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The Whitsundays

Welcome to Whiteheaven Beach

Consistently rated amongst the top beaches in the world, Whitehaven Beach is the jewel in the crown of the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays are made up of 74 island wonders, on the beautiful tropical coast of Queensland, Australia.

As mentioned in my previous post, I flew from Sydney to Proserpine and stayed at Airlie Beach. There's nothing much to do in Airlie apart from the usual dining, partying or swimming. Walked around town and spotted this lagoon which reminded me so much of the one along Cairns Esplanade.

 
This lagoon is open to the public, no entrance fees.


But if you're like me who's not in the mood to swim, you can sit or lie down and get a tan or something.

Moving on, I signed up for the Thundercat tours with Red Cat Adventures. The Thundercat is the newest catamaran that offers day tours around the Whitsundays.


Our tour started by meeting at Abell Point Marina around 8:30AM. We were asked to sign waivers plus they gave us our own stinger suits. Swimming between the months of October-May can be extremely dangerous as that is when the venomous box jellyfish and irukandji's are at their worst in these waters.


The Thundercat catamaran has been designed and built for stability and speed so it's perfect for passengers who are concerned about seasickness. The trip from Airlie to Whitsunday took approximately 1.5 hours.

Our catamaran was parked on the other side of Whitsunday (Tongue Bay) so we had to hike for 10-15 minutes to get to the Hill Inlet Lookout.


It was still high tide when we arrived but that's ok. No words can grasp the beauty of this place. Whitehaven Beach is simply heaven on earth.

 
After the inlet lookout, we hiked going down to Betty's Beach. I'm so glad I had my sunnies with me that time because the sand was blindingly white (even if looks normal in the photo).


I met this German couple named Patrick and Joana (I hope I got their name right!). I happily obliged and took some of their couple photos. I do hope they send me a shoutout or something, I'd love to give them hi-res photos from this trip.


After an hour and half in the island, we went back to the Thundercat for lunch. My inital reaction after seeing this was "Where's the seafood?!" In the Philippines, when you go on an island hopping tour, they usually serve freshly caught seafood. Photo grabbed from Thundercat FB page.


Our next stop was Mantaray Bay where we were given time for snorkeling and to meet George (the huge maori wrasse fish). Photo grabbed from Thundercat FB page.


Last stop was at the Langford Sandbar where we had our afternoon tea. Sadly it didn't have the white sand like the one in Whitehaven but it was all good.

The all inclusive Thundercat tour costs $173.00AUD. Please take note that not all tours pass by Whitsunday Island so make sure you double check before booking. It was quite a productive day where we had ample amount of time to enjoy the view, snorkel, swim and beach hop in the Whitsundays. Was it worth it? DEFINITELY. One for the books! To end this post I'd like to share this video I created to summarize my Whitsunday experience. Please watch in HD!

Airbnb in Airlie Beach

I recently visited the sunshine state of Queensland, Australia where I spent my weekend in this sensational apartment I found through Airbnb.

I have been in Sydney since June and to be honest it gets quite boring once in a while. Remember when I randomly decided to fly to Melbourne with Paolo last August? That was fun but now that I'm back to traveling solo I've decided I should level up and check out another location in my travel bucket list.

So what's next on my list? The Whitsundays! Located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Lucky for me I scored roundtrip tickets to Whitsunday Coast Airport (Proserpine) from Sydney for only $200AUD via TigerAir.

I've actually been to the Great Barrier Reef last March 2014 but only at the side of Cairns. This time around, I went to the southern part which is called Proserpine and stayed at Airlie Beach which is approximately 40kms away from the airport. There's a bus company that offers roundtrip transfers from airport to your hotel for only $40AUD. This place is basically your nearest gateway to the Whitsunday Islands National Park.

Panoramic view of the Coral Sea with Mt. Rooper in the background. This was taken from Airlie Beach Lagoon.

Moving on to the accommodation. My original plan was to stay at the usual backpacker hostel but then I realized I needed a break from that. I've got extra Airbnb credits to spend, thanks to everyone who signed-up using this link. Lucky for me, the private room I chose was actually part of a hotel. Which means I get the basic amenities at a much affordable price thanks to Airbnb.

As expected the room was very spacious. And I like that there are two pillows provided per person. Sucks when I usually get one, I love hugging something when I sleep. :p I just wished she bought new sheets or something. My comforter looked like it's been used more than a thousand times already. Haha.

I had my own private bath with bathtub.

That also has its own mini walk-in closet.

Since the hotel was located on a hill (or mountain, I'm not exactly sure) the view was just phenomenal. ;) Plus, the infinity pool was so inviting I wanted to jump right in upon arrival!

There are some things that I didn't like which are the ff: There's no wifi which wasn't really a big deal since I have my phone with me but what if the owner gets guests and badly rely on wifi to communicate with their loved ones abroad? 

Next is that it's a little far away from the shops and restaurants, approximately 10-15 mins if you walk slowly but surely. Like I said earlier, the location is obviously somewhere high above the ground so it may be easy to walk down but quite a struggle to get back unless you can afford to pay for a cab that will probably cost you $10AUD going back. The safest way is to buy stuff from the nearby Woolworth's and just prepare meals in the apartment.

If you're interested with the apartment you may check it out here and if it's your first time just click here to get your $25USD Airbnb discount on your next booking.

