Hammo gone Troppo.

Owner of Hamilton Island,Bob Oatley has certainly made a great impression with The Locals in The Whitsundays.It used to be a popular trip for locals to visit the island for a day, but now the decision to up the fares to $125 return has really transformed the Fantasea Carrier into Fantasy Land. Hayman Island has always had it's 'stuff the Boaties' policy, and now Oatley with his 'stuff the locals' policy has seen a sharp change in the attitude of locals. If you pop into Cruise Whitsundays as a local, you are greeted with a smile,and informed that you can join The Turtle Club for free,and take advantage of discount trips to Daydream Island and Long Island on a regular basis.Believe it or not I can do 6 trips as a local to either Daydream or Long Island for the price of one trip to Hamilton Island and receive discounts on food and beverage whilst on those islands.That, Bob, is the way to treat the locals. Being a blow in yourself,you wouldn't consider locals in your plans,but we still think Hammo is beautiful,unfortunately the owners are ugly.Thank goodness we have a company with the foresight and goodwill to support the locals.Good onya Cruise Whitsundays.

The Local Friendly Cruise Whitsundays.

Promote your Website on You Tube.

Liz and I spent a hilarious couple of hours producing a video to display on You Tube to promote our Website Queensland Armchair Guide.The idea was to screen capture a sequence with a descriptive dialogue. Who would have thought the dialogue would have been a problem? I tried in vain a dozen times whilst also operating the mouse and reading the dialogue as well.I gave in and Liz offered her Meryl Streep impersonation to the excercise. After half a dozen tries we finally managed to get to the last sentence, and lo and behold the gremlin struck.Liz said emplore instead of explore and we were back to square one. All good fun until I finally realised that after threatening her with a few swings of the baseball bat she knuckled down and got the job done. We have the video on You Tube and will wait to see if we get some feed back from it. We also placed it on Digg, so we are now crossing our fingers.

Whitsundays Reef Festival 2009

Events Beginning Tonight 15 October2009. Thu 15 Oct 7:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon 8:00pm Westpac Comedy Gala at Waterline on Shingley Fri 16 Oct 6:00pm Airlie Beach Day & Night Chemist Fireworks and Beach Party 6:30pm Frocktails @ Deja vu 8:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon Sat 17 Oct 8:00am Airlie Beach Markets 8:00am Camel Rides 9:00am Long Island Resort Sand Sculpting Competition 11:00am Helibiz Helicopter Joy Flights 3:00pm Rotary Club of Airlie Beach Wearable Art Parade 4:30pm Rotary Club of Airlie Beach Street Parade 5:30pm Airlie Beach Music Beats on the Beach 7:00pm Quota Ball 10:30pm Brazillian Carnivale Sun 18 Oct 11:00am Club Crocodile Family Fun Day 11:00am Helibiz Helicopter Joy Flights 11:00am Zest and Graphic House Coconut Head Competition 11:00am Tug-o-war Challenge 7:00pm Video Ezy Starlight Movies at the Lagoon

The Whitsunday Reef Festival2009. Tonight marks the start of another Annual Reef Festival Event here in The Whitsundays.This year the events Main Sponsor is Big4 Adventure Whitsundays. Kicking off the fun will be Video Ezy with Movies at The Lagoon at 7-00pm followed by The Westpac Comedy Gala at Waterline Shingley Beach at 8-00pm. Friday night is Cracker Night with fireworks sponsored by Airlie Beach Day and Night Chemists.The Beach Party resumes at 6-00pm. Liz and I will be at The Whitsunday Sailing Club tomorrow(friday)for the duration. Saturday morning The Market will be open and if the kids want a bumpy ride,the camels will be there on the beach.The Main Parade will be held in the arvo and all the local businesses will be vying for the prize of Best Float.We will be accompanying The Save Our Foreshore Pink Caravan in The Parade as usual and will finish up in The Sailing Club for well deserved drinks after the Parade.There are lots of fun events for everyone including helicopter rides,fashion parades,sand sculpting competitions and lots more continuing onto Sunday.The Five Piece Band "Cactus" with two female vocalists will be providing the Live Entertainment over the weekend. If the event is half as successful as lasts years,then we are all due for an exciting three days in The Fabulous Whitsundays. You can see the whole programme if you visit The Reef Festival Site.

