Next stop was Airlie Beach for our base to explore the Whitsunday Islands.
Be warned that it is about an hour's boat ride to Whitehaven Beach. During our trip the weather was a bit blustery. Unfortunately many of the 42 passengers were thus sea-sick. Luckily Ann & I had taken travel sickness pills & were OK.
Whitehaven Beach is blindingly white with the finest sand we have ever encountered. It is about a mile long. Apparently judged (by whom?) the best beach in Australia - if not the world.
Though it is towards the end of the stinger season, we are advised to wear stinger suits as protection from the jelly fish.
While on the beach we were approached by a couple of large Lace Monitor lizards scavenging for food.
After a barbecue lunch, we were taken to an adjoining bay for a short walk up to Hill Inlet Lookout with tremendous views over shallow sandy beaches with the sea an amazing range of colours, from almost white to all the shades of green, turquoise and blue.
The boat then took us to Mantaray Bay where at long last we snorkelled over coral of the Great Barrier Reef. We saw lots of different types of corals as well schools of very colourful fish. Ann & I thoroughly enjoyed our snorkelling experience - one of my many highlights of our trip.
