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Around the World in 106 Days with Ray & Claire!! Part 22 Hamilton Island.
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Around the World in 106 Days with Ray & Claire!! Part 22 Hamilton Island
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of islands of various sizes, off the central coast of Queensland, situated around 560 miles north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial centre is Hamilton Island – which is the largest inhabited island of the Whitsunday Group
The Ngaro (who were an Aboriginal tribe) who inhabited the Whitsunday Islands for at least 8000 years prior to the Europeans arriving. These very independent island people who were quite different from their mainland cousins, as they were essentially nomadic, travelling throughout the Whitsundays and the mainland coastal fringe. They built canoes from tree bark, vine fronds and saplings, making them strong enough to navigate the Whitsunday Island chain in safety. Beautiful cave paintings, fish traps, stone quarries and everyday artefacts attesting to their eight millennia of ownership have been found throughout the islands The Whitsunday Island Ngaro people possessed their own language, culture and art, distinct from those of the mainland aboriginal groups. However it is known that the Ngaro maintained contact with the other mainland aboriginal tribes
The first recorded contact with Europeans was 1770, when Captain Cook sighted some Ngaro Aboriginals as he sailed his British Ship the “Endeavour” down through the Whitsunday Passage which is now part of the greater island group (initially he called them “The Cumberland Islands” because they were on the border between the sea and the mainland). The Ngaro presented stiff opposition to colonization and it wasn’t until the 19th century that pastoral leases were granted to settlers of the Whitsunday Islands
There are a total of 74 Islands that make up the Whitsundays and is the largest offshore island chain on Australia’s coastline. The surrounding waterways are a marine park, and fall within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Larger than the great wall of China, and the only living thing visible from space, The Great Barrier Reef is not only one of Queensland’s major tourist attractions, it is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. It is the largest coral reef on earth, consisting of over 2,500 separate inter-connected reefs stretching over 1,430 miles from just above the tip of the Cape York Peninsula in the north to Bundaberg in the south.
When it was nominated for World heritage listing, it was said that the reef supports the most diverse eco system known to man the heart of this ecosystem, is the polyp which is a tiny animal consisting of little more than a mouth and surrounding tentacles to feed it, plus a limestone carapace in to which it withdraws during the day It is the skeletal remains of these that form the basis of the reef The Barrier Reef seen from space
Over millions of years this has created what is effectively the largest living entity in the world, but it only takes small environmental changes to disrupt the delicate balance which has been there for a millennia
The major threat is coral bleaching - if water temperatures rise by even a degree or two over a sustained period, the corals expel their food algae cells and lose their capacity for photosynthesis and become colourless
While the process is not irreversible, if the water doesn’t cool within a month or so, the coral will die
There are many islands scattered off the Queensland coast in several different island groups within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Cairns Section includes Hamilton Island
Hook Island is the second largest and where you will find an aboriginal cave painting There is also South Molle Island - a self contained resort ideal for families Hamilton Island, however, is the most “forcefully " marketed resort island in the Whitsundays group and the most developed
The island was purchased in 1975 by Keith Williams and Bryan Bryt who constructed the Hamilton Island Harbour and resort complex. The resort opened in phases between 1982 and 1984
In 1992, the resort was placed in receivership and is currently on a long term lease from the Commonwealth Government to the Oatley family who acquired the resort in 2003 and own and run Hamilton Island Enterprises, which operates the majority of accommodation and businesses on the island
Malaleuca Drive, which is also known as Millionaire’s Drive owing to the number of multi million dollar homes which have been built there
This quaint white chapel is located amidst tropical landscaped gardens on the hillside overlooking Cats eye Bay, complete with traditional stained glass windows and a bell tower As the name suggests, the All Saints Chapel is non-denominational, which enables the chapel to play host to ceremonies of almost all religions
......today we are going to have a snorkelling trip on the Barrier Reef !!
So, when Madam had prepared a “sumptuous “ breakfast on board the Black Watch ...actually orange juice, wheatebangs and our usual collection of “get well pills”!
This sandy beach stretches miles and is a natural beach caused by sand being swept in from miles away owing to the strong currents
And after an hours trip, we arrived at Reefworld with facilities for.....
......and going out in a semi-submersible to see the reef at close hand
Silly Boy – it was only me! Hey Ray!! I even saw a Mermaid!!!!!!!
Then after a really nice BBQ lunch - and just enough time to say farewell to the Chief Engineer.............
And head off home to the Black Watch it was time to cast off
and whilst some of the passengers “relaxed “ after their strenuous day.. The Captain maintained course for the Black Watch ..wake up Lucy!!
And there it was, waiting for us .......and time, once again, to “buckle up and look forward to our next stop in Brisbane”
