Passage Peak

My day started early for no good reason but I was able to watch the sun beginning to rise, so it was worth it

We are so lucky as we have a perfect viewing point from our room to see it rise up over the ocean (well almost the ocean) and surrounding islands.

With no planned tours today we decided to tackle Passage Peak, the highest point on the island. We were not sure what we were in for as we had conflicting advice about how hard it is and how long it will take to get to the top.  We set out optimistically and within about ten minutes of climbing up a steep hill, we started to have some doubts about our ability to complete this walk. Despite our doubts we forged on for about another five minutes but by this stage Terry was ready to throw in the towel telling me he wasn't sure if he even wanted to do this. After a few more minutes of moaning he agreed to come a bit further with me. Luckily, the track evened out a bit and it became a far more pleasant walk.

A few weeks before we left home I downloaded the Hamilton Island app and we have found it really handy. They have maps, information and audio about the different walks that you can download. Unfortunately we couldn't get the audio to work despite having tested it back at the hotel. It didn't matter though because we could read the information on the tablet at each designated audio point. We found it really interesting as it pointed out things we probably wouldn't have noticed, like the picture below. These are Green Ant nests. Even if we had noticed them, we wouldn't have known what the were.

At this point we were about halfway and feeling pretty good. A bit further in we got out first glimpse of the views we could expect when we got to the top. We came across a small break in the trees where we could look back on what I think was Driftwood Bay. The view was pretty good and made us more determined to get to the top.

Next we came to an intersection of paths called Saddle Junction. At this audio point it told us we could take a alternative path at Turkey Nest Junction. This sounded like a great idea because even though it was a bit longer we would avoid some of the really steep sections. Mind you, there were still some long steep hills, but not the steep as the shorter path. 

Just when we thought we were almost there and over the worst of it we realised we were sadly mistaken. It was at this point that Terry officially thought I was trying to kill him.

The final leg is about 180 quite steep steps to climb. But, we did it and I'm so glad we did. Everyone we passed coming back down assured us it was worth it and they were right! Even Terry, with his intense dislike of heights, was impressed and I have never seen him so relaxed at any height above a single story house. The views are incredible and worth every bit of pain we felt on the way up and will probably feel for the next few days. We even got the bonus of seeing two more whales far down in the water. Can't believe we've seen at least three now. The young girl at the tour desk was very jealous when we told her. She's been six months and not seen one! Lucky for us we've arrived during whale seaon.

We came back down via the shorter route and it made us grateful we chose the longer track as it was very steep with lots more steps. When we got back to Saddle Junction we decided to go down an alternative way back down the hill. This turned out to be another difficult track to navigate and I'm pleased we didn't choose that track to come up. Pretty sure I wouldn't have got Terry past Saddle Junction, if I got him that far. This one bought us out at Hideaway Bay and as the tide was out, we were able to walk around the shoreline back to Catseye Beach. Lots of lovely sights to see.

We made it back to the hotel about 1 o'clock and by about three we we both already feeling our legs starting to seize. Hate to think what they'll be like tomorrow.

Whitehaven Beach

Early start this morning so had to be organised to fit in breakfast before we had to meet our tour down at the marina by 7:45.

For those of you who have followed my blog from the start, you may recall a deflating moment for me when we were on a bus in Santorini and a young woman insisted I take her seat because she was young, so therefore I must be old. Well...guess who got offered seat by a young woman today? No, not me...Terry! I sat there smiling to myself as he refused to take it wondering how funny it was when it happened to him. I'd like to point out I was far more gracious than him because I did not laugh at him for the next two hours. Well it pays to be patient because now I can have my revenge and share it all with you instead.

Enough teasing this is meant to be about Whitehaven Beach. We met Rylan at the Marina, picked up a cup of coffee and we were on our way. The trip out there was quite rough and at times it felt a bit like being on a roller coaster.  Luckily none of us are affected by sea sickness. The trip took about 45 minutes as we took the most direct route to the beach.

Arrival at the beach did not disappoint. The beach is spectacular and even whiter than you expect.  As you step onto the dry sand it is warm and soft and feels lovely under your feet. We decided to go for a walk down the beach away from the crowd.  We would have loved to be able to go to Hill Inlet lookout but we didn't have time. We walked about halfway along the beach to find our spot for the morning.

As we walked along the beach we came across the teepees. Must have taken the builders a fair bit of time to build them. They look quite out of place along ghe pristine shoreline. The bush behind is protected forest and you are asked not to in and disturb the natural habitat.  Not sure these people took notice of that. 

The bush is quite thick and I don't think I would want to go in there anyway. Who know what delights you would come across. Rylan told us during his induction they were told to watch out for snakes and huge bird eating spiders. I figure if they are on one island, they'll be on all the islands.  I did go to the edge and peek in though.

