Whitsundays are for chillin'

The Whitsundays were well worth the detour and couple of days less in Sydney.

Gorgeous weather had preceded me (again, unprecedented given the month before!) and it had all the hallmarks of a tropical paradise - without the price tag!

Stayed at Backpackers by the Bay which is small enough to feel homey but large enough to house some long termers as well as passers through. Clean, airy and brightly painted along a sea-life theme it was a great experiences and the pool, BBQ, hammock and bar areas really add to the perks! The tour guides and the taxi guy all commented on it being the best backpackers as well - it really was only 5mins to the main esplanade but far enough way that you didn't get the noise - or a lot of drunk students.

The shuttle from the train dropped me off right outside the door - and also filled us in on the supermarkets and internet places as we travelled.

The train down from Cairns (The Sunlander) was not up to The Ghan's standards but still comfy - and for the large part of the day - uncrowded. They did have a carriage one up from mine called 'Sapphire' that had less seat (ergo more space and newer) but not sure how you got those tickets. There was a club carriage with more of a semi-circle sofa seating thing going on and movies playing, as well as the buffet car further along.

First morning got picked up at a leisurely 7:30am for my Ecojet safari. It was a complete blast. There was only me and another couple (sharing a ski) so it was probably a little faster and hairier than usual :) The only slightly disappointing thing was that, due to the tide, we couldn't get up the river where the crocs were - or we couldn't get back. Fair point I feel. We did get to travel a good length of the coast, bouncing the waves, zipping over the flat bits and going to some rally gorgeous secluded spots. Had a run in with a local beach bum 'Crayfish Ken' who's been squatting on some Crown land for about 20years and feels he owns the beach but apart from that (quietly sad and amusing at the same time) moment it was a fabulous morning.

Pottered round in the afternoon and attended a free digeridoo  lesson and then learned about Opals and spent an indulgent 1/2 an hour looking at the sparkly wonders. I ended buying a ring - not sure if I got a deal or not but the colours and depth of the blues are fantastic.

Next morning was off to Salty Sea Dog Kayaking before catching the flight to Sydney. Nearly couldn't do it because the time of the ferry to the island was earlier and the shuttle for that would have been at my hostel before I would have returned. Salty Dog however are on the same pier as the ferry so in the end it didn't matter.

A point I was so glad I'd checked because it was a relaxing and beautiful morning spent in a very quiet way exploring a couple of the closer island and 'White Rock'.  When you look at the Whitsunday's on a map - or even on Google Earth, you cannot prepare yourself for the actual experience of being among the islands. They are tall and covered in lush green forest, some with coves and Bays. Due to this the whole area feels a lot 'closer' than you would imagine by looking at the map - you also feel surrounded - but in a nice way. The Kayak's were 2 person and I was paired up with a guy from America who'd left his hungover mated sleeping and come out for some exercise. Very handy he was :) We got to float in the cove for a bit and watch turtles surfacing for air, paddle over loads of coral and peer through the clear waters at the colours and life going on there.

To be honest, I'd been a bit spoiled for the snorkelling and life underwater by my GBR experience, but the whole morning spent between the islands and in the silence was wonderful. If I ever go back I'm definitely going to try one of the multi-day trips where you get to camp on the islands as you go.

Caught the Ferry over the Hamilton Isd, which doubled as great way to see most of the islands and get some great photos. Have you ever played Wii Sport Resort? Hamilton Island IS that island - complete with Golf Buggy carts to travel everywhere and a giant Golfball on a tee. Had a little chuckle to myself and took a couple of photos as proof before heading into the small airport and settling down for a 3 hour wait for the delayed plane to Sydney.

Back on track....so to speak

After some deep thought and weighing up the options I have finally decided on an East Coast plan - huzzah!

As I can't fly the day after I've finished diving (not until the afternoon anyway - and there are no flights then) and there was nothing in particular I wanted to do - except the night markets which I can do regardless - I decided that I might as well spend the day travelling to Airlie Beach (Whitsundays).

It's roughly an 11 hour journey - by train or bus but, for some unfathomable reason, nobody runs an overnight service of any variety. There's a gap in the market if ever I saw one. Still, I had the choice between train and coach and picked the train as it worked out about the same price but will hopefully be a pleasanter experience. Just hoping that the earlier journey to Alice Springs won't have put me off!

It gets me into Airlie (well Prosperine and then onto Airlie by coach (1hr)) at around 9:30pm, not much time to get my bearings but good enough to find my accommodation and sleep.

This has all meant a fun evening looking at the Day Tours I now actually have time to do. I have also decided to take the mid-afternoon flight to Sydney the next day to give me time to do something in the morning.

The 'something in the morning' is Sea Kayaking. When I was looking for day things that started late this cropped up as a possibility. It's run by Salty Sea Dog Kayaking and they do a half day tour which gets you back at 12:30. Which gives me time to pick up my bags and get the ferry to Hamilton Island for my flight to Sydney.

I'm trying to pick between a a few of the full day tours at the mo. Here's the three front runners:

Reefjet Whitehaven & Whitsundays
Big Fury Island Tour
Mantaray All in One Day

Going to do some scouting around for reviews etc before making a final decision. They all avoid visiting resorts which is good, and you get to see a lot of the islands, plus they all offer free accommodation transfer and I'll be back in time to enjoy a meal, a stroll and some of Airlie's night life to boot:)

I've had fun trying to find travel to and from this area. Some airlines fly out and not in. Some go from Hamilton Island (where there is a big resort - but most of the tours go from the mainland and require a 45min ferry ride) 1 flies into Airlie beach and the another flies into Whitsunday Coast - which is actually nowhere near the coast and is otherwise known as Prosperine (where the train arrives) confusing huh?

All this has means a night missed in Sydney so I'll be ringing STA/the hostel and telling them of my new arrival ASAP.

I feel a lot less stressed now. Which is a good thing as, above everything, I want this holiday to be relaxing and fun - I'm totally excited at the minute just planning it!

P.S I started my packing list....is that too early?????