The Tide is High (Hamilton Island)

Day one ended with a beautiful 5 course degustation dinner, with matching wines, at the Beach Club restaurant. The Malaysian curry and the beef were the standout dishes. The surprise of the night was a locally made limoncello, based on vodka. Extra smooth and seductive, it's the sort of thing you could sip all night. Although you might find it difficult walking back to your room.

Looking back at the resort from a sodden beach

Looking east

The intermittent rain continued through the night, varying from torrential to drizzle. At times it drowned out the sound of the waves. The morning dawned to reveal the same sort of day as yesterday. Rain showers of varying intensity interspersed by sunshine. It hasn't deterred people from getting out and about but I'm watching the next wave of rain quietly displacing the sun and it will have a significant impact. Looks like the early part of the day will be spent blogging and reading. 

Although we didn't get active until 7:30 the birds made their presence felt at sunrise. We have plantation shutters that allow the breeze to come into the room as well as the rhythmic lull of the waves. Bird song can not be excluded. It wasn't quite musical but it didn't force me out of bed either.

We opted to breakfast in our room. It arrived right on time and was much larger than either of us anticipated. Pastries, fresh fruit, yoghurt, granola, toast and of course, eggs for Jayne. The rain was back and we sat around being lulled by the waves crashing on the shore. There were plenty of people about on boards and kayaks. The rain eased and we decided to explore Catseye Beach. We had walked maybe 20 metres when the rain forced us to abort and seek shelter by the infinity pool.

Not a bad place to shelter from the rain

The next attempt was much more successful and we walked to the eastern end of the beach. The tide was high, hence today's title, aclassic from Blondie.  Then back to the western end where the Resort Centre and three million children are located. There are a number of shops, food outlets and a tour booking service. Most of the tours require good weather, it would appear from the weather forecast that we will be ducking in and out of the rain all week, so we probably won't be heading out to the reef or sailing at sunset.

The Resort Centre was overrun with children. It was like walking through a primary school playground. It made me shudder. Time to seek the solace of our unit and plan the next activity.

Fun fact: No swimming pool on Hamilton Island is fenced, nor are they supervised. In a curious nod to the past, parents are expected to supervise their own children closely. Who'd have thought? It would be an interesting exercise to compare the drowning statistics against an area where pools are supposed to be fenced. I have long believed that pool fences encourage a false sense of security and even an abrogation of responsibility.

Looking west

With a break in the weather we decided it was time to chance our luck and walk to the marina for lunch. Fish and chips from Popeye's we were seeking but were almost side tracked by the options at Manta Ray. Had they offered simple fish and chips they would have won because they were licensed. Under arcane licensing laws alcohol can only be served with meals on Good Friday and Popeye's is just a take-away. Bravely resisting the temptation of the demon drink we walked on. The fish and chips were well cooked, simple and cheap. Fresh reef fish, yum.

It would be spectacular in the sunshine.

Back at the resort we realised that there would be no lunch time cocktail. The bottle shop was closed. Thankfully the law didn't extend to emptying our bar fridge. We have ample supplies of champagne and wine to make it through until tomorrow.

The afternoon cleared to blue skies with the very occasional light showers as the tide receded. The tides are huge and even with 3 hours to go before low tide you are able to walk a long way across the sand flats. Afternoon exercise completed, 10K steps achieved, it was champagne time. We whiled away the hours fending off birds who wanted to share our food and watching a young wallaby tucking into the fresh green grass that separates us from the waterfront. It's a tough life.

Until tomorrow.