It was lovely sitting on the beach in the warm soft watching boats come and go and the odd seaplane come in for landing. You would think that the planes would disturb the serenity of the place but for me it just added interest. Terry went in for a swim but it was nowhere near warm enough for me.

Rylan and I reverted to our childhood and decided to make a sandcastle. With limited resources we had to improvise and used the plastic packaging of Rylan's new camera. As you can see we favoured a minimalist design. Simple and undertstated.

Rylan decided to revert further into his childhood and kicked them down. Boys!

Everywhere you look up or down the beach is beautiful and it was surprisingly easy to spend the morning there just relaxing on the beach. 

After a few hours it was time to head back but this time we took the long way via Daydream island. Again the views were spectalular. It was suprising how many boats there were sailing around islands. The smaller ones would have a hard time in the choppy conditions.

Our trip back was eventful. As we passed this island we headed for more open water and the waves started toss us around again. We were advised to sit away from the side and back of the boat. I decided to move to the isle seat three rows back from the cabin and thought this would be far enough in. It was for most of the time because you could see the spray coming and lean away from it, but occasionally I couldn't lean far enough. I was offerred another seat but was more worried about losing my balance while I was changing seats than I was about getting wet. The bonus of staying up on the upper deck is that we got a glimps of a whale. It was a fair distance from us but pretty exciting to see it. I thought I spotted another one a few minute later but only saw it very briefly so maybe it as my imagination. 

We had a jetski tour planned for the afternoon but due the choppy conditions it was cancelled. The operator told us that if we went out in those conditions we wouldn't be able to walk the next day as all our muscles would be so sore. It worked out well as we were all pretty tired and happy to go back to our room for a rest before we went to dinner.

Rylan booked a table for us at Romanos (the restaurant where he works). We met lots of the staff Rylan works with and they were so friendly they made us feel like we had known them forever. The food was beautiful and the service was fantastic. Jess, who served us and is one of Rylan's good mates, was brilliant despite the constant banter she recieved from the table. When they brought the dessert out they had decorated the serving plate with a birthday message for Rylan a sang him "Happy Birthday" much to his embarrassment. We had a great night and it was lovely to get to know the friends Rylan has made. I can see why he likes them.

Hello sunshine!!!

Well we made it! No dramas, no forgetting anything and being back at the airport was strangely familiar. We've been there a few times in the last 12 months between our trips and picking up or seeing off our boys
We arrived on Hamilton Island about midday and and met Rylan (our son for those of you who don't know him) at the hotel.  As our room was not ready, he took us for a walk to show us the marina and the restaurant where he works. While down at the marina we had a coffee and sat looking out at all the boats...some were very impressive.  We found a boat we thought would be perfect ...

...then we found the reality of what we could afford.

After the marina, Rylan took us to the unit he and a few friends are renting.  Great spot, lovely unit and only about five minutes from everything. The only downside is the very steep hill you have to climb to get to it.  On way up there, we came across the island's church. It's very pretty building in an idyllic setting. There was even a couple, of what I assume were newlyweds, taking selfies in the gardens.

After visiting with Rylan, we headed back to the Reef View Hotel to pick up our keys and we are delighted with our room. Funny thing is though, we have been advised to keep the door closed when we leave the room as the local cockatoos will make themselves at home in your room while you are out. The view from our room is spectacular even when the tide is low. As I sit on our balcony writing this with a glass of wine, life couldn't get much better.

We decided decided to visit the One Tree Hill to try the cocktails at sunset. The setting is beautiful and there are lots of people but the hill, where everyone sits, is steep enough not to have your view obstructed. Poor Terry was very disppointed with the cocktail as he doubted there was any alcohol in it. He believes it was a "mocktail". I enjoyed mine though and don't really mind if there was alcohol or not. 

We recently bought a new camera and so far I'm pretty happy with it. I took way too many photos up on the hill and got some nice shots of the sun setting (some dodgey ones too). It all helps to learn more about about using the manual settings rather than just taking photos on auto, which is what I've done in the past.

We hopped back on the bus and headed for the Marina Tavern for dinner and enjoyed a nice meal. After dinner we decided to catch the free shuttle bus service and waited at one stop for a few minutes and as we weren't sure when the next bus would come, we decided we might as well walk back to our hotel as it's only a 10-15 minutes. Luckily, as we approached the next bus stop the bus arrived so we decided to jump on. Timing was perfect!

Back at the hotel we grabbed a coffee at the bar and while we were waiting we chatted to the barman. We have found all the staff on the island are very friendly and happy to have a chat. Not sure if it's because we mention Rylan is working there, but I think they are all just very happy to work in such a beautiful place.
Well, tomorrow is another busy day with a trip to Whitehaven Beach and a jetski tour in the afternoon and then a birthday dinner with Rylan and a few of his friends at Romanos.