After a 10 hour flight from Hawaii, we landed in Sydney with a 2 hour layover until our final destination for the night came to an end in Brisbane.  We really hadn’t made too many plans until we were in Hawaii which was just 2 days prior, and once we had a plan, we should have really booked a different destination other than Brisbane as we really needed or wanted to go farther north, but the tickets were cheap and that’s what we get for not planning ahead!  Nonetheless, we enjoyed a rest at the hotel right at the airport and then we were off the next day to Airlie Beach via Proserpine (local airport about 30 minute drive).

Since we knew we were going to get in late to Brisbane we got a ticket for around 1 or so to depart the next day…but due to the jet lag and sleep schedule, we were up around 3 A.M., so we managed to get on an earlier flight around 9 A.M. which worked out perfectly as we didn’t have too many days in paradise!  Once we arrived we knew we made the right choice as it was just like a postcard picture.  We enjoyed the rest of the day walking around the town, grabbing a local beer, and enjoying our view from our hotel.

Our second day in Airlie Beach was a sailboat tour.  Now….first things first…..when I was 10 years old or so, I went with my grandparents on a their sailboat in Ohio.  I absolutely LOVE the water….I love to swim, was a lake rat for 20+ years, heck, we even owned a houseboat for many years…..but for some reason, I am absolutely terrified of sailboats.  This was the one and only tour that had any availability and this was our last day at Airlie Beach, and we HAD to see the reef, hence the whole reason for this trip….lots of time has gone by since I was 10 (lots lol), so maybe I wasn’t even afraid anymore….so off we went for the ENTIRE DAY on a SAILBOAT.  The chartered 52′ sailboat had 2 crew members, the Captain at the helm and about 16 of us along for the ride.  The first 15-20 minutes were the most enjoyable…as the sail wasn’t up and we were just clipping along.  It was pretty windy the day we went,….which is perfect for sailing….bad for Tessie.  Once we got out of the bay and enroute…there was no turning back.  I had a good grip on the railing for the first 30 minutes…and the minute they threw up the sail and all I could do was hang on for dear life… that’s when it was all over for me.  The whole “heeling” thing is what I hate…which is what SAILING is all about lol.  I’ll spare everyone the dramatic details, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over which was unfortunate as it was an all day thing…so I tried focusing on snorkeling the reef….which was AMAZING.

After we snorkeled for about an hour, we had to get back on that cursed sailboat and head to one of the most stunning beaches I have ever walked on…Whitehaven Beach.  This beach is over 7 kilometers and boasts this brilliant white 99% silica sand that is among the purest in the world and evidently only NASA is allowed to remove and take any of it.  Unbeknownst to Aaron and I, this didn’t really register just how bright it would reflect from the sun onto our skin, well in fairness, Aaron was catching on quickly as the ginger….but with only an hours stay there….we sadly are still peeling and suffering from the effects.  Not good on our part…but the views were absolutely amazing.

The return back was just as bad getting over on the sailboat, and at one point, Aaron even thought we were going over…but obviously I am writing this so we lived!  That night we treated ourselves to some local seafood which was killer….next stop in the morning was Hamilton Island via the ferry boat.  We arrived around 11 and checked into our room for the evening and our view was unbelievable.

Aaron needed a little rest as the sunburn was making him a bit sick and the golf cart we rented wasn’t available until around 4ish so I just enjoyed the view from the balcony while he slept a bit and then once he was up….it was off to explore the entire island via a golf cart!

The views were unbelievable and we couldn’t have had a better time.  We enjoyed a wonderful night ride around on the golf cart and then took it to the airport in the morning where we caught our flight to Melbourne to start work.  What a trip!