Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef

October 31, 2010 at 11:06 am

Hayley and I spent four days in paradise in early October. We flew out to Hamilton Island which lies in between mainland Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. It was featured in the Best Job in the World competition.

Aside from traveling to a fantastic destination, we were lucky in many other ways. While heavy rain was predicted for Friday through Monday, we had nothing but sunshine. We discovered while boarding the aircraft that our package included Virgin Blue premium economy tickets, which gave us a full row to ourselves, priority check-in, free entertainment and free premium snacks and drinks. I mentioned Hayley’s birthday to the Reef View hotel staff and they upgraded our standard garden room to an ocean-view suite overlooking the islands.

We spent our first day hiking around the island. We walked over the hill to the other side of the island and relaxed on a secluded beach in Coral Bay. We waded out into the water which was nice and warm, and marveled at its clarity.

On our second day, we explored the resort side of the island. At low tide, we walked way out on Catseye Beach, avoiding stingrays and large tropical fish. We swam in the resort pool near Sails restaurant and stand-up paddle boarded at dusk.

We spent our final full day snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. We saw human-sized clams, hundreds of tropical fish and beautiful iridescent coral. At low tide, we swam side by side with a sea turtle in three feet of water.

This tops the list as our best tropical vacation. Our Maui honeymoon was fantastic, as was staying in the South African sub-tropics, but this was a step above those in terms of accommodation and relaxation. I unplugged from the busy monotony of daily routine, disconnected from the internet, and just enjoyed the unadulterated tropical feel of paradise.

Here are some pictures from our journey.

Catseye Beach Panorama, Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef
The view from our hotel room.

Hayley Jumping for Joy
Hayley, enjoying paradise.

Catseye Beach Palms
The resort beach.

Hardy Reef
Hardy Reef, home to “heart” reef.

H&I on our Patio
Wine and chips on our patio.

Check out the rest in my Hamilton Island Flickr Set.

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Bondi to Coogee Walk

January 10, 2010 at 9:42 pm

Hayley, Elsja, Andrew, Ben and I met at the Bondi swimming club, Icebergs, to start our Saturday afternoon Bondi-to-Coogee trek. The well maintained trail hugs the coastline for six kilometers, all of which sport breathtaking views of the eastern Sydney beaches. Dividing the crowded beaches, rocky cliffs drop off into coves of crystal clear water, offering snorkelers and scuba divers secluded- relatively speaking- access to some of the most spectacular underwater life in the world.

So that was my sales pitch. Did I do well? Perhaps this was all I needed to show you?

Gordon's Bay
Gordon’s Bay, Sydney’s premium snorkeling location.

The walk passes through many amazing sites, none more unexpected and remarkable than Waverley Cemetery, final resting place of many Australian politicians, poets and athletes.

Waverley Cemetery
Not a bad place to spend eternity.

The McMurray grave, containing a small child-sized coffin, looks away from the ocean but is nothing short of spectacular.

Bloody McMurray
Is that paint splattered on the side or something else entirely…?

Of course no Australian walk would be complete without seeing unique Australian wildlife. I present to you the Golden Silk Orb-Weaver, a toxic widow spider that spins webs strong enough to be used as fish nets.

Golden Silk Orb-Weaver Spider
One of three that were roasting in the sun near the trail.

The walk ends at Coogee Beach, where we went for a dip and ate yummy toasted sandwiches.

Coogee Beach
Coogee beach, definitely worth the walk on a weekday…

Afterward, Hayley and I split off from the group, riding forty minutes on a bus to Circular Quay. We watched a street performance and then boarded a harbour ferry back to Neutral Bay.

Definitely a fun day.

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