Eby's Favorite Island Things

Today’s segment was, unfortunately, ripped off by Oprah (or is it the other way around?). It is called Eby’s Favorite Island Things. While the audience (you) will not be getting these complimentary gifts (sorry, Oprah has a bigger budget than us), you will get some insight into the great things I enjoy here on the islands. These are the 10 things for this week:

1)Seashells!

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed finding seashells. Unfortunately, the beaches I always had access to were so overpopulated with people that it was hard to find the good ones before they were scooped up by the older folk during their walks at dawn. Here, I don’t have to worry about that too much and get to find some of the best shells. If you come here, make sure you tell me so I can warn you where my shell turf is! ;)

2) Seen from space

The fact that the Great Barrier Reef is underwater and can still be seen from space is a testament to its size and show the scale of importance it has in Oceania. Does this make me an ambassador to space aliens?

3) Island Bar (Hamilton Island)

Yes, this is a bar in a pool. Click here to see it virtually!

4) Sea Turtles

There are actually 6 species of sea turtles that breed in the area: the leatherback, the hawksbill, the loggerhead, the green sea turtle, the flatback , and the olive ridley. I have always been a huge fan of sea turtles and am lucky to have seen 3 of these species. I am hoping to find the other 3 before I leave!

5)Helicopter Rides

There is nothing like a view of the islands and the reefs than seeing them from above. It defeintely puts things in perspective. You could dive deep below or bushwalk the islands, but you are always in the moment there. The aerial views make you step back and see the big picture.

6) Heart-shaped Reef

How cute is this reef? It is almost an icon of the reef. Peace and love!

7) Dent Island Lighthouse

Who doesn’t like lighthouses?! This one is great and is 130 years old.

8) Qualia’s Infinity Edge Pool

Look at that! Tell me it wouldn’t be one of your favorite things! The view is amazing and the water temperature is always spot on.

9) Camping

With such great weather here on the islands, sometimes we just decided to forego the house and camp out in the bush. I love the smell of a camp fire before bed and waking up to the sound of birds surrounding us. It is magical.

10) Snorkling

So much of the water in the Whitsundays is so clear that you can pretty much just look down from land and see so much, but there is nothing like getting in the water and exploring a bit further. The deeper it gets the harder it is to see, plus it can get cloudy after a rain too, obviously. Snorkling is always a good time here.

Well, that is it for this segment of Eby’s Favorite Island things. Until next time…

You Ask, We Answer!

Hello Everyone. Here is the first of our weekly 'You Ask, We Answer' features, where we respond to your questions. We will switch this up by sometimes answering via video. Also, feel free to send us your questions on video! Here we go:

Hi Eby!
Here in Toronto (Canada), it is freezing cold with a mix of rain and snow. I see in your photos that it seems to be warm and sunny. What is the weather like there?
Katy

Hi Katy. Well, it sure isn’t Toronto! It is in the mid 80’s today, so it is nice and warm. We do get some rainy days, however. While rainy days are not the best for enjoying the beach, they are important for the flora and fauna, which are enjoyable in their own rights. If you are getting sick of the cold, come pay us a visit. You know how to find us!

Hello Eby & Camille – I noticed that there don’t seem to be roads on the island. How do you get around? – D. Patel

This is mostly correct. There aren’t really any roads on most of the islands, but that is because a lot of them are so small. There are some here, on Hamilton Island, but that is mostly for shuttle busses and golf carts, which are the fasted ways of getting around. We usually just walk and bike everywhere, however. Less pollution = cleaner air = better island experience.

You are so lucky to have this job and I truly envy you, but since you got it (and I didn’t), I have a few questions about it (a bit of masochism for my ego, perhaps?). Is it truly the best job in the world or are there some not so great aspects to it? How is the food? What type of people vacation there (country of origin, age, gender, lifestyle, etc.)? Is there anything you miss from home?
Gary B.

