Buggies Away!

Hamilton Island is a fabulous little patch of land that is part of the chain of islands that makes up the Whitsundays. Hamilton Island is known as the “Great Barrier Reef” island as it provides snorkeling just off its beaches as well as a gateway to the deeper outer reefs in the area of the Whitsundays. There are a few ways you can reach the Whitsundays. You can fly into Airlie Beach which is on the mainland and take a ferry to any of the islands or you can fly right into Hamilton Island and ferry anywhere else you would like to go. We flew into Hamilton Island and although it was a little overcast through the clouds you could get a glimpse of the green islands sitting in sparkling blue water. It was very exciting! Upon arrival to the small island airport, all of the hotels are awaiting your arrival to take you to your accommodation via buggy (golf cart) or small van. Car hire here is actually Buggy rental as this is the primary mode of transportation on the island. Ah, simplicity!

We arrived at the Reef View Hotel, which had the most amazing views of the surrounding islands. Our first day was somewhat cloudy and rainy but by the next afternoon the sun was shining for the remainder of our stay. We rented our buggy and toured around the little island checking out all the tiny roads and passing by peoples homes, some with really  ‘high class’, buggies parked in their small driveways.  Everyone on the island was extremely friendly and they had shuttle buses running throughout the island all day so when you didn’t have a buggy you could walk or take a shuttle bus anywhere you wanted to go. The weather cleared up perfectly for us to enjoy a beautiful island sunset at One Tree Hill where from 4pm on they set up a small bar for sunset cocktails on the cliff.

Views from our hotel room

Our buggy for the day

Sunset Cocktails

The next morning we took a fabulous day tour to the reef and Whitehaven Beach. Our catamaran, On The Edge, was fast and comfortable with a great crew and a small group, which made it a really great day. We first stopped at one of the outer reefs where we snorkeled through the chilly water. (I couldn’t feel my hands!) We did see lots of soft coral, which I hadn’t seen before and Jaime spotted our first reef shark and manta ray!

We then made our way to Whitehaven Beach, the third most beautiful beach in the world! It was really stunning. The sand was so soft and white and the water was so clear! We had a few hours to just lounge and enjoy the beach. We played a little footy ball and walked through the water checking out the schools of fish swimming by. One little fish was very curious and if I wiggled my toes he would make his way over and come in for a quick nibble. I have never seen a fish do that! He did it over and over again. I tried to get him to nibble Jaime but I think he may have liked the flash of my nail polish.  We took turns riding in the dingy to get back to our boat and leisurely sailed back to the port.

 That night we played some island mini-golf  (I was kicking Jaime’s butt but then we decided that the last hole was for all the beans and the world champion title which I lost to Jaime’s only hole-in-one for the night!) and then took a walk down to the marina for dinner. Sitting outside on the patio we noticed a little visitor coming in sniffing around for scraps. From far away it looked like one of those cute little Bandicoots that you rarely ever see! But once it got up close we realized it was a really rough and mangy looking Australian possum. We continued on with our dinner but I did put my feet up on the chair next to me.  Later that night I randomly discovered my expert skills at Angry Birds on Jaime’s ipad. I'm an addict. 

Bandicoot-what I thought I saw

Australian Possum-our actual dinner guest

The next day we had some time to lay by the pool and explore low-tide at the beach where we saw tons of marine life particularly hermit crabs and a feisty little sand crab that nipped my heel!  We were sad to leave such a relaxing and beautiful place. We wished we had more time to explore the other islands as the Whitsundays are another easily accessible gem in Australia! A place to enjoy so much natural beauty and get re-accustomed to that laid-back “Island Time”.

To view all the photos from Hamilton Island follow this link:
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