ON LOCATION - Hamilton Island

September 10, 2019

ON LOCATION - Hamilton Island

I didn't have much prior knowledge of Hamilton Island, or the Whitsundays - to be honest I thought it was a holiday destination targeted to baby boomers and retirees. So my expectations were low, and wow, they were definitely exceeded. What a beautiful, natural and magical place. The majority of the islands are national park, so it has been left undeveloped and is void of huge sky scrappers. You can hire your own boat and spend an entire day exploring one of the many lush deserted islands. There were many times that I felt like I was in Jurassic Park - for a place so touristy it definitely felt 'untouched'.

We picked up some Jetstar return tickets for $160pp from Sydney and were there in 2.5 hours. Make sure you get a window seat as the view coming into the islands is phenomenal.
Hamilton Island has a large marina and is the most developed of the islands, it's where most people base themselves from. It is split into two major parts - the resort side, where the Reef View Hotel is, this is the sandy beach side - Catseye Beach. There is also a huge pool that has a swim up bar - this is a public pool and for everyone on the island to use.
On the other side is the marina, which is where the villas, airbnb's and most of the cafe and restaurants are. Hot tip - this is the side where the sun sets, so it is where we chose to stay!
Most of the villas come with their own buggy, they are essential for your stay as there are no cars on the island (except for shuttle buses that pick you up from the airport). If your villa doesn't have one you can hire them out - but they are about $100 for 24hours. Although the island isn't very big, it is very hilly and can get tiring walking.

Food wise - it was what you would expect at a touristy place, pretty average with a mark up price. There is a bakery where we got take away most days, they had fresh sandwiches and pies. We got our morning coffee from the Marina Cafe along with an egg and bacon muffin. Strangely enough I would actually recommend the IGA. It was the best IGA I have ever been too - everything was so fresh and we ended up cooking most nights. There is the Marina Tavern that does pub food, a take away fish and chips shop, and a casual pizzeria that is BYO - but all the food was pretty average.
There are a few fancy restaurants on the island which I didn't go to but have heard great things - Coca Chu, Bommie, Long Pavilion (invitation only), Pebble Beach.
For sunset go to One Tree Hill - there is a bar there that does cocktails, or you can BYO and sit on the grass.

We took a boat tour to Whitehaven Beach one morning. There is an option to do a half day or full day. We were pushed for time and did a half day tour - which we didn't think left enough time to spend on the beach. But due to the islands being so tidal, the boats have to leave before it gets too shallow. As soon as we walked out on the viewing platform and saw Hill Inlet we were all speechless - it is so amazing to see in real life. The sand is 98% silica which is what makes it so white. I definitely recommend a full day trip here, or hire your own boat. There are tour groups that arrive straight from Airlie Beach though, so it can get busy - but they beach is 7kms long so plenty of room.

We were there at the end of whale season, but we still saw plenty - straight from our villa. We walked out onto the beach and swam with turtles and stingrays. The snorkeling from the resort side was amazing. Bring your own snorkel with you - as it was $20/h to hire or $60 to buy your own. Wish we had remembered to bring ours! The islands are full of koalas, cockatoos, kookaburras, kangaroos and goannas. Make sure you close your doors and windows as we found many cockatoos in our kitchen one morning eating our Doritos!

We stayed at the Edge Villas (number 19), which was a bit pricey but we had 6 people and didn't mind paying for the view. It was a huge place and came with airport transfers and a buggy. Amazing kitchen, shared infinity pool, huge balcony with bbq and all the facilities you needed. They were also super helpful to communicate with. For some luxe accomodation there is Qualia - starting from $1300/n for two people.

There are lots of different day trips, watersports, jetskiing, heli tours etc that you can do. But we spent most of the days going from the pool to the beach, drinking cocktails and relaxing. There are also some great hikes you can do to some secluded beaches - just double check the tides times for your arrival. Some of the beautiful beaches just looked like mud flats at low tide.

Anyway, would recommend! BYO snorkel.