The first ray of sunlight peeked through my curtains and brought its wondrous warmth to my sleepy face. As I opened my eyes, my gaze fell upon the face of someone I felt destined to share my life with, my dearest wife, Evelyn. It was then the soft lapping sound of waves hitting the beach that we were on Fraser Island and that today was Valentine’s Day! I strode out to the porch of our villa and welcomed the dawn. A scrumptious breakfast was already laid out and with a morning kiss I woke her up to enjoy each other’s company interrupted only by the squawking of seagulls.

After breakfast, both of us jumped into a 4WD to cruise along Fraser’s only major highway, the beach. Our first stop came up in only 10 minutes where we got off and were ushered to a small plane on the beach. We took to the skies and admired phenomenal scenery. I pointed to some movements just near the horizon and as we neared, she squealed in delight to see the dots gradually grow into a pod of humpback whales!! The behemoths of the deep, both adults and calves, were playfully swimming around and occasionally breaching the waves to greet us. I passed her a pair of binoculars which when she looked through it there wrote a message, “I hope we will have a whale of a time forever!” She embraced me and gave me a peck on the cheek.

When we landed back on ground, our 4WD took us to the next stop, the highest peak on Fraser’s, Indian Head. We climbed hand in hand to the furthest outcrop and took turns to profess our undying love at the top of our lungs. Suddenly, huge manta rays emerged and majestically glided across the planes the seas effortlessly. Awestruck by the amazing sight, we were again surprised when we shifted our sights to the cliffs below. In the cove a school of tiger sharks were silently circling awaiting a meal from above.

Following such and exciting morning, we spent a lazy afternoon on the beach catching rays while also swimming in the azure waters. The love meter would be cranked up again in the evening. First, I took her out to a catamaran that took us for a champagne cruise out into the open sea. Together with champagne and strawberries, we bid adieu to the sun as it bathed the skies with a multitude of red and orange before dipping below the horizon.

Back at the beach, the final act was put in place. I led Evelyn along a path lit by torches to a table in a secluded cove. Rose petals were scattered all around the sands with the surroundings only lit by lavender-scented candles accentuated with gems from the cosmos. Here we shared an intimate dinner and I presented her with a diamond ring which she is still wearing even now as we celebrate our 10 years of married bliss.