Hey all! So I am finally back after a 9 day
holiday to the Whitsunday Islands! If I could only describe those 9 days in one sentence I would say "It was one of
the most incredible experiences I've ever had." The trip was organized by
MonniTravels, a Travel Agency started up by the one and only Monni Will. Monni,
along with a number of other incredible and fascinating wanderers, led our
trip. There were 80 students from USC present (mostly internationals), 60
of which were taking a bus (including myself), and the other 20 renting cars
and meeting us at Airlie Beach.
We departed from the Sunshine Coast on Friday
night for an exhausting 14 hour bus trip, with a few stops at some 24-hour gas
stations being our temporary reprieves. We arrived at Airlie beach on Saturday
evening and checked into Nomads (our hostel) and spent the day exploring our
new surroundings. Easter Sunday followed and Olivia and I
decided to go Kayak with Sea Turtles for the day through the company Salty Dog
Sea Kayaking. Even though it felt weird not being with my family on Easter, I
had an incredible time. We kayaked to a small island made entirely of coral and
I snorkeled for the first time! We didn’t end up seeing any turtles but it was
absolutely refreshing to be boating again and it ended up being a really cool
and memorable experience.
The next morning we woke up at 5AM to see the
sunrise over the ocean, which I would 10 out of 10 recommend to anyone because
it was a truly beautiful phenomenon. 
Olivia, Tyler, and I decided to spend the day away
from the group and took a bus to Conway National Park instead. We ended up hiking through the rain forest to Swamp Bay. (Side note: For those of you who
have never been to Swamp Bay, it’s not actually a swamp, but a beautiful and
secluded beach that overlooks the Whitsunday Islands.)
Our hike went smoothly,
and everything was fine until we returned to where the bus had dropped us off. As we
were sitting on the side of the road waiting for the bus, these tiny bugs
(which we later learned were sand flies) appeared out of the bush and started swarming us and biting at our legs, leaving at least 50 bites each on Olivia and
I (I still have the scars, almost 3 weeks later). Let’s just say I've never
been happier to get onto a bus in my life.
And so ends the first
half of our trip! Defeated by fatigue and bugs, we went to bed knowing that the next morning we'd be getting on a Catamaran to our own private island of South Molle.
South Molle, also known as Koala Adventure Island, is a beautiful (yet slightly creepy) place with an interesting past. The island is oddly vacant and run down in the more remote areas. Not going to lie, I felt like I was walking into a horror movie when I first arrived. Apparently Koala Adventure Island Resort was a popular tourist destination until a hurricane destroyed it in the 1970’s. After the hurricane, the owners sold it and ever since it has not been utilized as it was years ago. However, the main living areas and pool/bar were well maintained so I wasn't always uneasy. However, I did find an abandoned golf course and a run down shack in the middle of the night (just to name a few).
South Molle, also known as Koala Adventure Island, is a beautiful (yet slightly creepy) place with an interesting past. The island is oddly vacant and run down in the more remote areas. Not going to lie, I felt like I was walking into a horror movie when I first arrived. Apparently Koala Adventure Island Resort was a popular tourist destination until a hurricane destroyed it in the 1970’s. After the hurricane, the owners sold it and ever since it has not been utilized as it was years ago. However, the main living areas and pool/bar were well maintained so I wasn't always uneasy. However, I did find an abandoned golf course and a run down shack in the middle of the night (just to name a few).
Even though it was initially creepy, our group brought the
island to life again and there ended up being a number of small adventures
during our brief stay on South Molle. We enjoyed some of the simpler pleasures
of island life, such as: trying (and succeeding) to break open a coconut with a
rock, star gazing and making shapes from clouds on the pier, tying feathers of
native birds into our hair (a rainbow lorikeet feather for me), sharing stories,
and exploring the beautiful landscape. Though all of these moments were great,
one of the most memorable moments on the island (and quite possibly of the
entire trip) was hiking to the top of Mount Jeffreys. On the way up the
mountain, surrounded by rolling grassy hills and a beautiful overhead view of
the islands, we found thousands of azure blue butterflies. Seeing the air filled
with these gorgeous creatures was one of the most magical and beautiful moments
that I have ever witnessed. Although we were all taking pictures, it was
impossible to catch the novelty of that moment.
Out of the 3 days spent on South Molle,
the final one was dedicated to exploring Whitsunday Island. We took a long and wavy
ride out to sea, snorkeled in the reef, and stopped for a few hours at
Whitehaven Beach- ranked one of the top ten beaches in the world. After seeing it, I easily believe it. Whitehaven is
known for its pure-white sand, made of 98% silica. The sand doesn’t retain heat
and has been noted as being good for exfoliating skin, cleaning teeth, and shining jewelry.
So naturally I rolled around in it and brushed my teeth with it. If nothing else,
those two short hours on Whitehaven made the entire trip worth it.
On the way back we watched the sunset and saw
the stars slowly appear in the sky. The sunset had some of the most vibrant colors I've ever seen and the Milky Way was so incredibly visible without the lights
of the city. Seeing these natural wonders that were so much bigger than myself seemed
to put everything into perspective.
The following morning we headed back to
Airlie to spend our last day at the Airlie Beach Markets. Having grown up going
to artists markets with my mom, I assumed that these markets would be a walk through
tents filled with over-priced crafts and paintings, but oh was I wrong. There
were tents lining the beach selling fresh produce, artwork, jewelry, and a
number of other really cool products. They were even selling camel rides along
the beach! We also found a cool store nearby called “Whitsunday Opals &
Didgeridoos” that gave us a free didgeridoo lesson and sold opals and aboriginal
artwork (some of which I may have purchased). After eating at our usual noodle
place, accurately named Noodles & Rice, we left Airlie beach to head back
to the Sunshine Coast.
Fourteen hours and a few strategic cuddles later, we
were back home. Even though I was exhausted, covered in bug bites, and my legs
were both asleep from being squished the entire bus ride, I was so grateful for such an incredible
experience and for the wonderful people I met.
Since then it’s been the same old same, a couple of day trips to the beach and a ton of homework. However, a trip to the Gold Coast and a Rugby game are on the agenda for the next couple of weeks so stay posted! Until then, keep wandering! 
