We arrived in Airlie Beach exceptionally early at 6am after another long overnight bus journey. As we couldnt check into our hostel we spent the morning having a look around the town, and checking in for our sailing voyage the next day. The town itself didnt really have much to offer, centering around selling sailing trips to the whitsundays and being another boozy location for 18 year old gap year students (we're old waaaaah). As the sea isnt safe for swimming, there was a man-made lagoon which was quite nice for an early morning dip! We also bumped into some people from our Fraser Island trip, so it was good to see them again and hear about their sailing trips.

The next day we set sail to the Whitsunday Islands on our ship the Boomerang. The weather was glorious sunshine for the full 3 days we were out there, but unfortunately this was accompanied by very little wind which limited the amount of actual sailing we were able to do. On the first afternoon we made our way down to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, passing by the Molle Island, Daydream Island and Hamilton Island. By the time we arrived it was dark, so we spent the evening eating delicious food that was cooked for us and playing uno (in a group this time, so thankfully Ben couldnt beat me 18 games to 2 again!!).

We woke up the next morning absolutely sweltering below decks in our little stuffy cabin and quickly escaped to the cooler surrounds of above deck. After breakfast we were ferried onto Whitehaven beach in the rib boat. Whitehaven is probably one of the most pristine beaches i have ever set foot on, the sand so fine and pure it squeaks underfoot! I spent my time on the island having a stroll along the beach, while Ben played football with some of the other guys from the boat. I saw some fish and a tiny stingray in the water, all of which were the same colour as the sand so very well disguised. As it was still "stinger-season", we werent able to swim in the sea without wetsuits on incase of any box-jellyfish.

From there we sailed over to a smaller island, where we got off the boat again and walked up to the look-out point where we had a postcard perfect view over the islands and Whitehaven beach. The water was such a clear turquoise, contrasted against the white of the sand...stunning! After lunch we sailed further North around Hook Island. We anchored again and spent an hour snorkelling around a small coral reef. I have never snorkelled before so it was a great experience. We saw so many fish, including big parrot fish that you could hear eating plants off the coral. My favourite was a black and white striped one that looked like a zebra fish! Oh, and yes we found nemo! We then sailed a bit further north to a tidal sand island where we anchored for the night. In the evening we saw some dolphins swimming in the distance, as well as huge bat fish by the side of the boat. We got some blankets and mats from below decks and slept under the stars in a nice cool breeze which was much better!

The final morning of our trip was spent travelling back to Airlie Beach. The wind had picked up a bit which meant we were able to do some proper sailing, learning how to tack. Whitsunday Islands is definately one of the most beautiful places we have visited on the East Coast.