Senior Adventure

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the natural wonders of the world, and a very accessible adventure. We started our Barrier Reef Adventure on Hamilton Island, a resort island in the Whitsunday Islands. Most of the 74 Whitsunday Islands are included in a national park. However, four islands, including Hamilton Island, have resort facilities. The resorts, marina, and airport occupty half of Hamilton Island while the other half is wild.

You can reach Hamilton Island on one of the many daily commercial jet flights. We booked a two bedroom condo through Hamilton Island Resort. We checked in at their office just outside the door of the airport. They gave us a buggie (golf cart) and sent us off to have fun. They moved our luggage to the condo, which was very nice because we had lots of diving equipment. You can buggie most places in just a few minutes. Sometimes we ate at one of the fine restaurants at the Marina, and sometimes we barbequed on the balcony with food purchased from the small store. The store caters to the many sail and power boats that are exploring the Whitsundays, and it is fun to talk with their crews. Sailing the Whitsundays is on the list for a future adventure.

Our condo was just off the beach, and had a spectacular view. Tropical birds came begging whenever we were on the balcony and at night we watched the wild kangaroos that grazed on the lawn.

We went to the Great Barrier Reef two ways. The first day, we took a dive boat operated by the Explore Group to Bait Reef. We brought some of our own equipment, but I won't next time. They could outfit us with everything we needed while traveling to the reef. We were the only boat on the reef most of the time we were there.

Our certified divers made two dives on the reef while the non-divers went snorkeling. Both groups had amazing experiences. Visiting the reef is like visiting another world, and some of the best diving we have ever had.

We also took a helicopter to ReefWorld, a floating platform permanently located at Hardy Reef. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef from the air conveys the huge size of the reef. We only snorkeled at ReefWorld, but diving is also available.  Again, there was no need to bring equipment.

When not on the Great Barrier Reef, we went parasailing and enjoyed the beaches on Hamilton Island. We also hiked to the summit of Passage Peak for a spectacular view of the Whitsundays.