Around the World in 106 Days with

Ray & Claire!!

Part 22 Hamilton Island

The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of islands of various sizes, off the central coast of Queensland, situated around 560 miles north of Brisbane.

The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial centre is Hamilton Island – which is the largest inhabited island

of the Whitsunday Group

The Ngaro (who were an Aboriginal tribe) who inhabited the Whitsunday

Islands for at least 8000 years prior to the Europeans arriving. These very independent island people who were quite different from their mainland cousins, as they were essentially

nomadic, travelling throughout the Whitsundays and the mainland

coastal fringe. They built canoes from tree bark, vine fronds and saplings,

making them strong enough to navigate the Whitsunday Island chain

in safety. Beautiful cave paintings, fish traps, stone quarries and

everyday artefacts attesting to their eight millennia of ownership have been found throughout the islands

The Whitsunday Island Ngaro people possessed their own language, culture and

art, distinct from those of the mainland aboriginal groups. However it is known that

the Ngaro maintained contact with the other mainland aboriginal tribes

The first recorded contact with Europeans was 1770, when Captain Cook sighted some Ngaro Aboriginals as he sailed his British Ship the

“Endeavour” down through the Whitsunday Passage which is now part of the greater island group (initially he called them “The Cumberland Islands” because they were on the border between the sea and the mainland). The Ngaro presented stiff opposition to colonization and it wasn’t until the 19th

century that pastoral leases were granted to settlers of the Whitsunday Islands

There are a total of 74 Islands that make up the Whitsundays and is the largest offshore island chain on Australia’s coastline. The surrounding waterways are a marine park, and

fall within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Larger than the great wall of China, and the only living thing visible from space, The Great Barrier Reef is not only one of Queensland’s major tourist attractions, it is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. It is the largest coral reef on earth, consisting of over 2,500 separate inter-connected reefs stretching over 1,430 miles from just above the tip of the Cape

York Peninsula in the north to Bundaberg in the south.

When it was nominated for World heritage listing, it was said that the reef supports the most diverse eco system

known to man

the heart of this ecosystem, is the polyp which is a tiny animal consisting of little more than a mouth and

surrounding tentacles to feed it, plus a limestone carapace

in to which it withdraws during the day

It is the skeletal remains of these that form the basis of

the reef

The Barrier Reef seen from space

Over millions of years this has created what is effectively the largest living entity in the world, but it only takes small environmental changes to disrupt the delicate balance which has been

there for a millennia

The major threat is coral bleaching - if water temperatures rise by even a degree or two over a sustained period, the corals expel their food algae cells and lose their capacity for photosynthesis

and become colourless

While the process is not irreversible, if the water doesn’t cool within a month or so, the coral will die

There are many islands scattered off the Queensland coast in several different island groups within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Cairns Section includes Hamilton Island

Daydream Island Resort

Hamilton Island, however, is the most “forcefully " marketed resort island in the Whitsundays group and the

most developed

There is also South Molle Island - a self contained resort ideal for families

Hook Island is the second largest and where you will find an aboriginal cave painting

The island was purchased in 1975 by Keith Williams and Bryan Bryt who constructed the Hamilton Island Harbour and resort complex. The resort opened in phases between 1982 and

1984

In 1992, the resort was placed in receivership and is currently on a long term lease from the Commonwealth Government to the Oatley family who

acquired the resort in 2003 and own and run Hamilton Island Enterprises, which operates the majority of accommodation and businesses on the island

Cats Eye Beach

Whitehaven beach

Malaleuca Drive, which is also known as Millionaire’s Drive owing to the number of multi million dollar homes which have been built there

This quaint white chapel is located amidst

tropical landscaped gardens on the hillside overlooking Cats eye Bay, complete with

traditional stained glass windows and a bell

tower

As the name suggests, the All Saints Chapel is non-denominational, which enables the chapel to play host to

ceremonies of almost all religions

But we shan’t be using the tender to get to shore as ...

......today we are going to have a snorkelling trip on the Barrier Reef !!

So, when Madam had prepared a “sumptuous “ breakfast on board the Black Watch

...actually orange juice, wheatebangs and our usual collection of “get well pills”!

It was off to....

On board Capt Paddy’s “Fantasea” Catamaran

Isn't this just

GREAT!!

...and of course, where there’s

food ,there is

Brendon!!

..and naturally, our adopted daughter and Stuart!!

This sandy beach stretches miles and is a natural beach caused by sand being swept in from miles away owing to the strong currents

And after an hours trip, we arrived at Reefworld with facilities for.....

Snorkelling

Scuba diving

The chance for a quick chopper ride

......and going out in a semi-submersible to see the reef at

close hand

Hey Ray!!I even saw a

Mermaid!!!!!!!

Silly Boy – it was

only me!

But Brendon was still convinced that it was s Mermaid!!

Then after a really nice BBQ lunch

- and just enough time to say farewell to the Chief Engineer.............

it was time to cast off

And head off home to the Black Watch

and whilst some of the passengers “relaxed “ after their strenuous day..

The Captain maintained course for the Black Watch

..wake up Lucy!!

And there it was, waiting for us .......and time, once again, to

“buckle up and look forward to our next stop in Brisbane”