Late that night, the Squishy Sand Squad arrived at Hamilton Island for their 3 night stay on the Great Barrier Reef, another squishy sand paradise!
After hastily unpacking and falling asleep in exhaustion from their long flight, the Squishy Sand Squad spent most of the next day exploring the island using hired buggy cars – these were implemented to minimise air pollution on the island. The day also involved swimming in the public pools, visiting the beaches, eating ice cream, playing mini-golf and finally, an outdoor movie session in the evening.
The day after was filled with water activities!! We went kayaking and jet skiing (again, Larrikin M almost flipped over). Later in the day, the Larrikins embarked on a journey to Hardy Reef in a catamaran to snorkel among the coral and reef creatures. Larrikin E’s highlight was watching everyone get seasick while Larrikin A loved the moment a sea turtle swam past all the tourists. Finally, Larrikin A successfully convinced the other two to spend our last evening in another public pool in which we had an intense water fight.
Community Profile
The population of Hamilton Island was 1208 according to the 2011 census. It has a young median age of 28.
Approximately 97% of the workforce (389 people) are employed with the top industries being accommodation and food services (62.5%) and transport, postal and warehousing (9%). This is highly due to the tourism which the island’s economy is based on. It also relies on small businesses such as laundry, buggy car hire and general stores for the island to function.
Hamilton Island has recreational activities such as saunas, spas, swimming pools and beaches as well as bushwalking and golf. Visitors can also visit the Koala Gallery for breakfast with the koalas. An annual event is the Hamilton Island Race Week yachting festival in which yachts from Australia and New Zealand participate in races around the Whitsunday Islands.
The most notable unique feature of Hamilton Island is its location. It is situated among the 74 Whitsunday Islands, providing visitors an idyllic residence for exploring the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, including Heart Reef and Whitehaven Beach. A main reason for the island’s popularity as a tourist destination that sets it apart from others is its multitude of on-island activities (listed above), its golf buggy hires, its marina and its airport. Besides these points, there are also 6 different accommodation levels to choose from across the island.
Factors such as environment could be a reason for Hamilton Island’s declining population and tourist numbers. Coral bleaching and pollution does damage to Hamilton Island’s environment, damaging its tourism industry and hence the jobs available on the island. This may have influenced some people to move away to find better jobs. Another factor is the ageing population, causing there to be more seniors and births, meaning more 0-4 year-olds.
Squishy Sand Travel 