Three years ago when I was thinking of my upcoming milestone birthday I decided I wanted to celebrate it in one of two bucket list locations. Either at Uluru or on Whitehaven Beach. I put the idea to the family and the kids voted for Whitehaven Beach. Uluru will just have to wait another a few years.
Whitehaven Beach is the most voted for #1 Beach in the World, it is protected by National Park and you can't actually stay there - one of the closest islands to it is Hamilton Island.
This holiday was originally planned and booked for December 2021 as part of my 50th birthday celebration, but a second wave of COVID-19 put an end to that. The Queensland border remained shut and one month out from our departure we were forced to cancel if we wanted to receive full refunds. I was devastated. It had already been an emotionally tough two years. The kids were equally disappointed. We had to wait until they started the new school year, as part of the planning was around their exam timetables. Once we had all the information we rebooked and a new countdown to the holiday started.
When the day finally arrived, I don't think any of us could actually believe it. Our flights were direct from Sydney, so we packed up the car and drove down to Sydney before boarding the flight. Despite the news channels broadcasting airport security and flight delays/cancellations, we had no issues. The security line was not long and it was me who was pulled up by security for having something sharp and pointy looking in my carry-on luggage. Once cleared it was a quick lunch in the terminal and then boarding. Our flight was only delayed by 20 minutes.
As we flew over the mainland and left the coastline, we could see brilliant turquoise waters and islands below us. When we finally touched down on Hamilton Island we were greeted with the hot conditions and the reality our holiday had officially started.
There are no cars on Hamilton Island. You either get around by golf buggy or they operate a free mini-bus service. Golf buggies can only take four people, so I opted to walk. Having spent two hours in a car, and another two and a half hours in a plane, I wanted to stretch my legs and take it all in. I also needed a moment to myself to breathe, and allow myself to feel the relief and happiness of finally making it.
The first thing that struck me (other than the heat) were the colours of the place. The variety of blues in the water and the sky, and the green and lush tropical landscapes. It was paradise.
Michael dropped the kids off at our accommodation and drove back to pick me up. The island is small enough to walk around and he found me not far from our apartment.
Prior to booking, we had trawled through all the apartments and holiday homes available and picked one that met the following requirements: needed to be on Catseye Beach side of the island, must have a view, must have a balcony to enjoy the view, at least two bedrooms and bathrooms, comes with a golf buggy, and be self contained so we can self cater (because our research taught us eating out was going to be expensive).
We chose the Hibiscus Apartments and our apartment was perfect. Especially the view. We slowly unpacked (enjoying the air-conditioning), then Michael, Milly and I headed to the only supermarket on the island to stock up on food and drink.
Then it was pool time for a nice cool off and relax. Holiday mode had officially been switched on.
We finished our first day with takeaway pizza on the balcony. Day one was perfect.
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