After setting up and having lunch we took a drive down town. We parked the car and took a walk along the boardwalk and through the shopping district. Cloudy weather and low tide means the beach didn't look to special. Sandra and I have been here once before but didn't have a car and just experienced the downtown area. Airlie Beach extends to other suburbs like Canonvale which is quite a large area and hosts Woolies, Coles, and other large stores. We never knew these existed from our previous visits.
We then took a drive out to Shute Harbour where the ferries run to Hamilton Island which is the International Airport. The caravan park was hosting some free entertainment that night and the four of us went down for a listen. We weren't expecting too much given our previous attempts at free entertainment in Western Australia. Much to our pleasant surprise the Father and Son team, Rino and Jade, were excellent playing several old classics. Their Mum and Dad even joined in for a few numbers. A great few hours of entertainment and we ended up buying a few of their Cd's. The park served biscuits and cheese snack as well for the concert. The rain had started to fall again but luckily they were able to move into an inside area.
Weather was forecasted to be poor until Sunday or Monday so we decided to wait it out at Airlie Beach as the park was so beautiful and sheltered from the weather as well. Our week was fairly quiet but we did enjoy some nice drives and some relaxation.
Thursday we visited Conway National Park and Cedar Falls. Lots of road construction again, overcast, with some showers. Stopped first at Cedar Falls which was quite pretty but overcast. Conway Beach was also not bad but was more exposed to the Southerly wind, so colder.
Friday afternoon Sandra and I treated ourselves to a couples Spa/Massage. Very relaxing and something we should treat ourselves more often.
Saturday morning we ventured out to the local markets. Not the best we have seen and a number of merchants didn't turn up because of the poor weather. Carol did run into an old neighbour of theirs from Horsefield Bay. They had a good visit. Girls bought a scarf which they are going to try to duplicate, and sell their own. Saturday afternoon saw a very competitive game of putt putt golf between the Ransleys and the Bewells. The Bewells won by one stroke based on Sandra's low score. Ransleys got to purchase the weekly lottery ticket for the winners.
Sunday the weather finally cleared and we enjoyed a sunny drive into Proserpine and out to the local dam for morning tea. Had picnic lunch in Proserpine before heading back to caravan park. We booked at Whitsunday Cruise for Monday as the weather was predicted to be good.
Sunday afternoon we did a 2 KM walk at Shute Harbour to Coral Beach. The beach was interesting as consisted mainly of shells and coral. The walk up to the lookout was good for us physically but the lookout is overgrown and doesn't offer very good views.
Monday morning saw us picked up at the park and taken to Abel Point Marina to join our Whitsunday Cruise. The boat held about 30 passengers and was very high speed craft called "Big Fury". The skipper "Bluey" and the first mate were very laid back and the safety talk was hilarious. Off we went flying through the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. Some of the Islands we passed were: Hayman, Daydream, Hook, South Mole etc.
Our first stop was Broad Island where we had a snorkel for just over an hour. It was very nice with beautiful coloured coral and some very colourful fish. I think the coral is better than Coral Bay but the fish were not as plentiful or large. Sandra and I stayed in for about an hour before the cold finally got to us. We were surprised when we got back on the boat and discovered the majority of passengers had already returned before us. Carol and Stephan were almost the last two out of the water.
Once we were all loaded up and warming up we headed off to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island where we were to have lunch. We enjoyed a walk down the beach after quite a nice lunch supplied by the cruise. Whitehaven Beach is supposed to have some of the whitest, finest, silica sand in the world. Not sure it was as white as some in South West Western Australia but it definitely was fine and hard packed.
We loaded back on the boat for another couple of hours touring through the Whitsundays. Highlight was probably Hamilton Island which is quite developed. We really enjoyed our day and was good value at $99/person including meals and snorkeling equipment. Two crew members were funny and informative. Neither one will be dying of stress for sure!
Topped off the day with a beautiful baked dinner prepared by the Ransleys before the girls and I watched to Voice. Stephen went to the Pub across the road to watch the Football. Great day! Really enjoy Airlie Beach and would visit again. Recommend staying in the outer suburbs if you have a vehicle as more shopping and quieter areas.
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