|
A sample itinerary for Whitsunday Magic 3 Island Cruise
Day 1.
We were picked up by the local shuttle bus company in the main street of Airlie Beach and transferred to Shute Harbour. The drive to Shute Harbour was quite interesting with many entrances to the National Parks walks noted along the way.
After we disembarked the bus we were greeted by a Whitsunday Magic crew member and escorted to the vessel which was berthed alongside a floating jetty in Shute Harbour.
After meeting the crew and having a safety briefing we were shown to our cabins. The cabins are air-conditioned, fully ensuite, have a porthole (to be open at anchorage only) and are reasonable roomy considering you are on a vessel.
Back on deck nibbles were served and guests were encouraged to help with the sails after we had cleared Shute Harbour. A guest (Charles Wray) took the helm under the supervision of the skipper and we enjoyed a magnificent sail up the Whitsunday Passage towards the top end of
Hook Island. An anchorage was selected at Stonehaven Bay for the evening. The guests relaxed on board with some sundowners (drinks) while the crew went about their work and prepared the dining room for dinner. Guests were presented with a choice of two main courses, either Coral Trout or Cajun Pork.
The Coral Trout is the Great Barrier Reef's premier eating fish and was served on a bed of mash (potatoes) with Salsa Verde and a Balsamic Dressing. The pork was also served on a bed of mash with chorizo sausage and a spinach cream sauce. The meals were exceptional in both presentation and taste.
After dinner Champaign was presented to a couple who were celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary while on board. Later in the evening a Pontoon game was set up in the saloon with half a dozen guests joining in the fun. No money was lost as Whitsunday Magic supplied the chips.
Day 2.
The day started at 7:00am with the more adventurous passengers taking up the opportunity of an early morning swim in the beautiful blue water off Stonehaven Beach. Breakfast is a very relaxed affair with cereals, toast, fruit juice and fresh fruit presented on a self help table. Then it was up with the anchor and a half hour steam around the top end of Hook Island to the snorkelling and diving bays famous for the coral and fish life.
The first bay was Luncheon Bay where everyone was transferred to the beach in the ships dinghy. From the beach it was an easy entry to the water for those wanting to go snorkelling. Please keep in mind that if you are an experienced snorkeller or diver you will have to hire fins in Airlie Beach before departure. I made the mistake of not doing this and "being a retired dive instructor" found myself floundering away with no fins. I would have felt more comfortable running naked down the main street of Airlie Beach, and that would not be a pretty sight. Morning tea (cake and biscuits) was served after returning from the beach and we noticed that all the rooms had been serviced. A little later in the morning guests were taken around to Manta Ray Bay in the dinghy and the glass bottom boat for fish feeding, snorkelling and viewing the coral through the glass bottom boat. Everyone had great fun with thousands of fish and a particularly large Maori Wrasse hanging around. After returning to Whitsunday Magic lunch (beautifully prepared wraps) was served.
After lunch anybody wanting to go scuba diving were picked up by the vessel Odysseus from Seasation and the balance of the guests went to Maureen’s Cove for the third snorkelling location. The divers returned with big smiles across their faces and said the diving had been absolutely fantastic. The snorkellers then returned to the vessel where afternoon tea of fruit and biscuits was served. Around this time dolphins were spotted from Whitsunday Magic with guests taking many photos. It was then time to get under way to our next location and then guests helped pull the glass bottom boat up out of the water and onto its davits.
We motored (due to lack of wind) down the eastern side of Hook Island towards Border Island arriving at about 5:00pm. The bay we anchored in at Border Island was a beautiful wide bay called Cataran Bay. Cataran Bay was named after a meandering, brawling group of Scots “The Catarans†by Captain Bedwell from SS Llewellyn a survey ship in 1879. Guests were then offered a walk up to the crest of the saddle on Border Island where spectacular views to the main island group to the north and views southwards to Whitehaven Beach which we would be visiting the next day.
Dinner tonight was a choice of Barramundi ir Rib Fillet Steak. Both were delightful meals. For those that don't know Barramundi is one of Australia's premier table fish and rib fillet is our best cut of steak.
Day 3.
Breakfast was served at 7:00 am and then we were off for a big day. We up anchored and headed off to Tongue Bay on Whitsunday Island where we set anchor amoungst a few other vessels. There is a walk established by National Parks which lead from the shore at Tongue Bay to one of the most famous photgraph locations in the Whitsundays, the Hill Inlet lookout. The walk is about 700 or 800 metres long but well worth the effort, the views over Hill Inlet are absolutely stunning. I have lived in Airlie Beach for the last 7 years and go out to the islands quite often. I usually end up around the top end of Hook Island because of my passion for snorkelling and diving and had never visited the lookout before. The crew had to practically drag the other guests and myself away because we just kept admiring the spectacular view. Needless to say many photographs were taken. Wendy one of the crew explained that the "Shifting Sands of Hill Inlet" never look the same as they shift around depending on tides and conditions. Anyway, then it was off down the track back towards the shore at Tongue Bay. I call it a shore and not a beach as the shore is made up of lava flow encrusted with corals and rocks. I found it quite interesting to examine the fossilised corals which are thousands of years old.
In the afternoon it was down to Whitehaven Beach. Here the sand is so fine it squelches under your foot. All the guests were dropped on the beach for a couple of hours with some toys like frisbees and balls to play around with. You could either join in with the activities or just walk along this magnificent beach or explore the bushland behind the beach. I chose to walk down the beach and explore the bush a little. I ended up standing in the shade of a native tree swatting the large March Flies that were landing on me to suck my blood. I managed to swat 6 of the little buggers.
After Whitehaven it was off to Nara Inlet to find an anchorage for the night. There was a magnificent sunset as we came out of Hook Pass and made our way along the southern side of Hook Island towards Nara Inlet. Nara is a large fjord like, long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between two steep slopes on Hook Island. It is a most beautiful place.
Day 4
I rose at 5:00am to the absolute stillness of Nara Inlet. I was the only one up and about on board the vessel and the only noise was the incredible screeches and chirping of hundreds of species of birds from the bush around the inlet. Not being a bird enthusiast the only two I could identify was the Kookaburra and the Eastern Whip Bird. It was special time for me on the Whitsunday Magic trip, on deck alone with just the noise of the birds in the bush while the sun rose from the east over Hook Island.
| 
Whitsundays Information 