Whitsunday Tourism Award Winners 2009

Tourism Whitsundays held the Annual Tourism Awards Ceremony on The Esplanade Airlie Beach on Friday October 9th this year.Five full days after the event is the first announcement to the public via The Official Tourism Whitsundays Website. We have published the winners on The Queensland Armchair Guide and would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners for their contributions to Whitsunday Tourism throughout the year.

Airlie Beach.

Queensland Armchair Guide Has added a new Page to supplement The Whitsunday Page. As from today we have Airlie Beach as a page of it's own to add to info already on our Whitsundays Page.The tiny town of Airlie is a gourmets delight.The variety of Restaurants and Eateries are remarkable for such a small place and only a few are listed here as we only list those Companies that have websites. The reason for this policy is that we believe that it is essential to provide the users with as much information as possible.If you can click on a link and go to the Restaurant website, you can not only see the menu but there are usually photos that also give you a feel for the ambience of the venue.We are hoping that more companies in the Tourism Industry will come on board and show their wares to the world by providing a website to enhance their business. We are always looking for new websites to add to our site so as to help visitors in their search for the ideal places to take their custom.

Queensland Holidays for Kids.

We have just added an additional 2 pages to our website at Queensland Armchair Guide.The Tablelands is a page that I had been promising to do for some time, as I know from correspondence received from Tableland Tourism Operators suggest that they have been ignored in their submissions to Tourism Queensland to have The Tablelands treated as a Tourism Destination in it's own right. Most of the Queensland Travel sites just add the Tablelands as a Daytrip from Cairns,which is not really a fair reflection on the diverse nature of the area.If a visitor wants to see the area properly,I suggest they leave Cairns and find accommodation on The Tablelands.Liz and I have visited frequently, and know from our own experience that it is quite impossible to see The Tablelands in a day.I hope our page gives the guys up there a boost in their ongoing quest for recognition.

The second new page is Queensland Kids. It must be annoying to search for ages on the internet for Queensland Holidays specifically with kids in mind.I know,I have spent a whole day looking for sites and entering them on our new page.I hope it helps to at least add a few Resorts that are easy to find and go directly to, via our link to the site in question.I didn't add accommodations just because they happened to be close to a Theme Park, because the mums and dads out there don't want to spend the whole holiday on a roller coaster or a water slide.The Resorts selected have their own activities to accommodate the kids. As a major destination,Cairns seems to be a difficult search for Holiday Resorts for kids.If you know of any really good places to visit in Queensland with kids in mind,please let me know and we will add it to our Queensland Kids Page.

Whitsundays Fun Race.

The Whitsundays Fun Race was another rip roaring success for all those participating in the festivities.A nice 15/20 knot breeze was an improvement on the conditions that The Hamilton Island Race Week suffered.Condor is one of the Maxi Yachts that reside in The Whitsundays and always looks a treat under full sail.

In the clubhouse before the race we find Liz ,Val and Don partaking in some liquid refreshment to ward of de-hydration. Michelle,Bernie ,Cheech and Frank arriving by dinghy to join Liz and Alf aboard the catamaran Chilli Frog.

Always nice to enjoy the view from The Whitsunday Sailing Club just before the commencement of the big race. Local identity George,the regular Skipper of The Maxi Ragamuffin that operates out of Shute Harbour is deep in thought.

Whitsundays Probus.

