Sleep on the reef
With its bush-clad archipelago of world-renowned islands, yacht-dotted waterways and direct access to the Great Barrier Reef, the deliriously beautiful Whitsundays is a dream for adventurers, both above and below the waterline. A night on the reef with Reefsleep opens a world of underwater magic.
The aircraft wing tilts away from the ice-blue sky, filling my window with the turquoise crests of the Whitsunday Passage that lap upon Hamilton Island’s shores.
Stepping off the plane onto the tarmac, I leave behind the chilly conditioned air and welcome the soft humidity as it balmily caresses my skin.
My trip will be a magical mix of bush, beach and rampant reef. I hit Hamilton Island’s leafy trails within minutes of checking into Reef View Hotel. Ascending from Catseye Beach, it’s a world of ferns and eucalypt forests opening to yakka-lined promontories.
Rocky ridges and covert coves hide quirky art installations. The supersized chair at South East Head and the giant hammock at Escape Beach set free the child in me. Yes, I climb and sway.
Reaching a hilltop lookout at One Tree Hill, I track a pastel-hued sunset brush stroking the gaps between flowering poincianas and breeze-jostled palms.
Silica sands
This morning’s alarm call is nature’s mohican punk band live in concert. So raucous is their symphony, the row of cacophonous sulphur-crested cockatoos chime from the railing of my balcony with absolute conviction.
After a poolside buffet breakfast, I skip down to the marina to board a Cruise Whitsunday catamaran.
Arcing around Whitsunday Island’s pine-clad south-east, a 7km long sweep of silica sands tells us we’ve reached resplendent Whitehaven Beach – a blindingly white strip of nirvana, powder dusting the limpid teal waters before it and emerald green bushland behind it.
Adults unabashedly become children when their toes toy with the beach’s famous sand as it squeaks and screeches, while lace monitors prowl around picnic tables with more grace.
Seaplanes land, splicing the green waters as barbecues sizzle from mega yachts. The exquisite Whitehaven Beach is the place to be and be seen.
Reef-bound
The highlight of my trip kicks off the following morning. Back at the marina, a smiling face leans towards me with a flashy fabric wristband.
It can’t be pulled off nor fall off. It says: ‘REEFSLEEP’. I’m pumped. It’s my birthday. And not only am I off to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, but I’m going to sleep on it.
Seaflight, Cruise Whitsundays’ state-of-the-art wave splicer, turns heads as it glides alongside our jetty.
With a bunch of other hyper-excited travellers, I’m heading to Hardy Reef, conveniently accessed from Hamilton Island. Within two hours, we arrive at the outer reef and my heart leaps when I spot rows of bespoke Reefbeds on queen-size mattress bases.
Fish frenzies
Decanted onto the permanently moored three-storey Reefworld pontoon, we climb into our protective neoprene armour to join a snorkel safari with our guide, James. Slipping into the 27-degree water, we’re immediately swarmed by schools of pelagic yellow tailed fusiliers, visiting the reef to feed.
Along a plate coral-ledged wall and above the sea sponge and anemone-topped reef, we admire crocus clams – commonly named boring clams – in frilly kaleidoscopic greens, while the arthritic knuckles of staghorn coral glow in sun-flecked lilacs busily growing newborn white tips.
Luminous butterflyfish flirt their flickering yellows whereas surgeonfish stealthily hide their lethal scalpels.
Dozens of iridescent damselfish flit around my snorkel and mask until black and white scissortail sergeants send them scarpering.
I pause, marvelling at toothy blue-green parrotfish pecking at the hard corals, which I can hear through the water. I’m fascinated to learn that parrotfish sleep within a bubble of mucus.
Lunch is a buffet of crisp salads, chicken, beef and fresh fruits. Post feast, and after the day visitors depart, the rope to our private area is unhooked. Even at full capacity, there are only a maximum of 24 lucky Reefsleepers on the pontoon.
Oriented seaward, absorbing infinite views across the two-tone reef, our Reefbeds, each affectionately named after marine creatures, feature USB charging ports, in-built lighting, and even cupboard storage. I can’t wait for nightfall. But first, I head down to get kitted up to go diving.
Into the deep
I meet dive masters, Cat and Michelle, and one other brave soul, Sean, who’s also trying an introductory scuba dive.
I’m not sure whether my trembling is due to my nerves or excitement. My lack of blinking and frozen smile might suggest it’s both.
Zipped and clipped into our scuba diving gear, Cat takes my hand as we descend through the belly of Reefworld to a submerged platform.
Adding weights to my hip belt has me sink to my knees, neck-deep in the water. Here, we learn dive sign language, and practice adding and successfully removing water from our masks and breathing apparatus should it happen during the dive. And we’re ready.
Hand-in-hand, we head out. When a drum solo of my exhaled air bubbles move past my ears, I become a complete percussion kit with my heart now beating against my chest.
I hope I haven’t rearranged the bones in Cat’s hand.
Within minutes, I relax into what feels like a fantastical journey as we fin between shards of sunlight that spear the jade greens and bottle blues of our near six-metre depth.
A meaty grouper passes nonchalantly, followed by a school of giant trevally. Protruding from the coral-encrusted wall, a luminous whip coral tangos on the current like jetsam rope – it’s hard to believe it’s a living creature.
It’s the fastest half-hour of my life and before we know it, we’re back beneath the pontoon, only to meet a sea turtle gnawing at the algae attached to it. Diving has ensnared me.
I’m utterly hooked. I don’t want to come up. Releasing the breathing apparatus from my mouth, I blurt a seawater sprayed “Thank you so much!” to Cat, then quietly empty the tears from my mask. I’m emotional.
