Whitsundays 2003
Sunday October 5: Six hour drive starting at 5:00pm straight from Bogan Gate home for a short sleep and to collect our other bags ready for the flight to Hamilton Island.
Monday October 6: Everything went very smoothly, driver arrived on time, bags were pretty right and the plane was on time. Arriving a Hamilton Island it was nice and warm but connecting to the Marina to get to "Prego" www.internationalcruises.com.au was another issue. We had to wait for the Resort Link bus.
Finally we made it to the Marina and boarded the boat. So nice. Out of the travel clothes and into something more suitable - shorts and short-sleeve shirt before a quick drive around the island in a Golf Buggy. Fun and a great view from the top of One Tree Hill. Fish and Chips for dinner at the Eatery Harbourside.
Tuesday October 7: A big day for Phil - Whitehaven Beach. Getting there it was a little rough and the strait North of Hamilton Island looked like rapids on a river. Once at Whitehaven it was a short hop to the shore on the Jet Ski and chicken for lunch. Had to watch for the crows though who wanted to eat it when we weren't watching.
We made a sand castle, walked the beach and found a really weird dead fish.
Even had some time for the girls to learn to Jet Ski.
Back
on the boat on the Jet Skis one by one with Phil the last person on the beach.
A dream fulfilled.
We then headed to Turtle Bay for the night. Or so we thought.
Nice Mexican dinner with a bottle of sparkling red and we had great TV reception to watch CSI. Phil enjoyed watching the stars on the top deck for awhile too.
Must of been around 11.00pm, Nicole and Bec were asleep, Kim was dozing and Phil was about to turn it. Phil looked out the portal window and it looked like surf.
Mike, the Skipper, was already at the bridge checking wind speeds. "If it hits 30 knots we're heading back to Hamilton Island Harbour" . Well, within 10 minutes it had done just than an a bunch of other boats were already on route to the harbour. Kim and Colleen were now up to, on went the Radar, Depth Sounder, lights and the engine was running to get us back to HI. We moored in the reserved berth around quarter to 2.