Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane

Yesterday I went out for dinner with some friends of mine. Several people told me The Story Bridge Hotel would be a great venue to spend a night out, whether you want to go for a drink at its Shelter Bar or for something to eat at the Deery's Restaurant. It really has something to offer for everyone, you can also sit by a cole heated oven and enjoy a laid-back dinner with some beers at The Outback Bar & Grill of the hotel.

The Hotel is situated under The Story Bridge and is actually much older than the bridge. It opened its doors in 1886 and received today's name in 1940 at the actual opening of The Story Bridge.

We had some beautiful steaks and oysters. They have a huge variety of domestic and imported wine and the waiters really know how to chose the right wine for you according to your meal and taste.

After dinner we went over to the Shelter Bar for a couple of drinks and it is quite fascinating to be sitting right next to these huge pillars inside the bar which are holding up the bridge. All of us had a great time out. It is always fun when you are with the right people, but it does add when you are in really special place.

Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane

Yesterday I went out for dinner with some friends of mine. Several people told me The Story Bridge Hotel would be a great venue to spend a night out, whether you want to go for a drink at its Shelter Bar or for something to eat at the Deery's Restaurant. It really has something to offer for everyone, you can also sit by a cole heated oven and enjoy a laid-back dinner with some beers at The Outback Bar & Grill of the hotel.

The Hotel is situated under The Story Bridge and is actually much older than the bridge. It opened its doors in 1886 and received today's name in 1940 at the actual opening of The Story Bridge.

We had some beautiful steaks and oysters. They have a huge variety of domestic and imported wine and the waiters really know how to chose the right wine for you according to your meal and taste.

After dinner we went over to the Shelter Bar for a couple of drinks and it is quite fascinating to be sitting right next to these huge pillars inside the bar which are holding up the bridge. All of us had a great time out. It is always fun when you are with the right people, but it does add when you are in really special place.

Whitehaven Beach & Diving a Reef

When Tourism Queensland had to cancel our trip to Whitehaven Beach, all the candidates including me had a great time on Daydream Island Resort & Spa instead. Still I always felt that I missed out on something. I guess, this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to return to the Whitsunday Islands.

There are so many trips to chose from, so many charters offer to bring you to Whitehaven Beach, let you walk on the squeaky sand and in the end it is just a beach, a really white one, but just a beach. That is what my friend Nick told me, he said it really matters where they let you ashore so you really experience, not just the world's purest silica sand, but also one of the world's most beautiful beaches ever. You have to get a bird's eye view on the swirling sands, walk along the creek and the sand banks. We found a tour that offered all in one day, plus snorkelling and/ or diving with maximum 36 persons on the boat! On top of that we got a really good deal!

Mantaray Charters was our choice and it was a good one. Probably my most memorable trip of my holidays in Queensland! We had a really nice boat, where you could either sit at tables in the shaded area, at the sun-deck or lie down at the front of the boat. We arrived at Tongue Bay to walk up to the Hill Inlet Lookout, which simply laid Whitehaven Beach and its stunning salt-water creek to our feet. Then we had two hours to spend on this 99,7% silica sand beach and yes it is true: the sand squeaks underneath your feet! We had plenty of time to walk the white and blue swirls, go for a swim and simply just lie on the beach.

Upon return to the boat a lunch buffet was waiting for us. Then we drove over to Hook Island to go snorkelling and/ or diving at Luncheon Bay. The water was very calm there, hardly any current I guess that is why we could see all the colors of the corals and different fish so clearly. Finally I was able to dive and go to the bottom of the sea. It was beautiful! First I was a little uneasy, because I haven't been diving for a while, but as soon as you see the corals and the fish, this completely different world, it is just so fascinating. I got all calm and forgot about everything else. Our diving instructor did a great job and gave us a reef tour of the best places to see :-)

Thank you to the hosts and crew of the Mantaray! It was just literally out of this world!
For more information on our trip visit: www.mantaraycharters.com

Whitehaven Beach & Diving a Reef

When Tourism Queensland had to cancel our trip to Whitehaven Beach, all the candidates including me had a great time on Daydream Island Resort & Spa instead. Still I always felt that I missed out on something. I guess, this is one of the main reasons why I wanted to return to the Whitsunday Islands.

There are so many trips to chose from, so many charters offer to bring you to Whitehaven Beach, let you walk on the squeaky sand and in the end it is just a beach, a really white one, but just a beach. That is what my friend Nick told me, he said it really matters where they let you ashore so you really experience, not just the world's purest silica sand, but also one of the world's most beautiful beaches ever. You have to get a bird's eye view on the swirling sands, walk along the creek and the sand banks. We found a tour that offered all in one day, plus snorkelling and/ or diving with maximum 36 persons on the boat! On top of that we got a really good deal!

Mantaray Charters was our choice and it was a good one. Probably my most memorable trip of my holidays in Queensland! We had a really nice boat, where you could either sit at tables in the shaded area, at the sun-deck or lie down at the front of the boat. We arrived at Tongue Bay to walk up to the Hill Inlet Lookout, which simply laid Whitehaven Beach and its stunning salt-water creek to our feet. Then we had two hours to spend on this 99,7% silica sand beach and yes it is true: the sand squeaks underneath your feet! We had plenty of time to walk the white and blue swirls, go for a swim and simply just lie on the beach.

