With three young kids, we wanted to hit the reef and take a cruise over to check out some of the islands but we wanted to do it in a way that was kid-friendly and accommodated our little tribe. After all, most tours aren't cheap so doing your research and getting your money's worth and finding a tour company that will give you an experience to really remember is important.
We ended up going with Reefstar 3 Island Cruise, mostly because of their outstanding reviews on Trip Adviser and Facebook but also because it was the only day trip with the option of going in a glass bottom boat to see the reef, instead on snorkelling. As much as Luke and I would have loved to get in there and see the reef up close again, with three small children, the boat option was a bonus for us.
The day started earlier than most, meeting at the boat terminal at Shute Harbour at 7:30am, which is a 15minute drive from Airlie Beach. The kids were so excited to take off for the day and couldn't believe how big the boat was when we got on board. Most cruises go for a full day and this is massive for little kids, so another bonus of this tour company was the size of the vessel - you could walk around, there were plenty of places to sit and swap seats, in and outside to change the scenery and room for the kids to stretch out without getting into anyone else's way!
The boat took us out through the heads and past a number of islands, giving us a good feel for the beauty of the area as we made our way to our first stop - Whitsunday Island. Bastian wasn't keen to get into the little dingy that transported us over to the island, but after spotting a few huge sea turtles on our way over, he soon forgot about it! The tiger shark pointed out by our driver was a little less impressive considering how close our backsides were to his watery home!!
Once you step foot on Whitsunday Island, its a short bush walk through rainforest and pandanus trees to the top of the Island which, from the lookout, leaves most people in awe of the beautiful Whitehaven Beach.
Visiting Whitehaven Beach was a bit of a strange experience for me. It's actually on the bucket list for quite a few travellers and on one hand, it's easy to see why. Here you are in one of the most perfectly sublime natural wonders - water that is so aqua it looks like it's tinted with food colouring out of my play dough making kit at home and silica sand so white and fine that it feels soft to walk on and the kids couldn't believe how it trickled through their fingers and seemly disappeared into nothing. It's part of the Whitsunday Island National Park, protecting it from development and inevitably from overuse and destruction. But the flip side of the sense of amazement and relaxation that this place conjures up, is the hilarity of scores of visiting tourists (and yes, us included!!) flopping around in the shallows in the weird and wonderful black 'stinger suits' to protect you from the nasty marine stingers which also love to wallow in the warm water at this time of year.
It was like a scene out of a science fiction film. Creatures from the deep! Hardly the romantic image projected in tourist brochures! But despite the turquoise water being dotted with black-suited visitors, it was still a wonderful experience to breathe in the mix of blue hues from beautiful Whitehaven.
A mention here about the food.... The kids were in disbelief at the endless supply of cups of cordial and sweet biscuits, lamingtons and fruit cake on board our boat... deprived much? They were in heaven! And after our stop at Whitehaven, it was lunch time, with fresh salads, cold meats, fresh bread and rolls, cheeses, fruit and more all ready and waiting for us to tuck into on our way to our next stop, Bali Hai, a reef stop with great coral and fish, just off the shore of Hayman Island. Instead of suiting up again and heading under the water, we chose the glass bottom boat option and all three of our guys loved looking through the peep hole at the reef beneath us. Our skipper filled us in on all the info about the history of the reef, fish species, the scary truth about coral bleaching and the rising water temperatures. It was a really great way to experience the Great Barrier Reef with little kids.
Back to the main boat and it was afternoon tea time - more cake, fresh watermelon and fruit salad and cheese, dips and biccies had the kids believing they had hit the snack jackpot and after tucking in, they quickly passed out and snoozed it off, while we travelled to our final stop, Daydream Island.
We had around 2 hours to explore Daydream Island, but we could have easily spent the day or longer and would think about coming back to stay on shore if we were looking for a really family-friendly island experience. Even though some of the decor of things looks a tad dated, the place is perfectly suited for the needs of kids - playgrounds, tennis courts, pools, an incredible putt putt course, water sports, friendly wallabies hopping around and living reef pools with sharks and sting rays, left the kids wanting to miss our boat, sell the caravan on Gumtree and pull up stumps. I can imagine that with the restaurants and kids club, parents might come close to enjoying a bit of island relaxation whilst staying here as well. Sage was particularly taken with the famous three mermaid sculptures and insisted on me calling her Ariel whilst I took a photo of her with them!
An easy 30 minute ride back from Daydream Island to the boat terminal and the kids were wrecked but elated and Luke and I were feeling pretty amazed also. The staff and crew on the boat went above and beyond to facilitate and include our children and the others on the boat. The day cruise was a really great way to get a feel for the Whitsundays so that we can head back one day hopefully soon and experience the wonderful marine and animal life and the natural beauty of the region again. And maybe win the lotto so we can get the private helicopter charter to Hayman this time!
