In the morning we hauled the anchors and sailed for Hayman Island. As we reached Blue Pearl Bay a sea turtle stuck its head out of the water. Excited, everyone jumped into its wetsuit and into the water. Of course by that time the turtle was gone. But all of us were looking for Nemo again anyway. In vain, as we found out later. After the snorkeling we made our way back to Airlie Beach. Back in town I realized what an idiot I was forgetting my swim shorts on the b...

After an early Brekkie we anchored in Tongue Bay and shuttled over to Whitsunday Island. From there we hiked up to a spectacular lookout overseeing Whitehaven Beach on the other side of the island. After walking down to the snow-white beach we put our wetsuits on and jumped into the water. When we returned to our boat we went to a place called Luncheon Bay for snorkeling at its coral reef. With the help of some food the fish came so close we literally were able...

Today I started my sailing trip on the boat "New Horizon" heading for the Whitsunday's. A group of 74 islands within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. So, no touching or taking of anything! As we sailed towards Hook Island we saw a baby whale ;) For the night we anchored at the Nara Inlet, a breeding ground for Hammerhead Sharks. Not at the moment though. Our crew provided a delicious seafood dinner and we enjoyed the beautiful sunset with a couple of Carlt...

After our arrival in Airlie Beach at 7AM I checked into the Beaches Hostel and decided to take a nap until the town woke up. When I later went across the street to a nice little cafe to get a more substantial Brekkie than the usual cereal-toast combination I discovered to my surprise that they had German Bauernfruehstueck (Farmer's breakfast) on the menu. Prepared by a cook from Thailand and served by a waitress from Estonia ;) The afternoon I spent reading ...

The Greyhound Bus picked us up around noon and we drove to Hervey Bay, another beach town and gateway to Fraser Island's west coast. After a 3 hour wait I got on another bus which would take me all along Capricorn Coast to Airlie Beach. A 15-hour overnight ride! The good news is I won't have to pay for a hostel and save time. But that's about the only good thing about overnight travels. Along the way we stopped in tiny Town of 1770. The funny name com...