Living the Daydream
With its whiter than white sandy beaches and unusual wildlife, Australia’s gorgeous Whitsundays are the stuff of dreams...
However idyllic the holiday destination, some things are always the same. You’re going to get sunburned – even if you slather on the factor 50. And at some point you will long for a proper cup of tea.
But it’s not every day you’ll see a wallaroo bounce past your hotel room...
On Daydream Island, just off the coast of Eastern Australia in the famous Whitsunday Islands, this is not unusual. Nor is watching a rainbow lorikeet or a cockatoo glide by looking for any scraps while you have dinner. You can even pet a stingray like it’s the hotel dog.
As the name suggests, wallaroos are a combo of wallabies and kangaroos.
They’re actually rarer than you think, despite the two closely related animals being rather common in
Australia (if you’re stuck on a remote island, what else are you going to do?).
For humans, however, there is plenty to do on Daydream. The plush new holiday complex is ideal for families, with its collection of swimming pools, restaurants and fun things for the kids to do as you paddle board or just laze in the sun.
But you’ll never forget you’re at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef – and that’s because of one other unique feature of the island resort.
All through the complex – rebuilt after the devastation of Cyclone Debbie in 2017 – is the “living reef ” which ties the whole hotel together. Walk through reception and you’ll see shovel-nosed rays drift past behind a glass wall. Large cod, sea cucumbers and the rest of the 140 species found there will also glide by at some point. As you walk over to your rooms via linking bridges, black-tipped reef sharks swim underneath you. You can even dive with what dwells beneath as you take a guided tour around the reef. There you’ll feed some of the main players, including Lu-ann – the “friendliest stingray in the southern hemisphere”. More like a puppy than a feared ocean creature, playful Lu-ann will happily take cockles out of your hand – and she loves to be petted. Feeding sessions and marine talks are common as kids of all ages are invited to learn more about the real residents of the Whitsundays. Head of
marine development Johnny talks passionately about what’s in the living reef he created – plus he’ll share some fantastic imagery and tales from his dives along the Great Barrier Reef.
There’s even an underwater viewing observatory in the centre of the hotel, where you can see your new friends up close.
It’s also used for the most peaceful of yoga sessions, although sometimes you might just want to wander down and read a book or even.. um... sleep with the fishes.
After all that it may seem a little rude to enjoy fish for your dinner – but hey, you’ve got to eat.
And on Daydream, thankfully there are a few options. As well
as the obligatory buffet restaurant, Inkstone offers traditional hearty meals such as chicken, burgers and pasta.
Upstairs at Infinity it’s a little more classy with meaty kingfish starters, fantastic fish specials and the excellent Wagyu beef fillet steak – so good I had it twice.
So what next? Well, be warned, this place is not party central, but you can get a late drink at Tonic
bar. But you’re not here for late nights – you’re here for the best Australia has to offer. If you’re fed up with the beach or the pool, head up for a rainforest walk to a look-out point where you can see the rest of the islands, or hunt for the hidden wildlife of the island – including tree snakes if you’re really daring.
Walk down to Lovers Cove, a more secluded white coral beach, and you can catch an amazing Whitsundays sunset.
But there’s lots to do in the actual hotel complex too. While there’s still more to come – it only opened a few months ago – there’s already a well-stocked gym and a makeshift spa which is soon to be replaced by a purpose-built affair.
Rooms are large and wellequipped with a large selection of free films if you just want to relax in front of the telly.
Outside are hammocks which look out to sea... where you’ll invariably be joined by some of your new wildlife pals mentioned above.
With wallaroos bouncing along and cockatoos taking food from
A wallaroo
your hand, Daydream is sometimes aptly named.
It’s close to Cairns and Brisbane – plus only a few hours away from Melbourne and Sydney by air – so Daydream is a good stopover to recharge your batteries on a longer tour of Australia.
An iconic Australian holiday destination in the 1970s and 80s – it was levelled by the cyclone and left with an uncertain future.
It’s amazing how Daydream has bounced back. Just ask a passing wallaroo.
around €58pp (10+), half-day tour to Whitehaven €75pp. Book in resort.
Royal Brunei flies from Heathrow to Brisbane from €761. flyroyalbrunei.com
You can’t stay in the hotel all day, even if you might want to. So head out to other islands.
The more built-up Hamilton Island is about half an hour away on the ferry. Many others are uninhabited and beautifully preserved. A light hike on one took us up to a lookout point from where we saw the aptly named Whitehaven sands along the coast.
We also went snorkelling at Hawk’s Bay, swimming among gorgeous fish. But the pristine sands of Whitehaven called us back.
After lunch on the boat we trekked along an idyllic, unspoiled beach with fine, powdery sand. Bliss.