Hosted by highly respected restaurant critic and columnist Simon Thomsen, this gourmet weekend provides guests the exclusive opportunity to immerse themselves in a ‘behind the scenes’ experience and learn directly from world-class chefs Peter Gilmore, Dan Hunter and Alastair Waddell in a world-class setting.

Reserve your seat at the table for the Great Barrier Feast – click here for event details or call 1300 780 959

This amazing artwork has been created by James Gordon.

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Halloween on Hamilton Island - 'Spider Buggy' (Photo: Jenni Shah)

A little late, I know, but I was looking over some old photos today and came across this one from Halloween.  Doing it…Island Style!

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Hamilton Island was voted the Best Venue for Business Tourism and Conferences

Hamilton Island had a good showing at the 2012 Queensland Tourism Awards last week. We were especially pleased to see Audi Hamilton Island Race Week take out the Major Festivals and Events award.

Hamilton Island Conferences got the award for Best Business Tourism, and why wouldn’t you have a sensational conference with the Whitsundays as your backdrop?  It was great to see the newly refurbished Palm Bungalows take out the award for Best Standard Accommodation too – it is great to be recognised as having great Hamilton Island accommodation options for all budgets.

The Queensland Tourism Awards have been running for more than 25 years now.

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The Australian Ballet's stunning waterfront performance at qualia

Watching The Australian Ballet is a treat in any location. Watching the “pas de deux in paradise” on the beach at qualia as the sun sets over the Whitsundays is quite spectacular. I was lucky enough to see The Australian Ballet in 2011 at qualia, and was blown away then. This year, the company’s 50th anniversary and their 5th year at qualia, stepped up yet another level. The weekend started with the welcome dinner on Friday night at qualia at the award winning Long Pavilion restaurant. Compered by Catriona Rowntree (motto: no question is too silly) this evening was a lot of fun and culminated with a Q&A session with the dancers. The dinner itself was gorgeous and I was fortunate to be sitting next to Artistic Director David McAllister, who delighted us with stories from behind the scenes.

Saturday starts with a barre session in the morning, where the dancers go through their warm-up exercises in front of an audience of keen ballet followers. The evening’s black-tie performance took place at Pebble Beach. Diana Rouvas, last seen on The Voice, provided entertainment with her beautiful voice accompanied by acoustic guitar. In a funny move most of the audience chose to grab the best seats in the house instead of enjoy the champagne around the pool. I guess they had their priorities firmly in mind. Catriona and David introduced the pieces and spoke of the complications of dancing outside, hoping all the while that the breeze would die down – who would’ve thought their balance en point was so fine? Finally the performance started. Rudy Hawkes and Lana Jones performed the pas de deux from Giselle, and Adam Bull (in his second year running) and Amber Scott performed a piece from Manon. Hawkes and Jones performed my favourite piece of the night from After The Rain ©. It was absolutely stunning and reduced me to tears. The finale was Swan Lake, danced by Bull and Scott, which was, as always, very well received.

The evening finished with dinner in the Long Pavilion at tables with stunning centerpieces created from antique ballet books and slippers, and silver charms to take home. It was an absolutely delightful weekend, and I now know why you have to get in so very quickly to get tickets!

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The bike leg of the Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon (Photo: Hamilton Island Photography

The Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon is an annual event that grows in size and stature every year. The event receives a lot of support from Hamilton Island locals and visitors, and 2012 was no exception. It is traditional for Hamilton Island State School to man a water station and free barbecue, and this year they were out in style at Mango Tree corner cheering the riders and runners on as they made their way up the Great North Road Hill.

Triathlon water station outside the Reef View Hotel (Photo: Jenni Shah)

I can’t report on this first-hand as my family had their own water station opposite the Reef View Hotel. We had a great view of the start of both the cycle and run legs as the transition point was further down Catseye Beach behind the Bougainvillea Marquee. I should probably apologise now to anyone trying to sleep in their Hamilton Island accommodation but we were so impressed with the massive effort being put in by the competitors that we had no choice but to cheer them along. We were also impressed with the number of guests coming out onto their balconies to watch the event, and with the young lad and his Mum who joined us at the water station and helped out, getting a little wet in the process! We also had great fun distributing inflatable clappers to the spectators, as it makes a difference as you’re on the last leg and you’re absolutely exhausted to hear the cheers and the support of everyone watching. It makes you feel a little less alone.

The run leg of the Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon (Photo: Hamilton Island Photography

I was full of admiration for the elite athletes as they flew by on their bikes, but I was awed by the sight of the weekend warriors either competing on their own or in teams as they showed their ‘never give up’ attitude. This culminated on the finish line where every competitor was cheered to the rooftops and none more so than the guys at the tail end of the field. And if that wasn’t enough to run 5 kilometers, swim 750 meters and cycle 20 kilometers, the race finish takes you along the sand at Catseye Bay. I truly felt my heart in my mouth as I watched each finisher come down the chute. What a fantastic achievement for all competitors.

For the record Ashleigh Gentle took out the women’s race again in 1:08:41, and Courtney Atkinson took out the men’s race in record time – 1:00:26. Melissa and Josh took out the teams race (presumably with one other person as well)!

