Hamilton Island and The Great Barrier Reef

A couple of days ago, we left Melbourne and flew up to Hamilton Island, which is situated near the south end of the 1400 mile long Great Barrier Reef. It is a tropical paradise, and we love it! Yesterday, we had an opportunity to spend the day at the reef, and it was absolutely amazing! From Hamilton Island, it was a two-hour boat ride out to Reef World, which is a platform of fun located on the edge of the Hardy Reef. Our tour package included the boat ride, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, entrance into the underwater observatory, as many cruises as we cared to enjoy along the reef on the glass-sided semi-sub, and a full range of snorkeling equipment. I just kept pinching myself, because I couldn't believe we were actually at the Great Barrier Reef. It was truly an unforgettable experience!

The view from our Hamilton Island apartment

The cockatoos are frequent visitors

There are no private cars on the island, so we all cruise around in our buggies.

The boat that took us to the reef

Ready for adventure!

A school of Yellowtail Fusilier fish

We were fascinated by the huge Maori Wrasse.

Getting the side-eye from a lovely Parrotfish 

A nice view from the underwater observatory

Swimming against the grain

Can you spot the little yellow fish hiding among the branch coral?

Beautiful coral from the semi-sub

The snorkel team

Blessed with this gorgeous sight on our way back to the island