I am now a fully qualified Marine Terrorist….come Eco-Warrior!

I’m off on my travels again today and the next few days take me back onto the mainland to enjoy what the Whitsundays have to offer, first stop a ride on a jetski!

Terri from Coral Sea Eco Jet Safaris was there to meet me from the Fantasea boat as I pulled into Shute Harbour, we jumped into the company Troopie (Toyota Landcruiser), collected four more fellow riders and hit the road north.

45 minutes later after finally finding some great Australian dirt roads (I miss them after a year driving on them in Africa!) we pulled into Cape Gloucester and the picturesque setting of the eco-resort. Waiting for me on the beach was my ride for the day, the Kawasaki STX-15F a super fast jetski which is actually pretty environmentally friendly with low emissions and double silenced for sensitive areas such as the islands we’ll be visiting today.

Once we’d had the safety briefing it was out onto the ocean under the watchful eye of Shane and Nick our guides and instructors. It’s a great way to see Gloucester Island from close up and as we circumnavigated the huge granite lump we could cruise into gullys, visit secluded bays and race between the headlands.

It was a perfect day for it too with very little wind and warm sunshine, being wet and moving along at speed even in this tropical environment can result in getting cold you know!

On the eastern side of the island is a gorgeous sandy beach, where we stopped, had a snorkel for an hour, then climbed back onto our machines. We left the sheltered bay of Gloucester Island and raced across the open ocean to Bowen, played for a while reaching speeds of up to 100km/h on the flat water and finally made for our starting out point, Cape Gloucester.

The three hour trip went far too quickly and was immense fun, the sheer thrill of racing these things across the ocean is hard to beat even in a small, high powered speedboat – you’re just so close to the water and when you get used to them can throw them into neck-jerking turns from top speed. Just hold on tight!

End of day location: Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, Airlie Beach
Distance covered: On the road 100kms, on the jetski 70kms

• A male kangaroo is called a buck. It is also commonly called a “boomer” or an “old man”. A female kangaroo is called a doe, or a flyer. A baby kangaroo is called a joey.
• Western grey kangaroo males are known as stinkers due to their strong, curry-like smell.
• On the Australian coat of arms the Emu and the Kangaroo were selected as symbols of Australia to represent the country progress because they are always moving forward and never move backwards.

Location: Hamilton Island

Weather: Ideal for a beach holiday….terrible if you’re sailing though! Blue skies, no wind and the hottest day August day in Queensland on record. 33°c. As they’d say in the English press “ Phew, what a scorcher!”

Leaving the chaos and excitement of Race Week on Hamilton Island far behind my next posting/adventure/escape was to be the relaxing and calming Brampton Island known to many as the ‘couples retreat’. Hmm could be interesting for me then as my better half, Bre, is still down on the Gold Coast training herself up to be the best stuntgirl on the planet!

Headed down to the airport here on Hamilton Island and boarded the smallest plane yet since this adventure started…a little 6- seater so real seat-of-your-pants stuff, hear the roar of that engine and feel every little bump on the runway!

It’s only an 18 minute flight to Brampton from Hamilton but I managed to spot three Humpback whales cruising in the afternoon sunshine far below. The landing strip at Brampton Island is a tiny little one and there’s the added distraction of Kangaroos roaming wild to contend with. Luckily there’s an official ‘Roo-scarer’ who drives up and down the tarmac before approaching planes touch down to shoo any offenders away!

As with the other Voyages resorts I’ve been lucky enough to stay at, Brampton Island offers a format of holiday for relaxing, fine dining splattered with the occasional activity….if one feels that way inclined. The rooms have a great view of the ocean, in fact mine was so close that at night the sound of the waves on the foreshore became the perfect bedtime noise dropping me off into the Land of Nod. I’ve also developed a bit of a liking for one of the Voyages products which adorn the bathrooms – if you have a chance try the body wash with grapefruit, tangerine and coconut. What do I sound like? Hmmm.

There’s a usual way of exploring a new location for me and that involves running around the island to keep fit and to get my bearings for the lie of the land. Brampton’s proximity to Carlisle Island means there’s two to investigate so with a guided tour of the Carlisle’s Melaleuca Rainforest on offer I decided to get one out of the way on the first afternoon.

A short boat ride across ‘The Fishbowl’ (the channel between the two islands and home to loads of rays and turtles) to Swampy Beach dropped us in a totally different environment to that of Brampton. Gone were the palm trees and grass which populate the resort and into the more natural environment of native trees and thick undergrowth which we picked our way through. Carlisle Island has one of the largest peaks in the Whitsundays with a high rainfall and even genuine ‘rain-forest’ in the gullies which drain down to a basalt bowl at the foot of the slopes…perfect conditions for the Melaleuca Tree.

