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| Lady Elliot in all its beauty |
The trip started in style as we flew in a mini aeroplane up
the Queensland Coast, across Fraser Island, towards our destination. Suddenly,
we could see it in the distance; the island glimmering in all its glory in the sunlight!
A bumpy arrival on their makeshift runway and we had arrived in our home for
the next few nights.
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| Arriving in style |
We couldn’t wait to get snorkelling, and were in the sea
within one hour of arriving. The beauty of this place is that you can snorkel
straight off the beach and you are instantly surrounded by reef, teaming with
marine life.
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| The Lagoon |
What a treat! I can’t describe how jaw-droppingly beautiful
it was. Magical mountains of coral were bursting with fish spanning all colours
of the rainbow. We swam alongside leisurely giant turtles, friendly reef sharks
and majestic manta rays, spanning 3 metres, who were having a spa session at
the Lighthouse Bommies (i.e. getting nibbled by little fish to get themselves
clean!). We also spotted giant stingrays and the aquatic emblem of Queensland;
the giant grouper fish. I was later told that this character eats sharks for
lunch, glad I didn’t know that at the time!
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| Off for a snorkel |
It was such a surreal, exciting experience. When we managed
to tear ourselves out of the water for a few hours we explored the island by
foot. The stretches of beach were beautiful, with coral of all shapes and sizes
rather than sand beneath your feet. Again, it didn’t look real!
Lunch was another delight, with the restaurant looking out
over the lagoon. I couldn’t ask for a better view to enjoy my lunch and a cool
drink during the midday sun. Sooooo relaxing.
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| Lunch at the Lagoon |
After a long day, we enjoyed sunset before tucking up in our
cute little eco-lodge for the night. There are currently 200,000 migratory birds
using little Lady Elliot as their home for breeding season. Cue ear plugs at
night to drown out their busy chatter!
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| Eco-cabins |
The two nights flew by in a blur of snorkelling, snorkelling
and more snorkelling, each time spotting something new. We were so sad to leave
this fairy tale island. With no phone reception or internet, it was like the
outside world didn’t exist and I wanted to stay there forever!
Unfortunately, night shifts are calling so it's back to the grind for now...
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| Sunset on the island |
