It is mid-May in Melbourne. Footy is in full swing, the leaves are changing, and I am preparing for finals! While I have, and will continue to, enjoy exploring Melbourne, one of my favorite parts of studying abroad have been trips around Oceania. This area’s natural beauty is difficult to access from the United States, so I have made sure to take advantage of my home base and its amazing airport while here. One of my favorite trips so far was a three-day trip to the Whitsundays, a beautiful island group off the coast of Queensland, with my roommate!
Planning the Trip
This weekend getaway was my roommate’s and my first self-planned trip during our study abroad. We booked an early Friday morning flight with a Sunday night return. We had one key thing we wanted to do on this trip, which was to see the Whitsunday Islands via Airlie Beach. There are several operators that run boat tours to these islands. We went with the one with the most positive reviews! We only had one option for our tour date since our flights either arrived or left during the all-day excursion. We booked our tour for Saturday and prayed for good weather. We looked at hotels that our tour operator picked up from and then picked one with good reviews, available rooms, and food nearby!
The Trip
We arrived at the Melbourne Airport around 4:30 AM for our 6 AM flight, excited despite the lack of sleep. After devouring a classic Melbourne brekkie deal—toastie and coffee—we boarded a plane to go north. We quickly learned one lesson: check to see if Uber is available from the airport you land at! Luckily, we caught a van transfer to the city that left about 15 minutes after we deplaned. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we took a balmy walk to brunch. The Bicentennial Walkway in Airlie Beach was a (flat) introduction to the beautiful, tropical scenery we would experience for the rest of our weekend. After a smoothie and acai bowl, we continued walking to Airlie Beach’s downtown. Once our hotel room was ready, we caught a cash-only bus back to our hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the pool. From there, we had delicious birria tacos back in the city center. That night, we explored Airlie Beach’s local atmosphere after dark.
Saturday had an early start! After eating a quick breakfast we purchased the night before, we were picked up for our day in the Whitsundays. The weather was perfect! We rode out to the Whitsundays most famous beach, Whitehaven Beach, on a catamaran. With amazing music and absolutely delicious brownies fueling us, the hour-journey was a breeze. Once we got there, we did a short hike and explored this fantastic island. From there, we returned to the boat for a fresh lunch of sandwiches, vegetables, and fruits. Then, we drove out to two snorkeling spots that had stunning fish and coral. My roommate brought her GoPro with her, so we had some fun(ny) photos in the water. We cruised around the islands at sunset and eventually returned to Airlie Beach. After freshening up back at the hotel, we called a cab for dinner and enjoyed the remainder of our night in town.
The next morning, we ate breakfast at a local Harry Potter themed café and packed up before heading back to Melbourne via Brisbane. After all, we had class the next morning at 10 AM!
As my time in Australia is wrapping up and the weather in Melbourne is getting chillier, I know this amazing, tropical adventure will be one of my fondest memories of my time here!