairns, we walked around the very cool botanical gardens- with a walk showing how some ancient environments evolved in Australia – and a boardwalk path through the swamp. Last stop was the Cairns promenade for a nice walk along the coast to get ice cream.. two late night flights to Brisbane and then a 2:30 AM flight brought us back to Singapore! What an adventure!
Sent from my iPhone
Thank you for taking us on your adventures through your photos and descriptions. Such beautiful scenery, interesting wildlife spottings, tempting food images, and all your smiles!
What a great appreciation you’ve gained for this planet and its inhabitants. And you’ve passed it on to your readers! Great job with these posts! Adventure, HO!