Whitsundays Part 2 – with Thackrays

We spent a fabulous 12 days with the Thackrays (Jac, Paul and Phoebe).  They arrived on Tuesday 27th September –  all very excited to be finally on the boat after so much talking about it.  We had absolutely beautiful weather and lots of laughs, lots of drinks and lots of relaxing.

  • Tuesday 27th – First night was spent in Butterfly Bay.  We all put on our stinger suits and had a snorkel.  Sadly, lots of bleached coral – but also fun and we saw quite a lot of fish.
  • Wednesday 28th – We went out to Hook Reef to see the low tide waterfall.  Was lots of fun trying (and eventually succeeding) to get the tender to go up the waterfall into the lagoon.  Snorkelling here was fabulous!
  • Thursday 29th – we took Northerly into Hamilton Island.  After a bit of a wander around the Marina,  we took a bus up to the top to a new bar for a drink with amazing views over the Whitsunday Passage.  Back to Northerly for showers then dinner at the only good Italian restaurant in Hamilton.  A fun night!
  • Friday 30th – we farewelled Mia who flew back to Sydney for rowing/study commitments, then had a drink with Katie and Mark Wilson (old friend’s of Mark’s who happened to be in the Marina on their boat).  We then headed out to Whitehaven and spent the night.
  • Sat 1st – we went to Billibob Bay.  It’s a gorgeous spot and Northerly was the only boat in the Bay.  It has a lovely sandy beach which was great for a swim.  We watched the Sydney Swans Grand Final (they lost…).  Jac collected drift wood from here to take home.
  • Sun 2nd – We cruised around the corner to stay in another bay, but changed our mind when we saw how busy it was, and went back for another night in Billibob! Watched NRL GF.
  • Mon 3rd and Tues 4th- It was pretty windy, so we went to Sawmill Bay.  Climbed to the top of Whitsunday Island.  It was a hard climb, but absolutely worth it for a stunning view!
  • Wed 5th – Went to Butterfly Bay and caught up with the Wilsons.  More snorkelling 
  • Thursday 6th – Headed up to Gloucester as we wanted to explore and see Shag Inlet.  Anchored off  Gloucester Resort (part owned by the Wilsons) and had lunch there.  A good spot for a casual lunch.
  • Fri 7th – arrived into Airlie quite early and spent several hours cleaning the boat and packing it up.  Also walked into Airlie for lunch and dinner at Salt – which was pretty good!
  • Sat 8th – Holiday over and we all flew home!!