Many of the racers doubled up on Sunday at the Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim, one of the four legs of the Great Australian Swim Series, but not before they had volunteered at the Hamilton Island Junior Triathlon which saw kids aged 4-14 do their swim in the main pool and the run and bike legs around the Resort Centre. It was an awesome effort from the big kids right down to the small ones, still on training wheels. Training for the future, I say.

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Hamilton Island is the perfect place to capture your portrait (Photo: Hamilton Island Photography)

You see the Hamilton Island Photography team around the place quite a lot – during events, at activities, at weddings and with various groups of people getting their ultimate Hamilton Island souvenir – a portrait set in a tropical paradise.

Hamilton Island Photography has a team of professional photographers available for portrait sessions at many different locations around the island. I often see a photographer with families, or a honeymoon couple, trying out different locations around the beach and pool, and the results on display at the Hamilton Island Photography shop are great.

There are a variety of portrait packages are available which can be purchased digitally or printed. They even come with free Facebook downloads to make your friends jealous of your Whitsundays holiday!

Hamilton Island Photography can print images in almost any size at its Fujifilm photographic lab. You can also print your own pictures at one of the digital printing kiosks. If you have been doing activities around the island such as jetski tours, quad biking or shooting, or have had your picture snapped by one of the photographers poolside, the Hamilton Island Photography shop is the place to go to pick up a copy.

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The brand-new bouncy castle at the Hamilton Island Kids Fun Zone (Photo: Jenni Shah)

The Fun Zone is a highlight of the weekend for us and many others on holiday with children. Usually held beside the Bougainvillaea Pool, close to a lot of Hamilton Island Accommodation, the Fun Zone sees Hamilton Island Activities staff entertaining children with games, face painting and crafts.

The Fun Zone had a noticeable recharge over the recent school holidays. Some of the activities that have attracted small charges in the past were now free, such as ceramics painting. The big hit however was the new bouncy castle. It is hardly a castle, more like and inflatable-adventure-challenge-race-course. There were kids lined up to the beach waiting for their turns.

Fun Zone is available on Sundays from 3-5pm and every other day during school holidays. See the Activity Guide or our great iPhone app for session details. And best of all, it’s free!

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Catseye Bay as viewed from One Tree Hill (Photo: Jenni Shah)

The Race Week hangover has eased, school holidays are over and life on Hamilton Island is settling back into its regular pace. The Whitsundays weather is glorious – September to November is my favourite time on the island. The sun is getting stronger, but it isn’t uncomfortably hot. It is just…balmy. The night is cool enough for a blanket, but warm enough to leave the window open and listen to the sea.

The winds are light, barely rustling the trees, but there seems to be enough for the boats on Catseye Bay. There are fish workup’s everywhere and the tuna season is about to start – time to book a fishing trip I think. Conditions at the golf course are great too – just don’t get too far off course hunting for those missing balls.

As for those having a relaxation holiday sun-baking on the beach (as we were while the kids joined in with the new bouncy castle at the Fun Zone*) it is just perfect.

*Stay tuned for my next post on the Kids Fun Zone

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qualia was voted as the World's Best Resort receiving a perfect score of 100/100

Best in the World….Perfect….That’s quite a claim!

Well, qualia’s guests have spoken. Earlier this month qualia was named Best in the World and Best Resort in the Oceania region in the 2012 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. If that wasn’t enough, qualia scored a perfect 100 in all categories including Rooms, Service, Food, Location, Design and Activities, one of only four properties to ever receive a flawless score in the survey’s 25-year history.

qualia, described by Condé Nast Traveler as ‘sheer perfection’ and ‘flawless’, is the first Australian property to ever top the prestigious survey.

If you have been fortunate enough have a luxury holiday at qualia you’ll know that it is a slice of paradise quite unlike anything that exists in the ‘real world’. It is an absolute escape, an oasis of calm, a place to go when you need to recharge your batteries (or just spoil yourself).

Congratulations to the whole team at qualia and Hamilton Island, from front office to housekeeping and gardens, from the restaurants to the day spa, that work so hard to put it all together.

Hamilton Island Blog -

Sails Steak and Seafood Grill located in the Hamilton Island Resort Centre. Enjoy the magnificent views overlooking the Dolphin Pool, Catseye Beach & the Whitsunday waters beyond.

It was the end of an era when the Steakhouse restaurant closed a few weeks back. There were a few familiar faces there on the final night, where we had the usual: 3x kids steak with an ice cream and choc sauce chaser, two rib eyes, medium, one with béarnaise sauce and the other with Diane, with a side of asparagus. Mmmm I can still taste it now….

Anyway, I wasn’t too happy when I heard that the Steaky was going to close, and then I found out that it was moving to Sails. Introducing…. Sails Steak and Seafood Grill. Sails is located in the Resort Centre, beside the Verandah Bar and the Dolphin Pool. It is centrally located near most of the Hamilton Island resort accommodation and hugely popular.

We checked it out a few days after they opened, and were relieved to see the familiar favourites from Front Street. We gave a few of the new dishes a try too, but the steak was the standout. As the days get longer it will be a great spot for an early dinner after a day spent in the pool. The Verandah Bar is right there and the arcade games can keep the kids occupied when you finish a night cap – after all it is essential on a family holiday to have the kids occupied without the parents doing the occupying!

Sails is still open for breakfast and lunch too.

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