Hydeaway Bay
Arriving here, I was determined to go on some sort of cruise around the islands. Predictably, this was “not P’s bag.” He had a hot tip on a beautiful beach about an hour out of Airlie Beach – Hydeaway Bay – and we camped there for two nights, which was very beautiful. However, this did not satisfy my desire to actually see some of the islands. My (budget-blowing) logic was: we’re already 40 – are we really coming back here on a package holiday costing $5000+? No, so therefore I go now or never. I’m going now. Given the option of staying home with the kids for 10 hours or participating in a family cruise, P chose the cruise.
So I am here to report that P was actually right, and don’t bother to go to Whitsunday resorts (with the possible exception of qualia @ $6000 a night). It must be because they are old, so they have the double whammy of being old and tired, and being unsympathetic to the environment as they were built before the concept of an “eco-tourism” asthetic. For example, on Daydream Island, we wandered around in stunned silence, before P announced “It looks like Beatty Park.” Me: “Yes! I was just thinking it’s like a 1960’s office block!” Hamilton Island actually has high rises. Of course the islands themselves are lovely, so the recommendation would be camping on an island that *doesn’t* have a resort, or sailing.
Our vessal awaits
