Hello Hamilton Island. May 2022.
Hello again
It’s been more than two years since I have travelled outside NSW, so I jumped at the chance when my old friend and travelling companion Margie suggested we spend a few days away together. After some discussion, we chose Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef.
As all of you are aware, I grew up on a tropical island in the South Pacific and, quite frankly am blasé about anything ‘tropical’. And I might I add, am not particularly fond of touristy holiday destinations.
However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how delightful and relaxing Hamilton Island was.
Hamilton Island is located just north of Mackay in the Whitsunday Islands. The island covers an area of approx. five square kilometres and has a population of about 1200 - the largest inhabited island in the Whitsundays.
The Whitsunday’s form the lands of the Ngaro People who have lived there for more than 8000 years
On the 3rd June 1770, the day Whit Sunday is celebrated in the Christian Calendar Lieutenant James Cook sailed his ship the HMS Endeavour through this broad expanse of water and islands. He was delighted to find an unimpeded path north and decided to name it the Whitsunday Passage.
Between 1801 and 1803 Matthew Flinders charted and named the reefs surrounding the many islands in the Whitsundays the ‘Extensive Barrier Reefs’. The name was later changed to the Great Barrier Reef.
Visitors arrived at the Whitsundays in the 1920s. Galvanised huts appeared on some islands and along the coast. The huts provided accommodation to the families of wood cutters, farmers and graziers. In 1936 the small somewhat charming village of Airlie Beach popped up, but it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the Whitsundays moved towards tourism. Not long after, the first significant yacht charter began operating out of Shute Harbour.
In the mid-1970s Keith Williams purchased Hamilton Island and, by the 1980s, the island was a well-known tropical island holiday destination.
Hamilton Island changed hands again in 2003. Bob Oatley and his family purchased the island and following extensive investment and development turned Hamilton into the world class holiday destination it is today.
Our flight to Hamilton Island was scheduled to leave Sydney at 9.00 am. Our airline Qantas advised us that, because of long queues and possible lengthy delays, to secure our seats and check our luggage in at least two hours prior to departure. On that basis, Margie and I decided to stay the night before in a hotel close to Sydney Airport.
We were up and dressed by five am and after leaving Margie’s car at Park and Fly, arrived at the airport at six fifteen am. We were more than surprised to see there was no queue at the Qantas counter. We checked in our luggage, pocketed our boarding passes and spent the next two and half hours wandering around the domestic terminal.
The two and a quarter hour flight to the island was smooth, however for most of the journey the sky below us was blanketed by thick cloud. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the colours of the Barrier Reef or the island until just before we landed. The weather was a balmy 25 degrees and overcast, nonetheless Margie and I were thrilled to be there.
We collected our luggage and made our way to a minibus parked nearby. Ten minutes later we arrived at the reception centre. Rather than stay at the Reef Hotel, Margie and I had booked a bungalow instead. After our bags were unloaded, a uniformed sun tanned, very handsome young gentleman approached us. He took charge of our bags and loaded them on to the back of a golf buggy. He flashed us a winning smile and told us to ‘jump aboard’. Five, minutes later we arrived at our bungalow.
Our Palm Bungalow was set amongst lush tropical gardens overflowing with flowering white ginger, orange heliconia and cascading red and yellow crab claws. A small veranda, complete with table, chairs and a hammock, fronted a set of wide sliding glass doors. The bungalow interior was very clean and quite spacious. There was a fully equipped mini kitchen, a couch, two double beds, a big bathroom with fluffy white towels and a large T.V. Best of all, the bungalow was about five minutes’ walk to the beach, swimming pools, shops and restaurant.
We dumped our bags, changed out of our winter clothes, grabbed our water bottles and hats, and headed off to explore.
As there are no cars on the island you need to hire a buggy to get around. However, there were no hire buggies available at that time. Luckily there are free ‘hop-on-hop-off’ green buses that drive all around the island. The bus stops at various locations and operates each day from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm.
It was mid-afternoon and Margie and I were peckish. We decided to ride the free bus to the marina and find some afternoon tea.