As I walked up a slight slope and down the other side I realised I was dropping into a big basalt bowl formed by an active volcano many, many years ago.  The non-permeable rock holds the rainwater like a basin providing a freshwater sponge for the hundreds of trees contained within. It’s pretty bizarre how the flora suddenly changes from Ring Pines, bushes and scrub to purely Melaleuca and nothing else. The dense cover provided by its leaves doesn’t give anything else a chance to establish and you’re left with a scene like this:

The cover also provides shelter for the hundreds of butterflies flitting between the trees and some rather large spiders who eat them too!

I’ve been trying desperately hard to restrict the amount of rich food I’ve been eating over the last few weeks in order to save my ever-expanding waistline, avoiding my favourite rare-steak in favour of fish and other less fattening alternatives…but here on Brampton I faltered. The decision was taken out of my hands as soon as I sat down for the ‘Sea-Salt Experience’ – an eight course culinary extravaganza!

Brampton Sea Salt menu

Now don’t write back saying that only I get treated like this as anyone who stays here can do it…and it’s totally worth it. With five other couples also dining there we were treated to a very unique feeling experience, personal service and a cracking chef Adam, who at 26 years old has a real way with the customers both with the cooking and the presentation he gives before each course to summarise the plate before us. I went to bed defeated, much heavier but very content too.

If you want to sit around the pool, of which there are two here; one fresh and one saltwater, you can do. Being considered a retreat for couples there’s a whole load of it going on and rightly so but I can’t do that as you also know so activities filled my days again and the jetski safari was one I’d been looking forward to.

The Kawasaki 150 machine before me had disgusted me in the past….was I about to become one of those marine terrorists who destroy the peace and quiet of island life? Fortunately not. These are eco-jetskis with lower power output, extra silencers and low emissions which meant that even with me racing up and down the ocean any couples happily relaxing on the beach could continue to do just that. I would not become an irritant today.

After a safety briefing and familiarisation session out in the open water I felt ready to take on anything; full throttle turns, figure of eights, wide arcing spray turns – I had it in the bag. Let’s go! The safari’s a chance to see the island from a different perspective, at nearly 10kms around its perimeter its a big place to take in by just walking it so getting out on the ocean and seeing it from afar isn’t only great fun but also a chance to take some different pics too:

The group of us led by Stu (with one of the best beards I’ve seen in ages) powered in and out of bays, spotted turtles, found caves and explored the beaches which are difficult to get to overland. After a quick freestyle session which almost threw me off twice, the two hours were over and we headed back to the beach. I will have sore arms tomorrow from holding on so tight!

With Hamilton Island race week happening just 50kms away, sailing is still coursing through my veins, so I took another Hobie Cat out for a play in the bay ever optimistic of another whale-moment like that on Lindeman Island (but came home disappointed.

Ok then lets try my luck at fishing instead, something I haven’t tried since arriving here in Australia and love. The last time I did was in Port St Johns, South Africa when I might as well have thrown 200 rand’s worth of tackle into the ocean I lost so much on the rocks!

My group of eight hopefuls, led by the ever chatty Glenn, headed out to Helvellyn Rocks to the south of Brampton to join the other Sunday morning hopefuls. Squid on hook, line over the side and wait….and pull….and wait….and pull….and wait and a bite!! But then nothing.

This continued for nearly an hour until we all conceded defeat, started the engines and made for the resort hopeful that the chef had been a little more successful in his bid to find something edible for the lunch table.

Sometime soon I will catch a fish and eat it and love it. To any fishes out there – be afraid, be very afraid. In fact you’re all pretty safe if it’s me doing the fishing!

Brampton provided for me a welcome break from the madness that is race week on Hamilton Island. I personally prefer a little more energy and excitement but if you’re looking to find that idyllic, palm tree and sandy beach resort where time appears to stand still and the days slowly drift by then look no further than here. Even the kangaroo’s which roam across the golf course seem to be on exactly the same vibe – relaxing and eating very well.

The food is superb and I can whole-heartedly recommend the calamari, one of my personal favourites, whilst the Sea Salt Dining Experience is well worth splashing out on. Do freak out the staff though when they disappear to the kitchen by moving all of the individually placed tables together to form a line – Courtney our waitress’s face was a picture!

I will always remember Brampton Island for one other thing though – the place a stayed up until two o’clock in the morning to watch England beat Australia in the final Ashes test to secure the series! Sorry I just had to get it in there…..

End of day location: Brampton Island

Distance travelled: 72kms