On Wednesday we flew from Syndey to Hamilton Island and then took the ferry from there to Airlie Beach. This is were we will start our Christmas trip. Airlie Beach is on the mainland and it is the starting point for many Whitsunday Island boat trips. When we arrived in Shute Harbour we saw the boat which we were supposed to be spending Christmas on - Whitsunday Magic. Unfortunately the boat sank! This was very disappointing as it was supposed to be the most luxurious boat trip in the Whitsundays!

Our hotel for the first 2 nights was Whitsunday Vista - this was a great base as we have a small apartment and a balcony overlooking the ocean - just beautiful! The hotel were very good as they knew we were on our honeymoon and left us a bottle of wine in our fridge! We spent the rest of the day lounging at the pool and drinking wine on our balcony - very relaxing indeed!

In the evening we went into town and had some dinner then went to the Lagoon to paddle our feet. The Lagoon is a great place. It is free and it made up of several fresh water lagoons, picnic & BBQ areas and has great facilities. It is really very warm here so the lagoon is a welcome relief from the heat.

The follwing day done more lounging & drinking wine on the balcony! We also got ourselves organised for our boat trip in the Whitsunday Islands. We are only allowed a small bag so it is a bit of a challenge to pack lightly!

On the Friday we went on our boat which would be home for the next 2 nights. Now I am not a boat person so you can imagine my horror when I see our small sailing boat and realise that there will be 12 guests and 2 crew members all to live on this boat for the next 2 nights! I must admit that when I first went on the boat I wanted to get straight back off it! Our cabin was very small, the toilet was a nightmare, we were encouraged not to shower in order to conserve water and there was really nowhere confortable to sit on the boat. Never the less I put my nerves to one side and went with the flow!

It wasn't long until we put up the sails and went for our first proper sail. Now those of you who are not familar with sailing the boat tips up and one side is much higher than the higher. They call the low side the suicide side - so much for soothing my nerves! I sat behind the captain in a very safe spot as he could tell I was quite nervous. It wasn't long until we found a sheltered bay to anchor down for the night. We were given the opportunity to go for a swim. I passed on this as I wasn't too keen on jumping into the middle of the ocean or of the stuff in the ocean! I was much happier to read my book from the relative safety of the boat.

That evening we got to know our fellow boat mates and crew under the beauty of the stars. There were some really great people on board and I have a great laugh. Which was probably just as well as sleeping in our cabin was quite like sleeping in a coffin!

The following morning (Christmas Eve) we all woke up very early - 6am!! It was unbearably hot in our cabin which did make sleeping very uncomfortable. And as showers were not allowed in the morning we just had to get up and make the most of it. We had some breakfast on the deck and we were under seige from these huge flies. I became quite the mistress of death as we were told to swat them and kill them! We soon got on our way to escape the flies and head over to Whitehaven Beach.

Whitehaven Beach is a truly beautiful place. The sand is 90% pure silicone and was used for the Hubble Telescope! It is so fine - like powder really and is so white!

We spent a couple of hours here just chilling out and relaxing. At 12 noon we headed back to the boat for some lunch. We then sailed around some more islands and had the opportunity to do some snorkelling. Paul was in his element and was the first one in the water and the last one out. He had taught me how the snorkel but again I was nervous of just jumping off the boat into the water, so I stayed on board and helped to fold away the sails and other boat stuff!

That evening we anchored down in another sheltered bay and the stars were so bright. Being in the middle of the ocean you are away from so much artificial light than you really can appreciate the stars. As it was Christmas eve we had some christmas songs and champagne. I went to bed about 9pm as it had been a very long day and I got quite a lot of sun despite slathering myself in factor 30! The sun is really intense here and my scottish skin is not suited to this climate!

The following morning (Christmas Day) we woke up to the sound of rain which actually was quite welcoming as it cooled the cabin a little. We had some breakfast on the deck and up went the sails so we could return to Airlie Beach, I was quite looking forward to getting off the boat and having a lovely long shower!

We checked into the Airlie Beach hotel and set about to start celebrating Christmas with some bubbly! Tomorrow we are going back to Sydney for 4 days before flying to New Zealand.

Merry Christmas from Australia!!