 
Moving on, since I have a lot of time in my hands I've decided to walk down town and ended up at Airlie Beach Hotel where I noticed these stalls selling food and cocktails during happy hour.

 
These pop-ups pop up during Sundays only and is quite popular to tourists as well as locals. I particularly tried these pork roll snacks which are basically just lechon in a bun. I liked it, simple and the sauce (pineapple and gravy) tasted good too! ;) If I'm not mistaken they were $4.00AUD each.

I'm ending this entry for now but please watch out for my next posts where I will take you guys on a tour around Whitsundays. :) 

P.S. I'm preparing a video too so hopefully I finish that before we get to November.
Day Trip to the Great Barrier Reef

Day Trip to the Great Barrier Reef

When in Cairns, one cannot afford to miss even just a day tour of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). You may book online to save you time and effort in planning your GBR trip. My aunt signed us up for a day tour with the Great Adventures Group that covers Green Island as well as a portion of the outer reef called Moore Reef.

The tour costs AUD238/₱9,950 per person and is inclusive of the following; hotel transfers, 2 hours of stay in Green Island, 3 hours at the outer reef platform with hot and cold meals plus coffee or tea, free use of snorkeling gears and coral reef viewing tour in their semi-submersible submarines for those who don't want to swim.


You may proceed directly at the Cairns Marina if you failed to book online. They have daily tours that starts at 9:00AM and ends around 5:00PM. 


I was expecting to get sea sick during our catamaran cruise with the huge waves and all that but glad it didn't triggered my motion sickness.


Except for my aunt! Here she is giving me a fake smile onboard the catamaran despite feeling nauseous during the whole trip.


Anyway, here's Green Island. Weather wasn't good that day but I can imagine how blue-er the water can be if it were sunny.


I apologize in advanced for my haggard wet look. It rained during our 2-hour stay in Green Island and had no choice but to get a rain coat just so we could walk around. Swimming wasn't an option because I prefer to swim on our next stop which was Moore Reef.

 
While in Green Island, we sat in Reflections Pool Bar. I then realized that the island reminded me so much of Dos Palmas in Palawan. There's a hotel in the island just in case you want to stay longer. ;)

We left before 12PM and moved on to Moore Reef which is 45-50 minutes away from Green Island.


Here we are in the pontoon waiting for our buffet lunch. Our group consists mostly of Chinese and Japanese tourists.


Like I said earlier, you may borrow snorkeling gears and life vest. Other water activities such as scuba diving, etc. are charged separately through cash or card payment.

 
Apart from snorkeling, I really wanted to try the scubadoo. Parang very chillax lang under the water. But then travel gods had a different activity for us:


BOOM! I mean seriously, there's no other way to enjoy the view of the GBR but above the sea!


Check out this video I made from our first ever helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy! ;)

The 10-minute scenic helicopter ride (which is AUD159/₱6,600 per person) is optional but it's definitely an experience worth remembering and sharing too! ;) FYI, my plans of  snorkeling and scubadoo failed to push through because of motion sickness after the heli ride. Sucks balls! Haha. Di bale, next time.  

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to my aunt and cousin. Words cannot explain how I feel right now. HAHAHA. Thanks for this treat, I have no idea how to pay you guys back. Hehe. Babawi din ako as soon as I win the lotto. LOL. 'Til our next adventure!

P.S. If you ever have plans of doing the helicopter ride, make sure you're stomach's not full from lunch. I almost puked before landing! It was definitely one of the worst and at the same time the best 10 minutes of my life. You only live once so travel while you're young! ;)
Cairns Esplanade

Cairns Esplanade


Cairns Esplanade

As we arrived in Cairns, my aunt officially proclaimed that I am the bearer of bad weather. Snow storm in Tokyo and a cloudy weather down under, not cool weather gods! Haha. We had two days to go around but the occasional rains made it a little hard for us to actually go out and have fun in the sun (who's obviously MIA during our trip).


Locals said that a diverse range of sea birds inhabit the mudflats throughout the year. Don't worry if you forgot your binoculars, there's one in the Esplanade Boardwalk.


Speaking of the Esplanade Boardwalk, it is the perfect place for cyclists, joggers and walkers. The city of Cairns offers free wifi along the Esplanade so it was a perfect area to just relax and enjoy the view the sea.


Other than the sea, we also have a view of the Esplanade Lagoon which is a huge infinity pool open to the public.


The Esplanade boasts a lot of different artworks commissioned by the Cairns Regional Council. Here is The Fish by Brian Robinson which was created for the Esplanade redevelopment back in 2003. The Fish is also one of the most popular pieces of public art all over Australia.



Back to the Esplanade Lagoon, wouldn't it be awesome if we have something like this now that DOST-PAGASA officially declared summer in Manila? I wish! Ganda di ba? May sand talaga! Haha.


Trees are here, there and everywhere. I like how their government prioritizes not only the people but also their natural environment. We totally achieved having our moment of zen here, you feel very close to mother nature.


At the end of the Esplanade is the Cairns Yacht Club.


Spotted on the right side is Shangri-la Hotel. This boardwalk will lead you to the Cairns Harbour Cruises.


After all that walk, it was time for late lunch and afternoon snacks. We're on our way to Shield's St. where you can find most of the restaurants in Cairns.


We had no idea where to eat and it just started raining so we had no choice but to try this chic looking restaurant beside the Cairns Regional Gallery, Perrotta's.

 
 
Hungry anyone? :)
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