Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach is emblematic  of the growth of Queensland tourism and the population shift north. What was a small town 40 years ago when we first came here on our honeymoon on the way to South Molle Island was noticeably busier about 15 years ago on a driving holiday with the kids. 

The town has continued to grow, probably making millionaires out of people who owned parcels of land on the steep blocks on the edge of town. 

A bustling backpacker strip is still there, surrounded by marinas, shopping centres and parkland. 

We drove out to Shute Harbour,  a lot quieter now that marinas have been built in Airlie Beach itself. 

We spent four nights here in a caravan park - no free camping close to Airlie.

The weather was pretty ordinary for the four days, but we did enjoy a walk around town, the marinas and the obligatory beachside pool 

We spent a day on Whitsunday Island at Whitehaven Beach, famous for its beautiful white sand. 

Getting there was... interesting, given the open boat driving into rain at 35 kph!

The sun came out for a little while as we walked to the lookout and walked on the beach. We did a bit of snorkeling in the rain; we've been spoiled by some really lovely reef experiences in the past so while it was OK, it wasn't as spectacular as the outer reef can be.

Since we were staying in a caravan park we caught up on some (a lot!) of washing and managed to get it dry under cover.

Next night will be a couple of hour's north, past Bowen to Home Hill for a free camp.