The Johnsons' Journal

The Whitsundays are a group of 74 islands off of the Queensland coast.  Most of the islands are designated as national park and are not inhabited, however a few have some luxury resorts on them.  The area is also home to the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

We booked a 3-day/2-night trip aboard Kiana, a 60-foot sail boat that held 14 passengers and three crew members including a skipper, cook, and dive master.

After spending the night in Airlie Beach we boarded the boat about 8:30 in the morning.  After settling in our cabin we set off to Whitsunday Island, the largest of the islands.  When we reached the island we were tethered onto Tongue Bay for a short bushwalk (hike) to the lookout over Whitehaven Beach.  Whitehaven Beach is said to be one of the whitest beaches in the world and one of the most photographed locations in Australia.  We were not disappointed! The beach is the prettiest we have seen so far.  And after taking lots of photos were made our way down to the beach for some sunbaking (sunbathing) and swimming.

That evening we anchored in Luncheon Bay off Hook Island and after a beautiful sunset we enjoyed a roast and veggies for dinner.

The next morning we were woken up at 5:30 am for breakfast and sunrise.  We were in the water by 7:30 am for our first dive.  We were disappointed at the visibility, but were able to spot a reek shark, which was pretty cool.  After the dive we set off to the Outer Reef, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef.

The sail out to the Outer Reef took about 3 hours and we got to see three dolphins who swam along side the boat for a bit.  When we arrived we were in the water again for another dive.  The visibility this time was much better and after the dive we got in again for some snorkeling.  Although the coral was not as brightly colored as in Fiji, there was definitely a lot more of it and the fish were a lot larger as well.

On the last day were were again up at 5:30 am and we suited up for our last dive.  This turned out to be the best dive of the trip.  We again saw a reef shark and lots of colorful coral and fish.  We were diving in a canyon between two rock walls, which was pretty cool.  After the dive, we headed back to the main land.  Since the wind was pretty strong we were able to get the sails out, which Scott enjoyed.

We got back to Airlie Beach in the afternoon and I was sure glad to be back on land for a hot shower and to sleep in a real bed.  We went out for drinks with some of the other passengers before heading on our separate ways.  This was definitely one of the most best things we have done  on our trip so far.  After this week we will be making our way back to Melbourne, but we have enjoyed our time in Brissie and exploring the Queensland coast.