Which submission were you? I looked through a lot of them, so perhaps I saw yours along the way. I will tell you, it really is the best job in the world. The only downside is that it only lasts 6 months…so far (I will keep you updated if anything else pops up). The food is great. We make a lot of our own (perhaps Camille will post some photos at some point), but we do eat out at some of the restaurants. The wait staff is super friendly (especially for NYC standards), and the views can’t really get better. We have seen all sorts of visitors that span the spectrum: Australian, Kiwi, American, Chinese, Japanese, South American, British, French, German…I can probably go on for a while. I have also noticed quite a mix of ages, from college students on holiday to families and newly weds. I would say that there are probably more women visiting the islands, though it is pretty close. Lifestyle? I guess there are a lot of backpackers, but there are probably more people that are less adventurous and just want to relax. Hope I got at what you were asking. I want to say that I don’t miss anything from home, but perhaps that is just me not wanting to miss anything from home. I guess I miss being around a lot of people. Coming from NYC, you are always around a ton of people, and coming here there are people, but a lot less. That is your hint to come visit us! I miss my friends and family, obviously, but it is only 6 months and there is nothing that I miss so bad that I can’t wait 6 months for. Thanks for the email, Gary!

EBY! I DEMAND TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF HOT BABES ON THE BEACH! SHOW ME!!!

AHAHAHA. Thanks for your honesty. I am sure a lot of other people feel the same, but then again, I am sure a lot of others don’t. I will see what I can do without offending others.

Hello.
This email is for Camille. Do you feel like the luckiest girl ever, or what? I mean, you got to go to and live on Hamilton Island (for free?) for half the year…not to mention Eby is hot! LOL
- Kate

Hi Kate! Thanks for checking out the blog. Having family in Australia, I knew I’d come to this side of earth one day, but I had no idea we'd get this huge opportunity to come and stay on Hamilton Island for 6 months! I definitely feel like luck is on my side. How can you feel unfortunate when you're brought to the middle of paradise! I’m thrilled to be experiencing all this with lovely Eby. I’m glad to be able to him with the rest of the world! Oh, and it wasn’t quite free, we actually had to pay for my ticket, but other than that it was. Bye! ~ Camille

Camille is smokin’!!!

I know! Why do you think I brought her?!

Hey, I was just curious about Eby’s name. It is pretty unique and I was curious where it comes from. Thanks.
Libby

Hi Libby. My name is actually Persian as I am half Iranian (my dad is from Iran). And in case anyone is wondering about Camille, her parents are from Poland.

Eby,
I wanted to make some requests. Please show us more of your living quarters. Also, could you give us a look of the island after dark? Perhaps a video tour or something that would help us have a better understanding of what it is like there when the sun is down? Cheers!
Robert F.

No problem. I will start working on something to show off the house ASAP. I will put some thought into the night tour and plan out a video tour shortly. Good ideas. Thanks, Robert.

Hi there, Eby and Camille. I also applied to this position, but I wasn’t so successful, obviously. Regardless, I have looked into the islands so much and have been following along with you that I have convinced my wife to take a trip over there for our vacation in a month or so. Where can I find you so that we can meet you two and perhaps be on the blog? Do we just hope to find you wandering about?
Drew (and Annie)

Haha. You may find us wandering about, but the best way is to email us shortly before you come and let us know when you will be in and we can figure out a time to meet. Glad you are coming and look forward to meeting you two.

Hiya Eby,
I read that you skateboard. How long have you been skating? I was thinking about making a trip over, but I was wondering if there were any places to skate on the island. What’s there to skate?
Stu

Hi Stu. Yes, I do skateboard. I have been skating for over 11 years. You should totally come visit. There isn’t much to skate besides flatground right now, no skateparks or anything, but I might be building a miniramp and a fun box. When are you thinking about coming? I might have it ready by then and you are welcome to skate it with me! Also, I have not been to all of the islands of the Whitsunday yet, so I am not sure if any of the others have anything yet, though I doubt it.

