Bucket List Moments: The Great Barrier Reef
The great barrier reef is probably one of the most iconic sites in all of Australia, second only to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House (in my mind they come as a double whammy). Of course, the best way to see it is from both the land/sea and the sky.
From the sky
Whitehaven Beach, The Heart Reef, Whitsundays Islands and so much more. All of this can be seen in the one hour scenic flight that you can take from Airlie Beach’s Whitsunday Airport.
This unforgettable experience begins with boarding an 8-seater propeller plane. The airport is super small, it’s only one room! We started by flying out towards Daydream Island and Hook Island, then onto the reef itself. And now my favourite part, the famous Heart Reef, it is truly just as breathtaking as you can imagine and it really does look like a heart. We then flew over Border Island and on to Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach. The stunning sands on this beach change with the tides so it is never seen the same twice in a row - this really adds to this unique experience. Finally, we returned to Whitsundays Airport whilst cruising over Hamilton Island and the Molle Islands.
I chose to fly with WaveAir and they were fab; everyone gets a window seat and the commentary from the pilot throughout the flight was super helpful and he ensured that we got all our photos at the perfect time. The extra time after the flight to take photos with the planes made it feel like a really bespoke and special experience. I would do this again in a heartbeat.
From the sea
To really experience the Great Barrier Reef is to become a part of it and to swim in it. The two main spots for this are in The Whitsundays Islands and off the Coast of Cairns.
The Whitsundays Islands
Three days and two nights out at sea without service was absolute bliss, a true detox in the best way.
I stayed on The New Horizon, a 32 passenger sailing boat with 4 crew. Throughout our weekend trip we snorkelled in over four different locations throughout the Whitsundays and GBR. Despite being in the sea so much, it’s not great for tanning as you are suited up in wetsuits to go in the sea as there are so many deadly jellyfish.
One the first day we boarded the boat and sailed out to the Molle Islands for our first swim and the tropical holiday vibes began as we cracked open our BYO rosè before we sailed to our anchoring spot in Hooke Passage. Sunset drinks and karaoke was the perfect end to our first day on the water. Already, this was set to be the most amazing weekend.
Day two rolled around and it began bright and early at 6am to watch the sunrise - it was breathtaking to watch the sun rise over the uninterrupted ocean. Today we explored Whitehaven Beach. This white-sand beach is incredibly unique, not only it is beautiful, the sand is 90% silica so it is perfect for polishing your jewellery! The Hill Inlet lookout is well worth the sweaty walk. Then, it was time to snorkel the reef we had seen from the skies. The New Horizon hosted a white party for our second evening on the yatch, complete with a buffet dinner and an immaculate sunset it truly was the perfect evening with the best photo ops. If you’re really lucky, you might even spot some lemon sharks swimming around the boat at night.
On the final morning, we were woken up again at 6am to go snorkelling, lazy on the lily pad and go down the giant water slide off of the boat - this is the best way to get over a hangover before heading back into Airlie Beach!
Passions of Paradise
A full day out with Passions of Paradise so the best way to fully explore the reef here.
Armed with snorkel gear and stinger suits, we began with the sail out to the reef, which, takes about two hours - the weather was atrocious when we went and oh my god the waves were huge!! It flattened out as we reached Hastings Reef, our first snorkel spot. There is the opportunity to go scuba diving here with the crew. The water is so lovely and warm it is idyllic. After this first swim there is a delicious buffet lunch with lots of different salads hot options, we were defo well fed!
On to the next spot, we sailed for a further 20 mins to Steppingstones Reef. This was incredible. It was the perfect reef of my imagination with huge corals and clams, we even swam with a small lemon shark! This absolutely made my day, you could be so lucky and also swim with turtles. On return to the marina, Hugo, one of the Passions’ crew members gave us a presentation about the GBR and it turns out it is 8,000 years old, but still a relatively young reef
The great barrier reef is more stunning than I had ever imagined. If you ever get the chance to visit Australia, this should be the top of your bucket list.
