Whitsunday Magic, South Molle Island, Whitsundays - Copyright James Hill 2009

With over 74 islands in the Whitsundays there's always something new to explore even for someone like myself. I'd been meaning to take a day to explore South Molle Island's 14 kilometers of walking track amongst it's beautiful national park.

With dad's boat packed to the brim with water, beer and nibbles we headed across the (whitsunday) passage to make the most of this stunning display of perfect weather.

With the girls of the group opting for a more relaxing day lazing about whitehaven beach, Dylan, Shane and myself faced an energetic bush-walk up Spion Kop (one of South Molle's two peaks). We made our way along the long rustic jetty towards Koala Adventure Island's resort (n.b. Koala Backpackers recently purchased the resort and rebranded the island).

Rustic Jetty, South Molle Island, Koala Adventure Island - Copyright James Hill 2009

Stopping to chat with the local cafe manage (actually from London) we instantly felt the vibe Koala's were going for when they rebranded the island to cater for the 18-35 market. Our suspicions were to be validated upon our return while walking through the main hub of the resort, a 25 meter lap pool littered with bronzed bikini bodies and their equally tanned male counterparts. All were enjoying the summer sounding tunes flowing from the bar as easily as the cocktails, it's easy to understand why so many back-packers come for a weekend and end-up staying for a month.

Picking up a little extra water we begun our walk at the trail entrance, sandwiched between the golf course's first hole and the island's archery range. With only 2.4 km to the summit of Spion Kop it wasn't long before we were greeted with one of the most panoramic views of the pristine waters surrounding South Molle island.

Over the past few weeks I've been fortunate to experience some incredibly fantastic opportunities, from Jet-Skiing & Parasailing to dining on a luxurious super-yacht. All experiences I'm incredibly grateful for, but sometimes you just need to stretch your muscles, get sweaty and experience what nature has on offer.

Sweaty Atop Spion Kop, South Molle Island, Koala Adventure Island - Copyright James Hill 2009

Of course one small 2.4 km hike wasn't enough to satisfy our energetic appetite, we made our way through fields of grass trees covered in pollinating bees and forests enveloped with magical yellow dancing butterflies to a bay not-so-aptly named Sandy Bay. Only a little less sandy than we had imagined we were still happy to cool off in the beautifully tepid waters that early dry season offers.

Grass Trees / Xanthorrhoea, South Molle Island, Koala Adventure Island - Copyright James Hill 2009

Our transportation awaited our return on the other-side of the island and thus we had to get moving, so much so we were only partially phased by the two small tree snakes we encountered en-route. Alas the alternator of the boat had packed it in, rendering us stranded on South Molle while the sun set in a gamut of colours beyond the mainland only a mile or two away.

Sunset from the Jetty, South Molle Island, Koala Adventure Island - Copyright James Hill 2009

Fortunately we were soon to be assisted by a generous crew member of Whitsunday Magic, jump starting our boat we were off! Lit only by the milky way our journey back to the mainland seemed the perfect manor to end such a fantastic day of nature exploring. As the salty breeze cooled our slightly sun-kissed skin we each sat in silence pondering the heavens above.