Whitsunday Probus met for morning tea on Friday 11th September and the budding Thespians among them,'The Late Bloomers' put on a Show called 'Songs from The War Years.Musical Director Karina is 4th from right. Sylvia Byrne-Smith portraying a picture of elegance in her Slouch Hat gives an unorthodox left handed salute to the crowd.

Graham Wyatt and his young wife Shirley pose for photos after the performance which was greeted with enthusiasm by all the members and guests present.Graham was not a part of the show but his 'Slouch Hat' is a genuine possession from the past. Flight Officer Alan Browning and Midshipman Keith Holmes are on Escort Duty with Liz Welch the reluctant victim.

We are all here once again having a great time singing and dancing for our Probus members and guests.The 'Late Bloomers' have lots of fun rehearsing for these shows and we are already in the process of planning a Christmas Production, the theme of which,at the present time is undecided. The Whitsunday Probus Club is a vibrant, interesting group of Seniors who have regular outings to places of interest,Beach BBQ's at locations close by and usually an 'Annual Week Long Jaunt' farther afield.If your calling is not of a Thespian Nature,you may like to join one of the other groups that operate within the club.ie. Australian History,Badminton/Tennis or The Book Club.

Whitsunday Promo.

Starting at 9-00am on Tuesday 8th of September, The Queensland Government and Virgin Blue boss Brett Godfrey are joining forces in a 74 hour, "Out of the Blue" Whitsunday Promotion, targetting The Australian Domestic Markets of Brisbane,Sydney and Melbourne. Cheap flights and the benefits of Cheap Accommodation are the drawer cards that will hopefully stimulate this market at a time when it is most needed.Lets hope this will be the catalyst to propel the Multi Million Dollar 'Hey Hey This is Queensland' Campaign that was launched by Queensland Tourism last week.

Video Whitsundays.

Our visit to Cactus Jacks for dinner last night was an opportunity for me to catch up with an old friend from The Hammo Days.We reconnected initially via Twitter and it was a while before we realised that we knew each other.JD has been broadcasting Live TV,WebCams, Music Videos, Live and Archived Events, Directory, News, Weather and more from the Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia for almost nine years now and it was interesting to catch up with him.Our Video Whitsundays Page has a few elements of JD,s site included and you can find his site at Channel Whitsunday.com.au I am beginning to understand a few of the applications that he uses, one in particular is The WebCallBack Service that is explained better by him than I on his My Whitsunday.net Site.You can follow JD. on Twitter QLD Whitsundays

Cactus Jacks.

Whitsunday Probus Annual Dinner.

Twenty Five Years. The setting for the 25th Anniversary of Whitsunday Probus Annual Dinner was The Whitsunday VMR.On Friday 28th of August, members and distinguished guests arrived to celebrate the auspicious occasion.Mike Storkey The President of The Whitsunday Rotary Club was accompanied by his wife Lesley,and Lions President Alan Grevelle and his wife Sue were in attendance,as was The President of Bowen Probus Club, Janet Bond.The evening was a delightful affair with an accompanying Slide Show that presented photos of past occasions and trips that prodded a few memories of the diners.Ted Wright's good lady Sylvia, who is the current President of Probus,gave a welcoming speech to the Special Guests and thanked Mike and Alan for the support that The Rotary and Lions Clubs had given to Probus over the years.The dinner was most enjoyable, particularly the pavlova and sticky date pudding covered in caramel sauce that I managed to devour with alacrity.Let us all look forward to the next 25 years of Probus in The Whitsundays.

The Presidential Table.Rae,Liz and Shimmy.

Anny Chih Road Trip.

