Last year in March we flew up to Cairns for a long weekend to celebrate our
anniversary and after freshly completing a PADI dive course we were excited to
dive the Great Barrier Reef. This year was kind of a big number for us and
continuing on with the tradition of going away to celebrate we decided to keep a
similar theme and sail and dive the Whitsundays.
Arriving from the Great Barrier Island in New Zealand where the last few days had been pretty wet and cold it was a huge contrast flying into Proserpine where we were hit with the sticky humidity as soon as we stepped of the plane. As this was another test for me to try and pack light we went with carry on backpacks only so
there was no need to wait for the bags to be unloaded. After a quick change into more appropriate clothes we hopped on a bus to Airlie Beach where we were treated with some running commentary from the bus driver on the sugar cane industry.
anniversary and after freshly completing a PADI dive course we were excited to
dive the Great Barrier Reef. This year was kind of a big number for us and
continuing on with the tradition of going away to celebrate we decided to keep a
similar theme and sail and dive the Whitsundays.
Arriving from the Great Barrier Island in New Zealand where the last few days had been pretty wet and cold it was a huge contrast flying into Proserpine where we were hit with the sticky humidity as soon as we stepped of the plane. As this was another test for me to try and pack light we went with carry on backpacks only so
there was no need to wait for the bags to be unloaded. After a quick change into more appropriate clothes we hopped on a bus to Airlie Beach where we were treated with some running commentary from the bus driver on the sugar cane industry.
The main road of Airlie Beach was under some pretty serious construction but there is a really nice walk along the
waterfront. The free waterfront parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and BBQs are one of the things that I have really liked in Australia and think the councils do really well looking after. After a five minute sweaty walk around the waterfront we arrived at the marina where we were to board our catamaran, Powerplay, which was to be our home for the next few
days.
waterfront. The free waterfront parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and BBQs are one of the things that I have really liked in Australia and think the councils do really well looking after. After a five minute sweaty walk around the waterfront we arrived at the marina where we were to board our catamaran, Powerplay, which was to be our home for the next few
days.
Powerplay was a great introduction to living on the ocean as it was the first time sleeping on a boat for both of us. Eventually Jake and I want to do some live aboard driving but we weren’t sure how we would be sleeping on the ocean so this trip was kind of a test to see how our tummies would handle it. There was only once when I felt a bit sickly but not too sure if that was due to the rocking of the boat as we were driving along to our next spot or as a result of the few drinks the night before. Either way we both really enjoyed it and even though sailing around the Whitsundays is not really comparable to sleeping out on the open ocean I think next time we will opt for a short liveaboard diving trip.
The boat was small and when we first hopped on I thought to myself wow this is going to be interesting as there is nowhere to go to get away from everybody. Lucky we had booked one of the private cabins so at least when I needed a nap I was able to lie down whilst some of the other backpackers beds also converted into the living/dining space during the daytime so were unable to sleep.
The boat was small and when we first hopped on I thought to myself wow this is going to be interesting as there is nowhere to go to get away from everybody. Lucky we had booked one of the private cabins so at least when I needed a nap I was able to lie down whilst some of the other backpackers beds also converted into the living/dining space during the daytime so were unable to sleep.
Our first day of snorkelling was fun with a massive friendly Maori wrasse swimming around with us. We also had a scary experience with a freaky piranha looking fish charging straight into us and then swerving away at the last minute. That night we had a few drinks and chatted to the fellow passengers the majority of whom were travellers from the UK about their travel experiences in Aus so far. Listening to their stories got both Jake and I really excited about our upcoming plans to travel to South America. To add to the party atmosphere the boat had blue lights shining under the boat which attracted a certain type of fish which would fly around near the back of our boat providing a pretty impressive sight.
The second day we thought we would go for a dive and although we really enjoyed ourselves as we hadn’t been under in ages, the visibility was terrible due to recent rainfall in the Whitsundays. We did get to see some cool nudibranches and
there was even a grey nurse shark swimming around us for a bit. I decided that it wasn’t worth it for me to go back diving again so hung out and paddle boarded around the Bay. Jake went back down for a second dive and managed to see several sting rays but again the visibility was pretty poor so a bit of a disappointment in the end.
The second day we thought we would go for a dive and although we really enjoyed ourselves as we hadn’t been under in ages, the visibility was terrible due to recent rainfall in the Whitsundays. We did get to see some cool nudibranches and
there was even a grey nurse shark swimming around us for a bit. I decided that it wasn’t worth it for me to go back diving again so hung out and paddle boarded around the Bay. Jake went back down for a second dive and managed to see several sting rays but again the visibility was pretty poor so a bit of a disappointment in the end.
Whitehaven beach was not a disappointment however and although you are shipped around with all the other tourist groups moving from one vantage point for photos to another it really is a gorgeous island and I would love to go back and camp on it. That night we parked off Hayman Island which is probably the closest we will ever get to it as the price of a room is from $600-$8000 a night!
Drinkies in the spa Although at first we had some doubts about staying on the boat due to the size of the catamaran and being stuck on a boat all day, we met a great bunch of people and the crew on Powerplay were really friendly and even joined us all to help finish our goons. Powerplay also had quite a lot of space compared to other boats we seen whilst sailing around. One of the girls on our boat had a friend on another boat with 50 people all squashed into the same room together. We also passed a few other boats at Whitehaven and the groups seemed significantly larger than our 20 peeps.
Last sunset in the Whitsundays I definitely recommend Powerplay if u want a fun and social but not
too much of a party boat to explore the Whitsundays on. All in all Whitsundays was beautiful and we met some awesome people who have got us pretty excited to start our own travels further abroad.
too much of a party boat to explore the Whitsundays on. All in all Whitsundays was beautiful and we met some awesome people who have got us pretty excited to start our own travels further abroad.