Airlie Beach.

Lunch Stop. 🥪🥪🥪

Location

Bowen Driver Reviver, 18295 Bruce Hwy, Bowen QLD 4805, Australia

Info

Left Townsville at 10:00am. Casual pack up and away we go. Last night found out our credit card has been "Compromised". Well that is what you want to hear while away on Holidays. NOT! Well the new ones are on their way to our home address. This will be interesting. 🙄🙄🙄 Drove through Ayr and didn't detour into Bowen. Just past Bowen the water appears and it is close to the road so it's time for a break. There just happened to be a designated test stop there. 😀😀😀 Took a couple of photos of Bowen from across the bay, had a snack and off we go to Airlie Beach.
GPS: -20.0462256, 148.2293801

Right On Time - Getting Good. 😂😂😂

Location

BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, 25/29 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

The kids have no idea how big the pool is here. Waiting to see the excitement. 😏😏😏 32 meters long. Maybe long enough for a lap or two. Yep! Excitement plus. Same scenario, bikes, bathers, gone. 🙄🙄🙄 Setup and relaxing in under an hour. Now planning the free days we have and the journey down the coast. We think we will run out of time will have to make a right turn in NSW somewhere.
GPS: -20.286706, 148.67880499999998

Frog & Possum Night.

Location

BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, 25/29 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

RDO today. Didn't do much. Planned the run down the coast. Doing day 57 of 99 now. All ready for bed or a shower and the front door is blocked by a possum searching for food. Thought it had moved on but then it came back again. We got an apple and gave it bits to eat. Both Taleah & Aidyn fed the possum by hand as it came back for more. A magic moment for both kids. 🤗🤗🤗 Off for a shower and on the way back I find Taleah & Julie taking photos of a green tree frog, only it it not on a tree. Found it sitting in the middle of the path. 🐸🐸🐸 So during the day we have Whistling Ducks, Black & White ducks & Curlews stalking us and possums & frogs at night.
GPS: -20.286706, 148.67880499999998

Ocean Rafting.

Location

Ocean Rafting, Abell Point Marina North, Shingley Dr, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

This was recommended as a must do and a way to get over to the Whitsunday Island for a look. Not really rafting, just really fast boats with inflatable sides and two humungous outboard motors. Our boat was called Thunder and had twin Yamaha V8s. 😛😛😛 The look on Aidyns face when we started and the skipper opened it up was priceless. Sorry no photo, we were to busy hanging on. Aside from the large number (30) on the boat Aidyn and I were lucky (unlucky actually) to get the side that the spray was coming in on. The wind was gusting to 29 knots and the wind swell was about 1 meter. Yes we got wet! 🙃🙃🙃 But were dry by the time we got to the first stop. Bit like handing your head out the car window while doing nearly 70mph. All told we cover 150 kilometers on the trip. The max speed we hit was 32 knots briefly and mostly sat on 29 knots. The strong wind and swell slowed the boat enough that we had limited time when we stopped. In retrospect that should not have been a determining factor in how long we stayed at the three stops, but it did. 👎👎👎 While the weather is out of anyone's control the other reasons, too many to list we would only give 6 out of 10 for the activity. Having said that the skipper (Sara) was very good at her job. Not so good was the deckie.
GPS: -20.264722, 148.713368

Whitehaven Beach.

Location

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays QLD 4802, Australia

Info

We were dropped of on the other side of the White Haven Beach so we could walk over the islands and onto a vantage platform for a bit of info on the place and some photos. All the boats were there at the same time and it was way too crowded. It was difficult to get a photo without some other tourist or body part being in it. Ben, our guide tried his best to coordinate our group but sort of failed due to the overlap of with the other boats. Five boats all with 25 - 30 on. each boat. Had a bit of a look around and then piled into the boats and headed for the other end of the beach for lunch, about 7kms. We brought our own lunch and sat on the beach and watched the rest of our boat queued up the ramp onto the boat for their lunch. The last in the line only had 15 minutes after they got lunch to eat it and miss out on a look around. 😯😯😯 Oh yeah, Taleah got robbed by a Seagull. Took her sandwich right out of her hand between bites and in mid flight. Well that was rude!! 🕊🕊🕊 Aidyn & I had time for a swim while Julie and Taleah had time for a walk. Good thinking from Julie to bring lunches. 🤗🤗🤗 Right, back onto the boat and off to the snorkel spot. On the way we saw a whale and calf. Got a photo but a bit too far away to get a good photo. 🐳🐳🐳 But we did see it, and we did see a couple more along the way about 1 km away from the boat and breaching.
GPS: -20.282432399999998, 149.038854

Snorkling At Butterflies.

