This was our last day at Hamilton and the start of our long trip home. After checking out, we had all morning around the resort before catching the Virgin Blue flight to Brisbane from where we'll be flying out tomorrow.
The morning was spent lapping up the last rays of sun around the pool and last minute shopping - Andrew bought a digiridoo which we may regret later!
The flight to Brisbane took off with beautiful blue skies over Hamilton Island and landed in grey and, seemingly, cold Brisbane. Although the weather has been a lot worse recently so we should be glad it's not pouring down.
The hotel is OK, but we're only here for one night so it's not too important. We went for a walk into the center - the Queen St. Mall is a pretty good city centre shopping/restaurant district and surprisingly busy for a city centre business district and it was only a short walk from the hotel.
Saturday 25 August 2007
Day 25 - 21st to 25th Aug 2007
The early flight from Cairns got us to the Hamilton Island resort mid-morning so we had virtually a whole day to explore this holiday resort. We knew it was going to be special as everyone we had mentioned it to over the last few weeks had said how lucky we were. In fact the accommodation (The Whitsunday Apartments) were a little dated, but clean and very functional. The rest of the resort though was extremely impressive. Basically the whole island is a single resort with its own airport and marina. It also has the lovely Catseye beach of clean sand which slopes very very slowly out on to coral reef.
These days were all about relaxing and doing very little after the hectic last few weeks. We did a few activities such as tennis and catamaran sailing but really most of the time was spent on the beach or in the pool. Although the forecast each day was for about 20 degree temperatures and partly cloudy, it always seemed much hotter and early clouds soon burned off.
We were lucky to have timed our visit to coincide with the annual Hamilton Island Race Week. This is a bit like the Cowes Week sailing regatta in the UK but slightly smaller. It did mean there were lots of people around, lots of boats out & about and they had live bands playing free concerts every night. This was a real bonus and made the stay even more special.
Sadly, we're starting to remember that the trip is coming to an end soon :-(
These days were all about relaxing and doing very little after the hectic last few weeks. We did a few activities such as tennis and catamaran sailing but really most of the time was spent on the beach or in the pool. Although the forecast each day was for about 20 degree temperatures and partly cloudy, it always seemed much hotter and early clouds soon burned off.
We were lucky to have timed our visit to coincide with the annual Hamilton Island Race Week. This is a bit like the Cowes Week sailing regatta in the UK but slightly smaller. It did mean there were lots of people around, lots of boats out & about and they had live bands playing free concerts every night. This was a real bonus and made the stay even more special.
Sadly, we're starting to remember that the trip is coming to an end soon :-(
Day 24 - 20th Aug 2007
This was going to be a highlight of the holiday - a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. On the recommendation of Helen at Cayman Villas we went on the locally owned boat Poseidon rather than the big operator, Quicksilver. This was definitely a good move as the boat was smaller, had fewer people on board and its own marine biologist, a well-built chap known as "Fluffy"! He provided a series of talks on the local marine wildlife & coral and guided the snorkel groups to find the best animals etc. underwater.
The weather wasn't great and the boat travelling at high speed over rough seas meant that a lot of passengers were suffering and the boat did a roaring trade in sea-sickness pills & paper bags. As Fluffy said "what were you people thinking of coming here in the winter!" The boat stopped at three different locations for snorkelling and, once in the water, the weather didn't see so bad and there was plenty of colourfull fish and coral to be seen. Giant sea-clams, turtles and even white-tipped & black-tipped sharks were seen. The boat also provided an excellent lunch and morning & afternoon teas so a good trip was had by all even if the weather had been a bit dodgy.
Back at Port Douglas we then drove down to Cairns where we were spending the night before catching an early morning flight the next day to Hamilton Island. We didn't see much of Cairns as the hotel was on the outskirts and it was late when we arrived but we couldn't see much of the fabled seaside resource life.