Anny Drives North. Island Reef Job Applicant Anny Chih is heading our way. Wicked Campers has sponsored a 1 month trip for Anny to explore North Queensland.She leaves Brisbane on Tuesday 1st September heading North.Queensland Armchair Guide has managed with the cooperation of 2 of the finest Cruise Companies in Australia to aquire complimentary tickets for Anny and a companion to a Reef Trip in The Whitsundays and a Reef Trip in Cairns with a Green Island visit thrown in for good measure.Peter Farrell of Reef Safari has kindly added his weight behind us by giving Anny and a companion 2 complimentary dives on her trip to The Reef in The Whitsundays.Cruise Whitsundays,Reef Safari Whitsundays and Horizon Dive Cairns were only too pleased to answer in the affirmative to our requests.Queensland Armchair Guide has close associations with the Companies and we are extremely grateful for their support.Liz and I are looking forward to drinks on the Verandah with Anny to celebrate her adventure.

Anny at Tourism Queensland HQ,with Chris Chambers.

Shute Harbour Inquiry Imperative.

Att: Anna Bligh. The extension of the lease to the site at Shute Harbour which is being proposed as a Marina Project has to be investigated vigorously.The CEO of Port Binnli,Jeff Smith, just happens to be the former Regional Services Director of The Department of Natural Resources,that just happens to be the Department that is in control, of the lease.A conflict of interest breach couldn't possibly be involved,Could it? We are watching with interest to see if The Premier is really concerned with the accountability of her Government with this impending disaster that looms over Shute Harbour. There are a lot of questions to be answered regarding this issue, including The Ngaro Claim.Incidentally,if Jeff Smith is really interested in developing a Marina that will really benefit a community,he can take his Port Binnli crew up to Palm Island and have a word with Mayor Lacey.Unlike the residents of Shute Harbour,he would be interested. The Queensland Armchair Guide supports Save our Foreshore and Suzette Pelt in their efforts to get some honesty into this matter,because it not only looks like fish, it stinks like fish too.

Shute Harbour

Queensland Holidays

Just spent 2 weeks giving The Queensland Armchair Guide Website a thorough overhaul.The snapshots are an example of the 'New Look', which I believe makes a big improvement to the site.I would like to thank my friend Tony B.from New Horizons in Cairns for his input and recommend everyone visiting Cairns to take a 2 or 3 Day Dive Trip with his company.P.S.I borrowed Wally.If you want him back let me know mate.

Australian Backpackers Comp.

Last Thursday the AGM of Backpacking Queensland took place at The Cannonvale VMR.Two very welcome guests were Hamish and Adam.These 2 lucky Kiwis were the winners of a Competition for a Free Road Trip round Queensland run by World Nomads.They were visiting The Whitsundays as part of their adventure.The Competition was similar to the one run by Tourism Queensland in as much as they have to contribute to a blog and produce videos of their travels.

More Trips to Win. At this point in time there are 5 more trips to win.The closing date for entries in The Victoria Comp is August 30th 2009 but the other 4 Competitions have plenty of time for entry details to be submitted. If you feel adventurous and can find the time, it is a fantastic opportunity of a lifetime.The Queensland and New South Wales winners are already underway, but the others await your applications.So,go for it guys and Good Luck. Details for the remaining competitions and the adventures of the winning applicants can be found at Vantastic World Nomads.com

Australian Navy visits The Whitsundays

HMAS Launceston. Photo taken from our verandah as HMAS Launceston steams North past South Molle.

An interesting visitor to The Whitsundays recently was HMAS Launceston an 'Armidale' Class Patrol Boat.We watched her travel up from the South and she slowed to a stop just South of Canecockies Cove.After a brief stay she slowly moved North, disappearing from our view behind the Shutehaven Headland know as The 'Beak'.HMAS Launceston is based in Cairns and her duties include breaches of Customs,Immigration and Drugs Legislation. These vessels are equipped with State of the Art communications and navigation systems, have a range of 3,000 Nautical Miles and a top speed of 25 knots.

Daydream Island Visit.

