We left Hervey Bay on an over night bus to Airlie Beach, where we would be getting on a boat to explore the Whitsunday Islands. When we first got there Sophie and I checked into a hostel called Magnums. In our room we met two irish guys called Shane and Fitzy. They were really lovely and we all went out for some drinks that night. Laura and Adam were also with us but they were staying at a different hostel.

We stayed in Magnums for a couple of nights before moving in Beaches, the hostel we had booked our Whitsundays trip with. The night we left Magnums we went out for a meal with Shane and Fitzy and they payed for us which was a bonus!! The weather in Airlie Beach was lovely so we spent most days at the lagoon sunbathing (you wern't allowed in the sea anymore because of the stingers and sharks).

So we left on Airlie Beach on the 31st December and boarded our boat which was called Power Play. There were about 20 of us on the boat and most of them were couples but it was still a nice group. Unfortunatly the weather was not as good and the sea was a bit choppy but the Islands were still beautiful! We sailed to Whitehaven Beach and got a little dingy to shore, where we set up camp for the night ahead. After a few too many glasses of goon the New Year celebrations were well under way, and the crew let of flairs as soon as the clocks hit midnight. Some of the peeps from Fraser were on another boat which also came to Whitehaven for midnight, so there was a good group of us together. It was quite a surreal experience being on a Island for New Year and one i will never forget! The celebrations went on till the ealry mornings and i'm afraid to say i dont really remember getting back on the boat!

The next day i had THE WORST hangover ever! Being hungover and being on a boat does not mix well, i think i did very well to keep my drink from the night before down! We sailed to one of the other Islands, which had some reef surrounding it and we went snorkling. There were some beautiful schools of fish swimming so close to us and the coral was amazing. One of the guys said he saw a turtle but by the time i had swam over, dragging sophie along with me (she wasn't very confident at snorkiling and didnt want to be left alone!) it had swam away. It was starting to get dark so we swam back to the boat where a lovely New Years day meal was waiting for us. We all sat round together talking and laughing about the antics from the night before and the crew had put some photos they had taken onto a slideshow for us to look at. There were some awful ones!!!!!!!!

The next day we had an early start and had to get back to the mainland by 10 in the morning so we packed up all our belongings and started the journey back. The weather was starting to pick up again and the sea and islands look beautiful in the sun. When we got back to shore we checked into Beaches again, had a little sleep then headed to the lagoon. That night the whole group from Fraser Island were back together and we had a few drinks in the bar at the hostel. It was nice to see everyone again and hear about their New Years.

We stayed in Airlie Beach for a few more nights before heading up to our next stop... Mission Beach!!!!!!! xxx