Info

A lot calmer at this location. Still windy and the water is of course not very clear. Only had 30 minutes in the water and Julie only had 5 minutes in the water due to a stuff up with Aidyns wetsuit we hired on the boat. Taleah got out early as it was too crowded and was being pushed about by novice snorkelers. Should have separate section for non swimmers and beginners. 👁👁 Shot off to the next spot about 1km away. Not much coral due to the last cyclone in the area. Just fish that get fed by the boats each day in an effort to bring more life back to the area. Not sure how that works?? 🤔🤔🤔 Again, seemed way too many people in the water for what it was. Always someone floating into you. Aidyn got in but Taleah stayed out. I could not get close to the the centre of the action due to the wall of people around the feeding point. Julie also got pushed out of the way and under the boat by someone while trying to get a photo. Mmmmm!! About 20 minutes in the water and headed back by 3:30pm. UPDATE: The wind was gone the next day. Would not recommend it on a windy day and if you don't mind the numbers then ok and worth a look.
GPS: -20.06896925079687, 148.92163021489978

A Beach They Say You Can Swim At.

Location

Boathaven Beach, The Beacons, Port of Airlie, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

Slow start to the day and did a bit of a drive around. Airlie is not that big and we ended up at the local beach earlier than expected. Had a lay in the sun, did a swim of the length of the beach 6 times. Aidyn was rock hopping and the a fisherman turned up. Well that was that, and he spent the rest of the time with the guy at the end of the rocks. Just saw some almight drones fly by. Heading out to sea. I think Chinook Drones, but I will stand corrected. 🚁🚁🚁
GPS: -20.268380200000003, 148.72581639999999

Barra2Billfish

Location

13 The Cove Road, Port of Airlie QLD 4802, Australia

Info

Aidyn's birthday present. Of course Dad had to go too. 😁😁😁 Pickup at 6:30 by Richard (Barra2Billfish). A chilly 12°c not used to the cold still. Heading for the boat ramp with boat in tow. One pickup of two people. Cool only 4 fishing on the boat. The skipper mentions that the motor (115hp Honda) on the boat has only done 5 minutes of work and is brand new. Well, that could be good! When looking for some bait along side a pier. No herring to be seen. Headed out to the other side of the Whitsundays Islands to some remote bay for some bait. Netting some Hardy Head bait fish. He wanted live bait. OK, first stop. He said to be quick if you feel the line tighten and keep it a little of the bottom. Well, I was not that quick and the first fish just peeled off the line and went under a rock. "That was a big fish" Richard commented as Aidyn and David (one of the others on the boat) hooked a fish. Check out the photos for more dialogue. Did a bit of trawling and hooked a small Tuna. The other two strikes at the same time got off. Aidyn got to reel in the Tuna. We were about 10 - 15 kms east of the Withsundays and before the shipping line. You could see the ships get clearly on the horizon. And so the day was over, we headed back. About an hour. Aidyn curled up up the front of the boat and went to sleep. That is a big first! Very good day. Both Aidyn and I caught our biggest fish. After the fillet and divvy up we must have 6 - 8 kgs of fillet. Richard filleted the 6 of 8 the fish caught in about 15 minutes. He did mention he worked for 10 years preparing fish. Dropped back at the BIG4 and I am spent for the day. If you go to Airlie Beach and do Barra2Billfish's charter you won't be sorry.
GPS: -20.272910899999996, 148.7245423

Airlie Beach Lagoon.

Location

Airlie Beach Lagoon, Shute Harbourr Rd, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

Yet another fantastic public facility on the east coast. The Airlie Beach Lagoon has 3 pool sections all running into one another.A toddlers pool the an intermediate depth pool the under a bridge you can swim though to a large area with 3 lanes marked for laps. At one end you can tumble turn on the wall at 2 meters deep. The other end gets shallower from the end of the 50 meters to a wading beach. The bottom is finished like a home pool with tiles marking the lanes. Spectacular swim! Not feeling crash hot today, but managed 1km. Made me a feel little better. Went for a walk around the shops in Airlie and had some lunch. Day 60 of 99 and tomorrow we head to MacKay for a couple of days.
GPS: -20.267263, 148.717399

Possum Hunting

Location

BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, 25/29 Shute Harbour Rd, Airlie Beach QLD 4802, Australia

Info

Tonight we have trap to catch a female possum with babies. Before you get concerned we contacted the Animal Rescue at Airlie because the female has what appear to a bit plastic stuck in her tongue. We have been feeding her peas but cannot eat the apple that the male possum takes. Stay tuned for the outcome. 🤔🤔🤔 Epic fail!! The female possum turned up and so did another however we had new neighbours who were from Switzerland and were so loud and excited they also took many photos with flash that the female soon left and did not return overnight. In reflection it did take 2 nights before we saw the female and she became comfortable with our voices.
GPS: -20.286706, 148.67880499999998