Australian Adventure, Day 2 – Bump and Grind

I’m sure at some point during the previous night’s dinner, as I consumed massive amounts of red and white wine, I had thought about our upcoming activities the following day. But then again, maybe I hadn’t. If I did consider our busy agenda…8:00am breakfast, interviews with Island management and a seaplane excursion, I probably would have slowed down on my alcohol intake. But nope, not me. So rising at the crack of dawn, along with my hangover, I went out for a long run to try and sweat out the alcohol and prepare for the hectic day ahead.

I glided through breakfast and then had an informal interview with Jason Friedman, General Manager of qualia, a new, high-end luxury resort on Hamilton Island. Next on the list was the seaplane. Yikes! As we made our way over to Aviation Tourism Australia my stomach was filled with knots. I had never been on a seaplane and I was a wee bit nervous….hell, I was terrified. The weather had gotten ugly as a monsoon was hitting up north on the Reef and it was all I could do not to scream “I can’t do this!” But I sucked it up, popped a Dramamine and hoped for the best. We arrived at the airport, were given a brief instruction along with life preservers and made our way onto the plane.

Inside the Sea Plane

The group ready to board!

Yes, the take off made me nervous, yes the bumps from the turbulence were unsettling and yes, I did indeed feel like I was going to lose my cookies at any moment. But I managed to get amazing aerial shots of the Great Barrier Reef along with video (see video at end of blog).

Then I remembered why I was there… a once in a lifetime opportunity to view one of the greatest natural wonders of the world from the sky. So I soaked in the sights and tried to forget about the grinding noises churning up the breakfast in my stomach. Our destination was Whitehaven Beach, a beautiful island with a white sandy beach and the largest of the 74 Whitsunday Islands. Talk about making an entrance! Sunbathers lined up to watch our plane touch down for the water landing. Exiting the plane made me feel like a movie star and I expected to hear cheers and cameras clicking as I jumped onto the sandy beach. None of which happened but I was just happy to be on the ground. After exploring the island and chatting with strange looking swimmers wearing neon colored stinger suits, my stomach began to return to normal, just in time to get back into the plane for takeoff heading back to Hamilton Island.

This time, a much smoother ride and all in all a great day with my fellow journalists who are fast becoming some of the most amazing group of professionals I have ever met. The day was topped off with an Italian meal at Romano’s Restaurant overlooking the Hamilton island Marina in the heart of its village.