Hamilton Island, the Tropical Island of your Dreams

Will Tuckey discovers the stunning island of Hamilton Island for teenagers. 

Are you looking for a holiday destination full of adventure and chill? Then Hamilton Island is the destination for you. Hamilton is a small island lying off Queensland's east coast.

I recently went on a week-long trip to this stunning destination for my Uncle's 50th birthday celebration.

It was filled with fun and relaxation. We went in August which is in the Australian winter. The weather was warm enough to walk around in shorts and a T-shirt and lay on the beach.

All though if you go swimming and snorkelling, at this time of the year wetsuits are advised as it was a bit chilly.

There was everything that you could want to do. Go to the many restaurants, swim in the pools, and at the incredible beaches. Though my favourite thing about the whole trip was when we went on the reef Ryder (a speed boat) out to Chalkies, a renowned swimming and diving spot on the Great Barrier Reef. From there my family and I travelled on the Reef Ryder to Whitehaven Beach, the most photographed beach in Australia. Whitehaven Beach is known for its pristine white sand and turquoise, green and blue water. The sand at White Haven is the whitest sand found on earth. It was fun and a sick experience. Even though the reef itself was a bit dead it was buzzing with life, it was alive with a variety of fish swimming all around you while you snorkel, there were also loads of turtles.

If you stay in any of the accommodations along the main drag you can walk over to the beach in all of 60 seconds. That is where you can see whales out the back of the bay and when the tide goes out you can walk to the drop-off and swim with turtles and stingrays. As

well as loads of animal life, there are also heaps of restaurants and bars such as TAKO, which was an awesome Mexican restaurant that was super spicy and if not careful can burn your lips. Another fantastic eatery is Bob's bakery, where you can get sandwiches with pulled meats and pastries for breakfast and lunch.

Another amazing thing you can do is simply walk around the island, taking in the stunning scenery and smelling the eucalyptus trees. As they mix with the slight saltiness in the air and delicious aromas. The sound of golf carts (as there are no cars for tourists on the island) buzzing around, the slight sigh and crash of waves as they roll onto the picturesque beach, and live music drifting around from hotels. The sun as it warms up your face and back. I mean what’s not to love? Not only that but there are heaps more things for you to do such as jet skiing, deep-sea fishing (which my cousins did, and said was awesome) and you can catch heaps of fish. You can also go tubing, which I did with my brother and cousins and that was a real adrenaline rush as you get whipped around behind a speedboat. Though this might not be for you, there are more chill things such as beautiful sunset cruises which have nibbles and drinks or snorkelling and swimming in the many coves and pools. If you don’t feel like getting wet, you can play putt-putt or golf, tan in the sun and play ping pong at the beach club.

Hamilton Island is the tropical paradise of your dreams.