The weather wasn't great and the boat travelling at high speed over rough seas meant that a lot of passengers were suffering and the boat did a roaring trade in sea-sickness pills & paper bags. As Fluffy said "what were you people thinking of coming here in the winter!" The boat stopped at three different locations for snorkelling and, once in the water, the weather didn't see so bad and there was plenty of colourfull fish and coral to be seen. Giant sea-clams, turtles and even white-tipped & black-tipped sharks were seen. The boat also provided an excellent lunch and morning & afternoon teas so a good trip was had by all even if the weather had been a bit dodgy.
Back at Port Douglas we then drove down to Cairns where we were spending the night before catching an early morning flight the next day to Hamilton Island. We didn't see much of Cairns as the hotel was on the outskirts and it was late when we arrived but we couldn't see much of the fabled seaside resource life.
Day 23 - 19th Aug 2007
After the rest day, it was back to touring but we got off to a saw start when we down into the car park and found the car had a flat tyre. The tyre was changed and we popped into the local Avis office where they replaced the car (it didn't seem like a good idea travelling without a spare tyre).
We headed north to visit the rainforest and the first stop was a boat trip on the Daintree River. We were on a silent, electric powered boat and saw several crocodiles from babies up to a fully mature male. We also saw several kingfishers and snakes,
From there, we crossed the river on the little car ferry and continued north to visit the rain forest discovery centre. This had a good series of boarded walks around the base of the forest as well as a tower to allow you to get up the top of the canopy and see the different kinds of vegetation at the different levels.
Further north we went as far as it's possible to drive without a 4x4 - Cape Tribulation. This is a stunning bay with a 4 mile long beach although the weather wasn't great and didn't really encourage you to sit around too long.
We then started the trip back south and called into the Daintree Ice Cream factory (which is actually part of the Daintree Tea plantation) for some very exotically flavoured ice cream. Almost back in Port Douglas we walked part of the Mossman Gorge but by this time, it was pretty wet and the light was failing.
We headed north to visit the rainforest and the first stop was a boat trip on the Daintree River. We were on a silent, electric powered boat and saw several crocodiles from babies up to a fully mature male. We also saw several kingfishers and snakes,
From there, we crossed the river on the little car ferry and continued north to visit the rain forest discovery centre. This had a good series of boarded walks around the base of the forest as well as a tower to allow you to get up the top of the canopy and see the different kinds of vegetation at the different levels.
Further north we went as far as it's possible to drive without a 4x4 - Cape Tribulation. This is a stunning bay with a 4 mile long beach although the weather wasn't great and didn't really encourage you to sit around too long.
We then started the trip back south and called into the Daintree Ice Cream factory (which is actually part of the Daintree Tea plantation) for some very exotically flavoured ice cream. Almost back in Port Douglas we walked part of the Mossman Gorge but by this time, it was pretty wet and the light was failing.
Day 22 - 18th Aug 2007
Our first full day in Port Douglas and we could fully appreciate how nice our apartment at the Cayman Villas was - two good sized bedrooms both with ensuite (master bedroom even had a jacuzzi bath), looking out on to a very nice swimming pool. We had intended to do some trips to visit the rain forest but everyone was so tired, especially after the busy last couple of days, that we decided to take an unscheduled (and first) rest day. So a late wake-up and morning spent by the pool. The afternoon was spent on the beach until the wind and cloud got up and made it a little too chilly.
In the evening, we took the short walk to the marina and the "On The Inlet" restaurant which had been recommended. This was a very nice bar on the water and had a "Grouper Feeding" at 5.15 everyday. He was a little shy today but we did get one glimpse and he was huge. We stayed for dinner and had an excellent meal with equally good views of the sunset over the harbour.
In the evening, we took the short walk to the marina and the "On The Inlet" restaurant which had been recommended. This was a very nice bar on the water and had a "Grouper Feeding" at 5.15 everyday. He was a little shy today but we did get one glimpse and he was huge. We stayed for dinner and had an excellent meal with equally good views of the sunset over the harbour.
Day 21 - 17th Aug 2007
The alarm went off at 5am so that we could go out to watch sunrise at Uluru (Ayers Rock). Helen couldn't face the early start so she stayed in bed while we went out to grab a viewing point. We had a good spot even though the place soon got busy - especially with the tour groups setting up their champagne breakfasts. We just tried to keep warm and not think of food too much! In fact, it wasn't too hard with the constantly changing colours on the rock.
