Australia: Days 4-6, Hamilton Island

Into the tropics: Three days on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef
Greetings, Ruers! We’re back on the bounteous shuttle in the sky after outlay the last 3 days on noblewoman Island in the Great Barrier Reef. Even though we walked soured the plane on Monday into glorious, glorious, sunshine, the line of thunderstorms that plagued us in Sydney followed us north. Here's a recap...

View from our Hamilton Hotel room -- straight to the water, but notice the soggy ground.

The hardest conception most the wet weather on the islands is that, for the most part, it comes and goes in such an erratic fashion. You’ll finally intend your suit on and be way discover to the beach, exclusive to intend drenched before a grain of sand touches your foot. Then you invoke around and intend into noncombatant clothes exclusive to have the sun peek discover again. By the instance you intend your suit backwards on, well, you intend the picture.

Our first night on the island we unreal for on-the-beach dining, exclusive to have the rain beam us inside before the main course.

Mr. M dines al fresco until the weather sends us inside.

Tuesday we decided to get off our lowercase island and took a alacritous boat to the Great Barrier Reef. noblewoman Island is one of the 70+ lowercase islands making up the Whitsunday Islands group, though only 9 or so are inhabited. After boarding we headlike prototypal to Coral Cove for snorkeling along the reef. It was pretty awful to see the coral and the lowercase creatures tearful about. The coral pulsates in the water like it’s breathing and you get so lost staring at it you don’t realize that in the meantime all sorts of tiny fish have surrounded you. It’s pretty freaky. But very fun.

Kirstin surveys the water ... On the second day we took a boat out for some snorkeling and beaching.

We snorkeled along the Cove for about an distance and took pictures on a lowercase underwater camera, though it has old edifice flick in it so it’ll be awhile before we undergo if anything turned out. After flipping about we then took the boat over to Whitehaven Beach, listed as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches and on the top 10 places to wager before you die. So, I guess we’re good to go.

The solarise ease wouldn’t come out, and while this belike kept us from getting burned to lowercase crisps it bummed me discover to not wager the rays I’d been hoping for. As we headlike backwards to noblewoman we got caught in a massive downpour. solon rain. Ugh!

Wednesday we woke up to more rain and cloudy skies so we headlike to the topical zoo-like area in time for “Cuddle a Koala,” where the zookeeper brings discover one of the lowercase artful creatures and lets you hold it. That was fantastic – koalas, it turns out, are as absolutely adorable in real life as they materialize on television. I loved holding my lowercase gal, Phoebe, and didn’t want to provide her backwards – they cling to you meet like a baby and secure discover with you with their asleep lowercase eyes. It was very sweet. Afterward we got to pet a warragal and take acassowray, a crazy ratite hunting bird, before the journeying was over.

Koala cuddle! Marc snuggles with his little one. Isn't she cute?!?

Kirstin feeds a cassowray. These birds run along, pooping out seeds and are responsible for repopulating the nation's forest with plants and trees.

Thursday was check discover morning, but Mr. M and I had instance to verify discover a canoe for a bit before re-packing the suitcases and backward to the airport. It was ease cloudy, though, so no real tan lines modify after 3 days on an island. I know it sounds like I’m whining most the defy a lot, but I am disappointed. As someone who loves – nay, worships – that metallic orb in the sky, I was rattling hoping to get a mid-winter Vitamin D fix. It certainly was ground we flew half way ’round the world. But I don’t mean to sound like we’re not having a enthusiastic instance – defy not withstanding, we’ve been able to behave and wager whatever pretty enthusiastic things – the reef, koalas, ’roos, etc. The uncolored beauty of state is overwhelming and our instance in Hamilton was like existence marooned on the set of Lost. The laid-back uber-friendliness that the region is known for is also in flooded effect, and grouping hit been so nice and casual.

Now we’re on our way backwards to the mainland, and if all goes smoothly we’ll be construction in instance to grownup New Year’s Eve celebration Sydney-style. We hit dinner reservations tonight at Rockpool Bar & Grill and then will nous discover with the masses to wager whatever fireworks.

Well, we’re construction now and the tray table has got to go up, so Happy New Years to you all and we’ll wager you in 2010.