Hi Eby – I saw or read somewhere that you were going to donate 20% of your income there to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I just wanted to commend you, as they are a great organization that does extraordinary things for children with terminal illnesses. I have donated to them in the past and hope that this will raise some awareness to their cause. If I may ask, what made you decide to do that? I hope to hear back from you. Thanks!
Patricia

That is correct, Patricia, 20% of my income will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I am happy to hear that you donate to them yourself. I am doing so because I have always admired the work they have done for unfortunate children that are being taken from Earth so young. This opportunity was a blessing for me and I am very lucky to have it. I realize that will all he luck I have had in this, there are many children which have had the worst of luck in their illnesses and I want to at least be able to pay it forward in a way. I also hope to somewhat set an example and encourage others to donate when they can (within means, of course) to the charity of their choice.

Is there anything on the islands that you have yet to do yet but look forward to?
- Bill

Hello Bill. Actually, there are many things we have not done yet and I look forward to doing. I still haven’t explored all the other islands yet. I look forward to taking an aerial tour of the island, snorkeling the reefs, meet YOU!, etc., etc., etc.

Good day, Eby.
My fiancée and I are looking for the right location for our honeymoon right now and are highly considering Hamilton Island. Could you (and or Camille) give us some insight on the romance factor on the island(s)? We know that some tropical locations are better than others for romance, so please be candid with us. Thanks in advance!
- Daphne S.

I have been to Bali, which many people consider one of the most romantic tropical islands, and can say that Hamilton Island blows it out of the water (I think I actually intended that pun)! Hamilton Island is not as over exposed as Bali and give you more alone time, which is always great for turning up the romance, plus the views set the scene for a great romance to set in. While we have been together for 4 years, or time here has helped keep the romance in our relationship very strong and has made us a much stronger couple than before (as if that was possible…who knew?!). So to sum up, COME!

Thanks for those of you who have emailed us. We will not be able to respond to all emails, but we will try to as much as we can. Some of you have gotten replies directly, others have asked similar questions that were answered here. If you want to get your questions answered or just want to tell us something, shoot an email over to [insert email address]. Remember: you can submit video questions too (just upload to YouTube and email us the link)!

-Eby

Sun, Kangaroos, and Crying Men

Today was our first time bushwalking on the island. It was fantastic and we came across some interesting characters like these two:


This is a mother kangaroo and her joey. We didn't get too close because we didn't want to disrupt or scare them, but with this being the first time either of us have seen a kangaroo in the wild, we are very excited!


We walked off the trails a couple times to check out the remote beaches.


Warning: this image may contain from (tree) nudity.


My second favorite color green. Is it bad that money is the first? Shame on my capitalist self!


Don't be fooled, the water was freeeeeezing. Camille dared me to sit in it. That was a mistake!


It was pretty sunny, but nature was kind enough to provide us with some shade. How kind!


We came upon this large creek. The water was much warmer than that little creek I sat in, thankfully.


The roots of the mangrove trees reminded me of miniature cypress knees that grow in the swamps of Florida (back home).


With it being so bright out, it was stunning to see how dark it could get deep in the bush.


I have been a fan of ferns since I was a kid, exploring the forests of Florida and the Carolinas (back in the states). The ferns here were surprisingly softer than the ones I am accustomed to, however.


Have you ever tried limboing a tree? My bruised butt doesn't recommend it.


With another deviation to the beach, we found this lone starfish in need of rescue. We helped it back into the water.


This place is made for photos!


We came across a bunch of other kangaroos. I always imagined them much bigger. They are super cute, but either-way, we kept our distance out of respect (and slight terror, haha).


This guy really scared me. When they look at you like that, you know you better keep an eye out.


I am not sure what these fuzzy thing were, but they reminded me of the hats royal guards wear.


Check out the view on the way home! The sunsets here can bring tears to the manliest of men's eyes.

(***We did not take any of these photos, and I don't think any of them are from Hamilton Island, though they are from some of the other islands. I just found these online.***)

We hope you enjoyed the photos. I took so many but didn't want to overwhelm you with too many. I can post more if you would like, but I think I posted the best of them. Let us know in the comments and we can post more.

