Research Trip - The Whitsundays

When I revived an old idea, Reunited in September this year, I knew a research trip to its setting Hamilton Island was on the cards. While it is completely possible to write about a place without actually going there, if you do get the chance, visiting your setting can make the world of difference for your manuscript. I learned this during my research trip to Essex, England, for Rivenhall Manor. So considering Hamilton Island is only a short drive from my home in Townsville, there was no excuse. I had to go!

At first, I wasn't going to book anything until I had completed the first draft of the manuscript. However, considering there was a long weekend coming up and I didn't want to go during stinger season (October to March), I figured I'd take the opportunity and go during the October long weekend. So I booked it all up - three days to explore the settings for my book - and I finished the first draft one week before my departure!

A little about the book...

​Reunited is a category-length romance about Mirabella and Lincoln, high school sweethearts who spontaneously escape to Hamilton Island together. There's more to it, but that is essentially what happens. I was able to write the first draft based on my knowledge of the island, as I visited once more than ten years ago, and by poking around on the website. I did use a lot of sensory stimulation from the Strand though, which led me to walking along there every afternoon with a notebook in my backpack. I would walk one length to get my mind working, sit and write, and then walk back. If anything, this manuscript sure has kept me fit!

The Research Trip

Day One - Whitehaven
I woke early on Sunday to take the three and a half hour drive down to Airlie Beach and make my afternoon tour out to Whitehaven Beach. Considering I grew up in Mackay and visited the Whitsundays multiple times during my childhood, it's a wonder that I had never been to Whitehaven, so I thought I'd treat myself and visit the world famous beach. And yes, it certainly is white. Sunglasses are a must because the sand is so blinding it's impossible to see without them! Unfortunately though, my October timing was not good because the water was still too cold to swim in. I went hip deep, but that was as far as I could go in. The water is exceptionally clear though and at waist deep, you can see the bottom, so all these little details are helpful. I did enjoy the hike up to Whitehaven lookout though. The view was amazing!

Mirabella and Lincoln's visit to Whitehaven is quite different though - he's a millionaire so they go by seaplane with a scenic flight over Heart Reef. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to do this, but it was still nice to go to the beach.

Day Two - Hardy Reef
This was a big day out on the Great Barrier Reef Adventures tour. I spent three hours on Seaflight as we ventured out to the Heart Pontoon on Hardy Reef. On the way, I decided to be a little daring and take the opportunity to go scuba diving! Why not, right? After all, Lincoln goes scuba diving in Reunited and I'm so glad I did it because it was the best experience ever! Apart from the fact that I was absolutely freezing when I got in the water, I managed to forget about that as I swum over the reef and got to play with Maggie, the maori wrasse who likes to have photos with the divers. This was without a doubt the highlight of my trip.

In Reunited, Mirabella and Lincoln spend their last night together at Heart Pontoon on the Reefsleep tour, where they spend two days on the pontoon and stay overnight sleeping under the stars. Again, I'm not that rich and talked myself out of Reefsleep, but visiting the pontoon gave me all the information that I needed and I spent the cruise back to Airlie Beach writing all the Hardy Reef scenes - including Lincoln's scuba diving experience where he gets to play with Maggie. Maggie definitely needs to make an appearance, don't you think? 

Day Three - Hamilton Island
This was the big day. I took the first ferry over to Hamilton Island and hit the ground running! First, I took the trek up to Flat Top Hill Lookout, which is a walk Mirabella and Lincoln complete and where they have a serious heart-to-heart. Mirabella also returns later to sketch the view and puts herself in danger when she loses track of time and needs to come down in the dark...and yeah, I wouldn't want to go down those steep, rocky slopes in the dark. So yay, that should work!

After that moderately intense walk, I poked around the Reef View Hotel. They have glass elevators, which was good to note. Then I poked around the main pool, took a photo of the cocktail menu and learned I'd need to change Lincoln drinking Mai Tai's as they don't have them on the menu. But that's okay because there is plenty more to choose from. After that, I killed time before my art class by poking around the shops to see what could and could not be purchased on the island. As it is a spontaneous trip for Mirabella, she arrives on the island with only an overnight bag, so she needs to hunt down clothes and books and art supplies when she gets there. The fact that Hamilton Island has an art gallery and art classes was part of the reason I made Mirabella an artist.

I booked the art class as painting is a newfound hobby of mine and I was interested to know how they ran. Mirabella will take a class, of course, as well as buy supplies so that she can do sketches around the island. After all, I think she'll indulge in that quite a bit as one thing I learned on this trip - I have no idea how they could enjoy spending ten days on the island! I was bored after three hours! But then again, Mirabella and Lincoln have lots of tours to do, plenty of internal conflict to overcome, and attraction to fight, so I guess they'll be okay.

What I Learned

Overall, my research trip was very successful, I enjoyed myself, and my book will be a thousand times better for it. Whether some of the finer details I gathered will end up in the next draft or not remains to be be seen, but I now know whether the little things will work or not, that it is too cold to enjoy the water in October (coincidentally, I went the same weekend that Mirabella and Lincoln arrive), and I have plenty of photos to refer back to as I get busy into the next draft.

There is honestly so much value in this kind of research to layer your novel, make it authentic, and give your reader a real experience. I wouldn't do this with every setting, but considering the Whitsundays are a famous holiday destination, I feel a reader would enjoy the novel more if they felt like they were really there. As a writer, it's my job to give my reader the best experience possible and I wouldn't have been able to do that without this trip.

Besides, I had fun as I was certainly in need of a holiday. And I'll admit, the wonder of scuba diving over the reef...it made me feel real joy for the first time in so long. Personally, that made it all worth it.