The Whitsunday Islands

The atomic white of the soft sand is blinding. Despite the dark shadow cast over my eyes by the tint of my sunglasses, I have to squint to see well. The heat from the sun warms my skin and radiates through the entirety of my body. The air is still and the temperate water is calm. The crystal clear water swirls gently and peacefully around my legs and my feet are being gently sucked into the sand.

I have waded hundreds of meters from the shore and the water line just reaches my knees. Stingrays and baby reef sharks glide within meters and they are oblivious to the frenzied click of my camera. My wife is by my side and her eyes are sparkling like diamonds. I look up into the cloudless, cobalt blue sky and smile. I am in a place I thought only existed on postcards. I am on Whitehaven Beach and it is the singular most beautiful place I have ever been.


We are cruising the Whitsunday Islands on a luxury 8 birth catamaran. For three days and three nights we are waited on hand and foot: we are constantly fed rings of fresh prawns, baskets of warm breads, crispy salads, plates of grilled meats, bowls of salted macadamia and cashew nuts, cool drinks and a whole host of other gastronomic delights. We weigh anchor by secluded beaches, we snorkel among exotic fish and colourful corals and sail by pods of dolphins and humpback whales.



We are treated like movie stars and our every want is immediately met. By all rights each space on this boat should cost a minor fortune but we, quite literally, paid no more than the equivalent of a night out at Pizza Hut. We landed on our feet this time and I’ll tell you how. The company that runs the boat had only filled 4 out of 8 births for the next day’s departure and wanted to fill 2 more to create an ambiance on the board and so practically gave the tickets away. For once we were in the right time at the right place and had the trip of a lifetime. I’ll let the photos hint at the experience we had...