The marina was buzzing: the long wide jetties were full of boats and yachts of all shapes and sizes; cruising yachts, large catamarans that offered day trips to the outer reef, luxury motorboats, small pleasure craft and jet skis. The foreshore was packed with shops to browse through; fancy a new pair of swimmers, a large sea shell, or an original water colour of the island. There were cafés, a pizzeria, a Mexican Cantina, a bakery and (bliss) an ice cream shop. A pub, an exclusive restaurant and for those who were so inclined - a large supermarket/bottle shop as well. After a cup of coffee and a gourmet sandwich we decided to head back to the bungalow.
Later that night we hailed the free bus and jumped off at the marina. After a scrumptious box of freshly cooked fish and chips we visited the supermarket and purchased a few cans of pre-made gin and tonics, selected block of sharp cheddar, a round of Brie and a packet of savoury biscuits. After a short wait at the bus stop, we hopped back on the bus and arrived at our bungalow five minutes later. We spent a pleasant evening on the veranda, nibbling on cheese and biscuits washed down by our G & T’s. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
We awoke the next morning to a cloudy but warm day. Margie suggested that rather than a restaurant breakfast, we visit the koalas at the small wildlife park nearby and have breakfast there. We enjoyed an excellent cup of coffee, a toasted sandwich and a chat with a sleepy koala.
The island also offers the use of a free ‘blue’ bus. Unlike the green bus, the blue bus tours the top end of the island. The 45-minute tour included among other things, the primary school, a steepled white church (a popular choice for weddings) the golf course and the sites of various other outdoor activities. After the tour Margie and I enjoyed a light lunch at the restaurant adjacent the large pool close to our bungalow. That night we visited the supermarket again and purchased some freshly cooked prawns, a dozen large (shucked) natural oysters, a couple of lemons and a tub of sea food dressing. As the moon rose, we feasted on our seafood, washed down with a can of G & T. Another perfect end to another perfect day.
The next morning, we were delighted to see the sun streaming through our windows. We jumped out of bed, donned our swimmers and stuffed our towels, hats and sunscreen into my large tote bag. We were quite hungry and decided to breakfast at the beach front restaurant. After a feast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, we headed off to the beach. The sun was shining, the sand was golden, and the water was warm. Margie and I secured a free plastic 2-person canoe and for the next hour or so amused ourselves paddling around the bay. As the morning wore on, we swam, floated in the water, rested under the shade of our umbrella and swam again. By early afternoon we were hungry. We dusted the sand off our feet and made our way back to the beach side restaurant. We enjoyed a platter of salt and pepper squid accompanied by a fresh Greek Salad washed down by a cocktail or two. After lunch we decided to spend the afternoon by the pool. We spread our towels over two pool side deck chairs and spent the next few hours, swimming, dozing, reading and chatting. Late in the afternoon Margie received a message that a buggy was available for us to hire. We ran back to our bungalow, changed out of our swimmers and sprinted to the buggy hire shop. Margie elected to drive and from then until the sun set, we explored the island from top to bottom. We motored back to the marina and ended the day with a double scoop of ice cream crammed into an oversized waffle cone. As we sat astride the buggy and licked the ice cream as it ran down our fingers, I reminded myself how lucky I was to be on holiday with one of my dearest and closest friends. It was yet another perfect end to another perfect day.
The next morning was overcast. Our flight back to Sydney left at mid-day. We had a light breakfast, packed our bags, returned the buggy and walked down to the hotel reception area for our check out. At 10.30 the minibus arrived to take us to the airport. The line up to the flight check in was long and slow moving. We learned that a cyclonic weather system had grounded all flights to Melbourne. I felt empathy for those people whose flight had been delayed. Luckily our flight was on schedule, and we boarded on time. However, we sat on the tarmac for over an hour. Somebody had checked their luggage in and had not boarded. Therefore, their luggage had to be unloaded. We finally took off; the flight was smooth, and we landed in Sydney two hours and fifteen minutes hours later.
Margie’s car was delivered to us outside the arrival’s terminal. We dumped our bags in the car boot and made our way home. Apart from a few hiccups, it was a perfect end to a perfect holiday.
I highly recommend Hamilton Island for a holiday destination.
Andrew and I are to attend a WW11 memorial service in Canberra in early July. In mid July I’m hosting a fund raising lunch for Kenthurst Rotary International Sepik Dental Project and after that Andrew and I are headed off to Egypt.
So, watch this space for more blogs.
Til next time.