Looking out to North and Mid Molle Islands from Daydream. The beaches are all coral as the island is surrounded by reef. We payed a visit to Daydream Island on Monday 6th July. Embarking from Abel Point we arrived at Daydream in just under half an hour.First up we went to the salt water aquarium with its live coral and reef fish.The shark feeding was a popular event for the kids and adults alike. We walked past the two pools and spa and sat outside the Mermaid Restaurant.Nice to relax with a Cappuccino and watch the world go by.The Island has plenty of activities for the energetic visitors including Tennis, Catamaran Sailing,Beach Volleyball Mini Golf and Tennis.Liz and I decided that one of the outdoor spas would be energetic enough prior to lunch that was we enjoyed at The Mermaid Restaurant.An afternoon stroll and pics with Liz and The Mermaids was a relaxing way to spend a day in The Whitsundays.Looking forward to our next trip.

Shute Haven Mermaid Liz. Beach Umbrellas.One of the pools.Mermaid Restaurant. Shimmering sea.

Montes Resort,Gloucester Passage.

One of the stunning views in the area. Looking out from Montes Resort to The Goucester Passage. Montes Resort lies approx 20nm north of Airlie Beach just inside Gloucester Passage.We left Abel Point at 7-00am and arrived at Montes at 11-30.A pleasant sail with wind and tide in our favour.Following marker bouys is essential as there are extensive reef areas inside The Passage and quite a few Bommies.We managed to find one of the Bommies and our port rudder sat gently on it and consequently we were stuck on it for an hour and a half before the full tide enabled us to slip off with no damaged recorded.We anchored directly opposite The Resort and were joined by good friends Bernie and Michelle with there youngest child,Holly.First up was a meeting of minds with a few beers,chaired by Liz with Holly listening intently on Michelles lap.Modus operandum for the day was to chill out and soak up the sun with some liquid refreshments.Much persuasion was required from the rest of the party to entice myself in to joining in the activity. Bernie prepares Holly for a nice dip to get rid of the sand. Looking across the beach to Gloucester Island.

When visiting yachties call in,The Resort does not have facilities to take your rubbish or supply town water so be sure you are aware and take the necessary steps to avoid disappointment. Montes Resort tucked in behind the palm trees on the beach.The view from the resort looks out to Gloucester Island with Passage Islet close by. The meeting in full swing.Michelle on left with 'Holly,Bernie foreground with Frank in background chatting with Liz. Looking out from The Resort towards Passage Islet. The fishing is good in the area and I managed to catch several different varieties,including a Tamora,(Sucker Fish)which was probably close to a meter in length.Walking west along the beach and just round the point is The Eco-Resort.So there are two resorts in close proximity that cater for different tastes and both are in the delightful area of Edgecombe Bay.We had a fabulous weekend with friends.

Whitehaven Trip.Cruise Whitsundays *Camira*

The girls from Cruise Whitsundays. On Thursday 18th June we sailed to Whitehaven Beach in the capable hands of these three maidens.Adele on the left,Sal in the centre and Sarah on the right.The weather was superb for sailing with a good 20 knot breeze to shake off the cobwebs.We sailed from Abel Point Marina to Daydream Island to pick up a couple of Passengers and then continued our journey down Whitsunday Passage,passing South Molle,Henning and Hamilton Islands,then negotiating the Fitzalan Passage before arriving at Whitehaven Beach at about 11-40am.After spending an hour on the beach it was back onboard Camira for lunch.The afternoon sail took us to Hook Passage where snorkelling was available just off shore of The Resort. Liz became a little queazy in the windy conditions but admirably summoned all her reserves and remarkably for her,kept a clean sheet.Service aboard was a delight,food was excellent and altogether it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Steve was our'Skipper'for the day,and his red jacket would have gone missing had he not hidden it, when not in use. Liz caused a few nervous moments when she took over the port station,but luckily we were at anchor at the time.

Whitehaven Beach. Regarded as one of the Top Ten beaches on earth,the pure White Silica of Whitehaven stretches for over 7 kilometres along the shore on Whitsunday Island.

Eager snorkellers ready for their short trip by tender in the Hook Island Passage. View from Whitehaven Beach to The 85foot Catamaran Camira.