Day Seven – City Life to the Islands
We almost got it! Slept in until 5:30, in time to finish packing and head out to the Sydney airport for a 2.5 hour flight to the Hamilton Islands.
Excited to get to the islands, and flying north also means a little warmer weather, something we are looking forward to.
New South Wales to Queensland! Biggest difference, NSW is the most populated state with Sydney city life. Queensland is known for warmer weather, sunny beaches, and of course, the Great Barrier Reef!
Bam! Harsh landing on a short, beautiful runway and we have arrived! Hamilton Island, The Heart of the Great Barrier Reef!
Hamilton Island is definitely a slice of paradise. First fun island fact, no cars! Only ‘buggies’ (golf carts), and a few free shuttles that get people around the island. In some ways, landing here made it seem like our adventure has officially begun. So, after a bit of a wait (island time in effect), we check in to our hotel, The Whitsunday Apartments.
*Quick side note: our shuttle driver recommended we download the Hamilton Island app. Smart move, it basically has everything this little island offers in one place: restaurants, reservations, excursions, golfing, shops, etc, all in one easy to use app.
After settling in, we take the shuttle down to the marina, Hamilton Island’s main area. As we stroll down the marina, Katie notices Ocean Rafting, and immediately books one more day on the water. They just opened up a spot on the island 5 days ago.
From there, we find the perfect outdoor chill spot, The Palms. A couple of food trucks, live music, and a couple of beers to kick off island life.
Our great start to the island ends with us grabbing some pizza takeaway at the Pizzeria & Gelato Bar. Not a lot of options for food to be honest without making reservations in advance, and the island is a bit crowded because the Aussie winter school holiday started yesterday.
Our next ended with a shuttle back to the Whitsunday Apartments and a wild summer thunderstorm serenading us through the night.
Day Eight – Hamilton Island
Our first full day we wake up with an amazing sunrise from our balcony, filled with incredible views and cockatoos! It’s true, we are enjoying being novice birders on this trip, and seeing these sulphur-crested cockatoos is a fun way to start our day.
Shuttle to marina. Hit up Bob’s Bakery (highly recommend!)
& out to Cruise Whitsundays to the Whitehaven Beach and Whitsunday Island National Park. To be honest, Cruise Whitsundays was great. However, we were anticipating more of an action filled day on the water. What they were offering was a chance to see the sites, take some pictures, and have. a beach day on Whitehaven Beach. So, that is exactly what we did.
Pictures from the lagoon where we first came on shore of the island.
The breathtaking hike for our first look at Whitsunday Island National Park didn’t disappoint with these iconic shots from the short hike from the beach up to the lookout! Not really what to say when you see beaches and oceans like this, other than how fortunate we feel just to be able to experience it!
Following a hike down, we jump back on the boat which takes us over to Whitehaven Beach, where we relax for the afternoon.
Chill evening after a long day enjoying the islands. Back to the marina for dinner and to the hotel for a low key evening.
Day Nine – Hamilton Island
Wake up, pack. A bit of a whirlwind of a day ahead. When our adventurous day is done, we have to gather our bags and head to the marina for a shuttle off the island. However, our main focus is to get ready for another day in the Whitsunday islands.
But first… a stroll in front of our hotel to enjoy a morning with some wallabies and one cute little joey! To be honest, we had to ask the hotel if they were wallabies or kangaroos 🤷♂️.
Shuttle back to the marina, stop at the bakery for a croissant and some coffee (yup, Bob’s Bakery again, place is legit), and we are off on another boat day in the Whitsundays.
Opt not to go back up to the lookout, for one specific reason, give our newly bought drone, who we affectionately call ‘Dronie’, its maiden voyage.
**This is the spot in our blog where we would be inserting some of our best dronie footage we have ever taken. Well, at least that’s what we saw when we were flying.
Moment of silence… even with the help of Javier (more on Javier in the next blog post), a computer tech in Cairns, the files of these epic shots from dronie could not be recovered. No doubt it will be something Scott beats himself up over for a very long time 😥.
From there, we begin a 20 minute ride to lagoon for reef snorkeling. And, boom, something we’ve been waiting for… humpback whales! During the winter months (June to September), they migrate from Antarctic waters to the warmer, protected waters of the Whitsundays to breed and give birth.
Snorkeling on the reef was legit too!
Back to Whitehaven Beach for a short bit of time. Another awesome day on the Whitsundays!
Shoutout to the Ocean Rafting boat and crew we spent the day with. A smaller boat, more action, quicker pace, and more our type of island boating experience with a good mix of time in the water and land.
Jump off the boat, catch the shuttle back to hotel, grab our bags, and head back to the marina on the next shuttle to catch a ferry to Airlie Beach for one night, as we are headed north in the morning.
Hamilton Island is a picture perfect spot for a holiday. And for us, an ideal way to explore this beautiful place on our first experience in the Whitsundays.
Two Wayfaring Wanderers 
Your trip looks alot of fun!!!
The islands look refreshing!!!!!
Have fun enjoy your vacy!!
JoAnne