First of all, I want to wish you all a very happy, healthy and adventurous 2018! I hope that all your dreams may come through and that you can see many places on this beautiful earth!
The last days of 2017, I spent in Airlie Beach and the nearby Whitsundays. I arrived quite late in Airlie Beach, but was happy to find out that I knew people from Magnetic Island and thus I spent my first night with them. The next morning it was already time to leave Airlie Beach behind for a moment to explore the reason why Airlie Beach is such a famous stop on the East Coast: the Whitsundays. With a 2 night sailing tour I was ready to explore these 74 islands and islets.
Our first afternoon on the sailing boat the Mandarake centered around procedures on board as well as getting to know the boat, crew and other passengers. With only 14 passengers it was very easy to get to know everyone at least a little bit, and they turned out to be great company. We put up the sails and set off to the spot where we would spent the night. On our way there it was already quite evident that the Whitsundays are definitely worth a visit. The views are stunning and especially viewing the island groups from a boat gives a different feel to it. After dinner we chilled a bit on deck, but the intense amount of information seemed to have drained a couple of us so it was an early night. Luckily the tiredness made falling asleep a bit easier than expected. The rocking of the boat, the unknown noises, the heat (there is no airconditioning) and the snoring of 3 people on board did not bother much as I quickly feel into a deep sleep.
The next day breakfast was served at 6:15 in order to make it to Whitehaven Beach as one of the first groups. This 7km stretch of white beach is very impressive to see, and the different currents give a different view on the beach every single time you go to the lookout points. The sand is made up of 98% silica due to which it gets its white colour. Due to the silica the sand does not warm up like normal sand does, making it pleasant to walk on even on the hottest days of summer. It also means that if you drop your phone or camera, they are ruined as the sand is so fine it will get into every single hole. The whiteness of the sand was very impressive, and though we were not the first ones to arrive, the view was still magnificent.
After Whitehaven Beach, it was time to explore another feature of the Whitsundays: snorkeling. Airlie Beach is the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef thus gives plenty of opportunity to dive and snorkel the reef here as well. In total we did three different snorkels, two on the second day and one on the third day. Every single one of them was different, and also different from Cairns. It was a busier at these spots than when we were in Cairns, making it a bit more difficult to move around. However, the amount of fish was incredible. Unfortunately we did not spot turtles or sharks, but the corals and fish definitely made up for that. The fish here were way bigger than up in Cairns, especially 'George' a giant Maori Wrasse that can grow up to 2.3m long. The corals were very pretty, though I thought that the corals up in Cairns were a bit more diverse in colour. All in all, I was very happy to have both experiences on my trip, as both were unique enough to keep on making it extremely impressive. The fish you can see below are flatfish, and ones you do not want to eat, as they feed themselves with poo :)
With one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen we finished off the second day with good conversations on the deck. A very special thanks to the crew on the Mandrake for making the Whitsundays a definite highlight in my East Coast trip! If you ever travel down here, be sure not to miss this piece of paradise!
Upon return to Airlie Beach, there was an afterparty in one of the bars and we discussed our plans for New Years Eve the next day. Airlie Beach is well known for its location close to the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays, but I have to admit that the town itself does not have a lot to offer despite swimming and drinking. It only has a population of about 1200 people and despite its name the beach is really small and does not have a stinger net in stinger season. The lagoon provides some relief from the heat, but there is not much shade around. I had burned myself a little on the boat, and thus this meant that my last day of 2017 was spent in a hammock in the shade reading a nice book. Luckily the sun sets around 7pm, so that gave us enough time to enjoy NYE without having to worry about the sun. Together with two girls from the Mandarake boat I had dinner and we danced in a bar before watching the fireworks on the beach. A few guys from the boat tour joined us shortly after and we enjoyed the first hours of 2018 together! Day one of 2018 I spent with two Dutch guys from the Mandrake chilling at the hostel's kitchen playing games and complaining about the heat, our tiredness and life in general. A very Dutch way to start the new year... Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time in Airlie Beach as the people I was surrounded by really helped me get through another festivity away from home! With just 3,5 weeks to go, time is flying by, and even though I love it hear, I must admit that I am really looking forward to seeing you all again!
The last days of 2017, I spent in Airlie Beach and the nearby Whitsundays. I arrived quite late in Airlie Beach, but was happy to find out that I knew people from Magnetic Island and thus I spent my first night with them. The next morning it was already time to leave Airlie Beach behind for a moment to explore the reason why Airlie Beach is such a famous stop on the East Coast: the Whitsundays. With a 2 night sailing tour I was ready to explore these 74 islands and islets.
The next day breakfast was served at 6:15 in order to make it to Whitehaven Beach as one of the first groups. This 7km stretch of white beach is very impressive to see, and the different currents give a different view on the beach every single time you go to the lookout points. The sand is made up of 98% silica due to which it gets its white colour. Due to the silica the sand does not warm up like normal sand does, making it pleasant to walk on even on the hottest days of summer. It also means that if you drop your phone or camera, they are ruined as the sand is so fine it will get into every single hole. The whiteness of the sand was very impressive, and though we were not the first ones to arrive, the view was still magnificent.
After Whitehaven Beach, it was time to explore another feature of the Whitsundays: snorkeling. Airlie Beach is the Heart of the Great Barrier Reef thus gives plenty of opportunity to dive and snorkel the reef here as well. In total we did three different snorkels, two on the second day and one on the third day. Every single one of them was different, and also different from Cairns. It was a busier at these spots than when we were in Cairns, making it a bit more difficult to move around. However, the amount of fish was incredible. Unfortunately we did not spot turtles or sharks, but the corals and fish definitely made up for that. The fish here were way bigger than up in Cairns, especially 'George' a giant Maori Wrasse that can grow up to 2.3m long. The corals were very pretty, though I thought that the corals up in Cairns were a bit more diverse in colour. All in all, I was very happy to have both experiences on my trip, as both were unique enough to keep on making it extremely impressive. The fish you can see below are flatfish, and ones you do not want to eat, as they feed themselves with poo :)
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