Also, we have been going through your emails and will be doing a segment tomorrow where we answer some of your questions and respond to a good chunk of the emails. We got so many so we won't be able to respond to them all, unfortunately, but we will try to cover as much as we can. Until then, Cheers!

Went For A Swim!

Camille and I just got back from visiting the Qualia Hotel and taking a dip in their pool. Qualia is located on the beautiful Pebble Beach. It is a bit pricey, but we got a tour of the facilities and it is very well worth it. They are going to give us a dose of the spa treatment next time, so look forward to a video and photos of that. I will post more photos of the hotel later, but here are some of the photos of our dip in the infinity edge pool.


Camille on her toes.


I guess I got too close for this shot...typical.


Preparing for Camille to swim over me.


Camille sitting on the pool floor.


Camille's self portrait (better than my portraits of her, haha).


Don't pretend like you actually enjoy the feeling of emerging from the water.


Panning...


Camille had the right idea to wear her sunglasses. I could hardly see because of the bright sun.


I think this is my favorite photo of the set.


No half stepping here.


I wonder how much sunscreen lifeguards go through in a week?


Camille coming in to dry up and head off to our next adventure.


I followed the leader and put my shades on so that I wouldn't be blind for the rest of the day.

(These photos are really from the floating pool on the waterfront in Downtown Brooklyn. It didn't have an infinity edge like the one at the Qualia Hotel.)

For those of you who don't have the money to spend on the luxurious, high-end, fancy hotels, we will also be exploring the lower priced value/budget options. Afterall, you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Thursday Theater

Each Thursday I will put up a new video montage of my exploits. This is not the only video feature each week, however, as there will be others...like Tourist Tuesdays. For this Thursday Theater you will see our arrival to Hamilton Island, the house, the local beaches, some guy that looks like Jesus, a kid tripping over his own legs, a sun burnt visitor, and a fish with an identity crisis. Enjoy.



(This video is from a trip I took over a year ago to Beijing and Bali. It is not really of what I described above, as this is just a sample blog and I am not really on Hamilton Island...yet ;).)

An Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Eby and, as most of you may know, I have been hired as the island caretaker for the beautiful Islands of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. I will be blogging here regularly for the next 6 months, so bookmark this page and check back often! Not only will I be writing about my adventures here on the island, but I will have photo and video features that I will add weekly.

I also want to make sure that you understand your part in all of this. Yes, you have a part in this too. This is not going to be just one-way communication, it is going to be interactive. I want you to tell me what you want to see and give me feedback on what I am doing. Do you want to see the fashions in season with the yachtsmen during the Hamilton Island Race Week yachting festival? Do you want more underwater photos? Maybe you want to see the nightlife or the surfing or the spas? I am working on a weekly video feature that involves island visitors answering questions candidly about their experience. I will solicit question from you and have you all vote on which to use in a poll. So this experience is as much your as it is mine.

Now let me introduce the characters you will see a lot of over the next 6 months.

This is me (Eby):



I am from Florida, but moved to New York City to attend New York University's Stern School of Business (for Marketing) and have been here ever since. I have worked in Advertising and Social Media, so I am very knowledgeable of social networking, blogging, photo blogging, and the like. I am a skateboarder and have been making videos for the past few years, both about skateboarding and about thing have have nothing to do with skateboarding. I have brought my own equipment with me to make the best of the video experience. I have a blog that I have been maintaining for the past few years and am excited to bring that experience to this new audience.

And this beauty is my girlfriend, Camille:



Camille will also have a feature where she gives her take on the islands (the female perspective, for you ladies). She was born and raised in New York City, went to Hunter College for Sociology, and works in advertising. She is an animal lover, health conscious, a cook, and one funny lady.

We haven't been on the islands for very long, but from what we have already seen in this short time, these islands have been under-rated for a long time. I hope that you will come visit the island and pay us a visit. Anyone that does will most likely make it onto the blog. Click here to find deals.

Drop us a line at [insert email address here].

Cheers!
Eby (and Camille)