Upon return to the boat a lunch buffet was waiting for us. Then we drove over to Hook Island to go snorkelling and/ or diving at Luncheon Bay. The water was very calm there, hardly any current I guess that is why we could see all the colors of the corals and different fish so clearly. Finally I was able to dive and go to the bottom of the sea. It was beautiful! First I was a little uneasy, because I haven't been diving for a while, but as soon as you see the corals and the fish, this completely different world, it is just so fascinating. I got all calm and forgot about everything else. Our diving instructor did a great job and gave us a reef tour of the best places to see :-)

Thank you to the hosts and crew of the Mantaray! It was just literally out of this world!
For more information on our trip visit: www.mantaraycharters.com

My May 4 Blog Entry: Another World

Since the first day that mankind got its footsteps on the moon, people wonder and dream about flying to the moon, to a different planet, exploring another world. Today I did explore another world, a precious and wondrous world! Neither did I have to be an astronaut nor travel through space. I just took a boat off Hamilton Island and got into the water at the Great Barrier Reef. What a colorful and exciting world is waiting there to be experienced! I saw blue-green chromsis that change their color from blue to green and green to blue – the name gave that away, didn’t it. But not only did I see fish in all imaginable colors, I also admired corals in the most funny and beautiful shapes.

Let’s throw in some numbers here: 1.500 species of fish, 400 species of corals, 4.000 species of invertebrate and six of the worldwide seven kind of sea turtles have their home at the Great Barrier Reef. It is the world’s largest living eco-system and – as we were talking about out of space earlier – you can actually see it from out of space. Time went by so fast and seriously, I cannot believe that it is autumn here at the Whitsunday islands, the water was so warm. What impressed me the most at Fantasea Reefworld, which is the company that took us out there and is operating the platform by the reef, was that it really is a trip for the whole family.

If somebody is inexperienced in snorkeling or gets distracted from all the magnificent under water world like me, there are ropes placed in the water that help you find your way. At the same time you can have a great time on the platform and feed the fish. The semi-submersible is not only great for grandmothers and little kids to look at the reef without getting wet, we were all so excited when we saw giant trevallies and floated along the wall of the reef.

After a great morning of snorkeling and getting our footsteps – or should I say flippers – in another world, we took a sea plane to take a bird’s eye view of what we saw earlier. Our plane took us over the Great Barrier Reef, now we could see the different coral colonies and how huge it really is. The pictures give a good idea of what I saw from out of the plane, but I also want to call out some numbers again. I know that is sometimes boring, but not if they are as impressive as these: the Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300km along the north-east coast of Australia and it is 348,700 km² big.

But our trip did not end there. The water plane took us right to Hayman Island, a private island destination situated in the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. We had a stroll on the beach and tried the en

tire world’s food at the resort, which has everything to offer up to a pool that fits as much water as seven Olympic-sized swimming-pools.

All of us had such an awe-inspiring day that the trip on the boat back to our hotel on Hamilton Island was filled with showing each other the pictures we took, being excited about all the different fish we saw or just enjoying the breeze and the memories we all were so lucky to put in our personal jewelry boxes.

My May 4 Blog Entry: Another World

Since the first day that mankind got its footsteps on the moon, people wonder and dream about flying to the moon, to a different planet, exploring another world. Today I did explore another world, a precious and wondrous world! Neither did I have to be an astronaut nor travel through space. I just took a boat off Hamilton Island and got into the water at the Great Barrier Reef. What a colorful and exciting world is waiting there to be experienced! I saw blue-green chromsis that change their color from blue to green and green to blue – the name gave that away, didn’t it. But not only did I see fish in all imaginable colors, I also admired corals in the most funny and beautiful shapes.

Let’s throw in some numbers here: 1.500 species of fish, 400 species of corals, 4.000 species of invertebrate and six of the worldwide seven kind of sea turtles have their home at the Great Barrier Reef. It is the world’s largest living eco-system and – as we were talking about out of space earlier – you can actually see it from out of space. Time went by so fast and seriously, I cannot believe that it is autumn here at the Whitsunday islands, the water was so warm. What impressed me the most at Fantasea Reefworld, which is the company that took us out there and is operating the platform by the reef, was that it really is a trip for the whole family.

If somebody is inexperienced in snorkeling or gets distracted from all the magnificent under water world like me, there are ropes placed in the water that help you find your way. At the same time you can have a great time on the platform and feed the fish. The semi-submersible is not only great for grandmothers and little kids to look at the reef without getting wet, we were all so excited when we saw giant trevallies and floated along the wall of the reef.

After a great morning of snorkeling and getting our footsteps – or should I say flippers – in another world, we took a sea plane to take a bird’s eye view of what we saw earlier. Our plane took us over the Great Barrier Reef, now we could see the different coral colonies and how huge it really is. The pictures give a good idea of what I saw from out of the plane, but I also want to call out some numbers again. I know that is sometimes boring, but not if they are as impressive as these: the Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300km along the north-east coast of Australia and it is 348,700 km² big.

But our trip did not end there. The water plane took us right to Hayman Island, a private island destination situated in the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. We had a stroll on the beach and tried the en

tire world’s food at the resort, which has everything to offer up to a pool that fits as much water as seven Olympic-sized swimming-pools.

All of us had such an awe-inspiring day that the trip on the boat back to our hotel on Hamilton Island was filled with showing each other the pictures we took, being excited about all the different fish we saw or just enjoying the breeze and the memories we all were so lucky to put in our personal jewelry boxes.