The drive from Kroombit to Airlie beach can only be described with as one thing, tiring. It was the longest journey of our Oz Experience which started at 6:45 and took us all the way through to 16:30 when we arrived at out plush club crocodile resort (all the hostels in town were booked due to the school holidays). A huge supply of jelly beans and silly games just about kept me awake for the journey before possibly the nicest shower ever rejuvenated me back before a night out in town.

Before we went to one of the many hostels bars though, we had the important task of checking in for the second of out big tours we had organised - the Whitsunday sailing adventure! Excitement was already brewing with the prospect of sailing around the 74 islands and visiting such amazing places as the infamous Whitehaven beach loomed.

The night out before our departure certainly didn't help though, and we woke with the typical goon hangover headache. Thankfully our boat, 'the Boomerang' didn't depart until 2pm which gave us plenty of time to clear our heads. Not that it was needed... As soon as e hit the sea, the breeze cleared any clouded heads and we cruised out to our first destination through the Hook Passage to Tongue Bay at a whopping 15 knots with the wind in our sails. The boomerang used to be a racing boat, competing and winning a number of high profile races worldwide. It's now a 28 man tourist vessel but still has it's racing stripes! Being a race boat we were all involved raising the sail and performing the attack manoeuvre (changing sail direction). But whilst all that hard work was being done we also had gorgeous platters of food prepared by the deckhand. Soon enough we all found our sea legs and got used to sitting at a 45 degree angle on the edge of the deck. That night we unwound with the anchor set, jumping into the turtle filled sea with a relaxing glass of goon. Sleeping on the boat was certainly strange, but the rocking motion was easy enough to get used to and sent us all to sleep eventually.

The next morning we were all up early for another dip in the ocean before taking a dingy across to the renowned Whitehaven beach. The beach is known as the purest beach in the world with 99.7% silica deposit and is home to plenty of wildlife including sea turtles, sand sharks, stingrays and jellyfish. The beach was stunning and the sun eventually broke through the clouds to make the experience even more unforgettable. Pure white sand, stingrays in the shallow bay, sun blazing down, it was pure heaven! We only had a morning to spent there before we head back to the boat to drive (there was no wind for sailing) to our next location - Luncheon Bay. There we dropped anchor and prepared for a spot of snorkelling on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. I didn't know what to expect, but we were told that the reef was the younger part and offered a bigger diversity of coral and fish. And by god they weren't wrong. I can't begin to describe how stunning the reef was... It was if you were swimming in a warm bath with hundreds of tropical fish darting and diving in and around magically multicoloured forms of incredible habitat. On top of that you had loads of other wildlife such as eagles soaring above you and giant clams sunken deep in the crevices of the majestic habitat. After getting the feel for snorkelling we then set sail again to Blue Pearl Bay for a second attempt. Here we saw even more magnificent fish including the Maori fish which was literally the size of my torso - out of this world! The afternoon sun continued and our crew suggested watching the sun set on Longford Reef, a deposit of sand in the middle of the ocean. I can think of no better way, being in great company with a glorious sun set and light sea breeze. A perfect way to cap the perfect day. But before bed we still had time to enjoy a few glasses of goon with yet another fantastic meal and after dinner snacks - the tour was certainly quite the contrast to Fraser's island in terms of hospitality!

Rocking my way to a peaceful wake, we were once again up early to appreciate our last moments on the boat before finding solid land once again. We took in one final dive spot (Caves Cove) on the final morning before heading for land. The snorkelling wasn't too great there because the visibility was quite limited. Also, Mr. Woodruff was unfortunate enough to swim himself into a jellyfish that stung him quite badly on the arm. But the pain was soon forgotten as he doused it in vinegar and we drifted our way back to base. We enjoyed our deckhand Max's tales of the local wildlife and history of the Whitsunday islands on the way home whilst the sun continued to illuminate the turquoise waters which were now full of boats.

I was gutted to be back on land as the Whitsunday's sailing cruise has been one of my favourite excursions so far. The weather was ideal, the crew and fellow tourists were really nice and the sights were breathtaking. You'd be a fool to miss out on an experience like it and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone. A trip like this really make me appreciate how lucky i am to be travelling in such an amazing country. I'm so envious of the crew who get to enjoy the stunning sights day after day and will miss the boat in so many ways.

We had one further night in Airlie beach before departing to Townsville the next day. We went into the hostel bar Beaches for a boat after party with the crew which was great as we all got to reminisce the great moments we shared on the trip.