Long Island, Beautiful Skies and Free Wine

Choosing to sail the Whitsunday islands for one day rather than two was up there with the best decisions I made whilst travelling. Simply because we got to spend more time on the sumptuous Long Island.

I remember being in a particularly bad mood the day we boarded the ferry to Long Island, one of the 74 islands that make up the Whitsundays on Australia's east coast. There had been a lot of driving and waiting around in the heat, so I was grumpy and eager to change my clothes. But then the ferry came, and we boarded as the sun began to set. Steph and I went straight to the top deck and the salty air blew away my bad mood as the sky turned a purpley pink and the rugged mountains became silhouettes.

Even though the journey to our destination was a short 15 minutes, the sky had completely transformed by the time we reached the jetty. It was now a deep blend of orange and crimson, as if Long Island was showing off for our arrival. I was completely moved by it. Steph more so, she almost shed a tear, claiming it was the most beautiful sky she had ever seen :)

It took us longer than the rest of the group to get from the jetty to the resort because we couldn't stop taking pictures of the sky which seemed to get more impressive with every minute that passed. Finally we followed the twinkly lights through the trees to our room, and as a wallaby hopped past me, I realised I was falling in love with Australia.

That evening we sang karaoke and drank Long Island ice teas at the bar which overlooked the sea. The next two days were perfect. I had come away expecting to find untouched natural beauty, and it was here on Long Island. The small resort was quiet with only a few visitors and the time passed in a haze of swimming, kayaking and sunbathing. The island was nestled between grassy mountains and ahead there was only a massive stretch of clear sea. The majority of the group had chosen to do the two-day sail of the Whitsunday Islands, leaving about 10 of us on the island. The idea of spending two days on a boat seemed like hell to me, especially after the horrors of Wanna Taki cruise in Fiji, so I was more than happy to be marooned in paradise, with what was, essentially, the best of the group.

Following our day of relaxation, we were picked up achingly early for our sail of the Whitsundays. It was a cold and rainy morning and I feared the worst as we were plonked onto the rocky sail boat for a nine-hour jaunt.

We visited Whitehaven Beach and its pure white sand for an hour, which was pleasant, but then I lost track of the afternoon when a huge white freezer box was opened and someone uttered the words, 'all-you-can-drink wine'. Steph, Abby and I certainly took advantage, had a great laugh, sang loudly on the ferry back to Long Island whilst drawing on each other with black marker pen and proceeded to cry for no reason. It was a great day.