Once the sun was up we went back to the Outback for breakfast and check-out and then went back to Uluru again to visit the cultural center and take a Park Ranger tour around part of the base where the excellent guide explained a lot of the geological history of the rock, how it fits into the aboriginal history and significance to the local Anango people.
The flight out of Uluru to Cairns was just after lunch and our flying visit to the Northern Territories was over.
The flight was delayed a little (first time so far on the whole trip) and it was about 8pm by the time we got our car and drove to our accommodation in Port Douglas on the Northern Queensland coast. When we arrived we found the reception closed but the extremely friendly managers (Helen & Ian) were well prepared and left us keys & information ready for our arrival.
Once the sun was up we went back to the Outback for breakfast and check-out and then went back to Uluru again to visit the cultural center and take a Park Ranger tour around part of the base where the excellent guide explained a lot of the geological history of the rock, how it fits into the aboriginal history and significance to the local Anango people.
The flight out of Uluru to Cairns was just after lunch and our flying visit to the Northern Territories was over.
The flight was delayed a little (first time so far on the whole trip) and it was about 8pm by the time we got our car and drove to our accommodation in Port Douglas on the Northern Queensland coast. When we arrived we found the reception closed but the extremely friendly managers (Helen & Ian) were well prepared and left us keys & information ready for our arrival.
Day 20 - 16th Aug 2007
Our final free breakfast in the Marriott executive lounge and then we headed to the railway station to catch the train out to the airport - after the experience driving, this was definitely the safe choice for getting to the early flight on time. On top of that, it was cheap and easy.
We arrived at Uluru airport at lunch time (there was a half hour timezone change on the way), picked up a car and then headed to the hotel to check-in. Hotel is a bit grand - we were actually staying at the Outback Pioneer Lodge which is really a backpackers' place - very basic. We had 4 bunk beds, no carpet, no air con (thankfully this is winter time) and, shock horror, no TV! We did spring for the upgrade to have our own toilet & shower though. All the accommodation in the area is owned by a single company so that, plus the location, means that nothing is very cheap and in fact the room was more than adequate for 1 night. Just a bit of a change after Sydney.
Once settled we went out to Kata Tjuta which is a group of 35 rocks that emerge out of the desert not far from Uluru. In some ways, they are more impressive and you can get right into the rocks and gorges. We walked the Wolper Gorge and most of the Valley of the Winds before going out to a viewing point to watch the sunset. The whole area is stunning and the sunset very dramatic.
Back at the Outback, they had an outdoor (but under cover) BBQ area where you buy your meat and then cook it yourself on one of their BBQ grills. Long wooden tables & benches are shared by everyone and the place was full - probably a couple of hundred people in all. On top of that there was live music and a great atmosphere so a very good night was had by all even though we had an incredibly early start planned for the next day ...
We arrived at Uluru airport at lunch time (there was a half hour timezone change on the way), picked up a car and then headed to the hotel to check-in. Hotel is a bit grand - we were actually staying at the Outback Pioneer Lodge which is really a backpackers' place - very basic. We had 4 bunk beds, no carpet, no air con (thankfully this is winter time) and, shock horror, no TV! We did spring for the upgrade to have our own toilet & shower though. All the accommodation in the area is owned by a single company so that, plus the location, means that nothing is very cheap and in fact the room was more than adequate for 1 night. Just a bit of a change after Sydney.
Once settled we went out to Kata Tjuta which is a group of 35 rocks that emerge out of the desert not far from Uluru. In some ways, they are more impressive and you can get right into the rocks and gorges. We walked the Wolper Gorge and most of the Valley of the Winds before going out to a viewing point to watch the sunset. The whole area is stunning and the sunset very dramatic.
Back at the Outback, they had an outdoor (but under cover) BBQ area where you buy your meat and then cook it yourself on one of their BBQ grills. Long wooden tables & benches are shared by everyone and the place was full - probably a couple of hundred people in all. On top of that there was live music and a great atmosphere so a very good night was had by all even though we had an incredibly early start planned for the next day ...
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