May 14-18: The Whitsunday Islands

The Whitsunday Islands are a chain of islands of the coast of eastern Australia which sit between the middle section of the Great Barrier Reef and the mainland. It is a very popular tourist spot, as sailing ships leave Airlie Beach out to tour the marine-life rich waters and unspoiled beaches.

I did a 2 day, 2 night tour on a boat called Wings 2, a giant catamaran. It looks like a pretty serious sailing maching, with all the obligatory ropes and pulleys. But in the 2 days, we sort of just drove around as the sailing conditions weren't really windy enough to move the huge boat.

Whitehaven beach is particularily spectacular, as the fine white sand swirls in the shallows to make swirling shapes. We caught it on a cloudy day. It is often named one of the top ten beaches in the world.