Wednesday, 28th February 2018
Today is the last day of the month meaning that we have the camper van for another 16 days – I guess from now on time will be going ever so fast…….
This morning when we woke up, we had dark clouds and as we were getting breakfast ready, our camping neighbours warned us that a storm was coming up. We moved our stuff under the canopy next to the swimming pool so that I could also continue blogging while having my breakfast. And yes! All of a sudden the skies really turned dark and the storm rolled in from the ocean. The wind made the trees swing in all directions followed by sheets of heavy rain. We thought we were safe and dry under the canopy which was well the case as there was no thunder and lightening but we couldn’t get back to our camper as I had my laptop and camera with me and they would be completely ruined with the rain. There was nothing else to do than to take pictures of the rain till it subsided and we made it back to our camper.
Luckily we had no chairs outside and as today was our day of departure, we quickly made the camper drive safe and Gerry took off the electricity cables and we were off in no time. Our drive was not too far – Airle Beach – known as the Heart of the Reef. Our luck was with us as the storm subsided and we could drive safely back on the Bruce Highway – A1. Although we had nor rain any more, the sun did not make any appearance this morning.
The drive was great going through sugar cane land – vast areas covered with sugar cane fields; luscious green just swaying in the wind. We stopped only one time and guess where it was? Yes – McDonalds – just to check emails and get on their WIFI and have their delicious cappuccino and a slice of toasted banana bread. Once again I set up my office at McDonalds and once we were ready with our social media, we were off to cover the last few kilometers to Airlie Beach.
Airlie Beach is a stepping-stone to the Whitsunday Islands – 74 of them in total! Initially this was a backpackers’ haven with café’s bars and backpackers’ hostels along the main street. However since 2014, the Port of Airlie was developed with upscale marina, hotel and restaurants. One thing for sure is that there are no high rises planned for this laid back town and its apartments and villas tucked against the seafront hills look very attractive. Even cruise liners drop anchor just outside Airlie Beach!
We had programmed Serena, our GPS guide, to take us straight to a campsite which I had found in the Lonely Planet book, however this was way out of town that we decided first to see what the town looked like before we made any decision to stay – after all we could still drive further – to Bowen – as it was still early afternoon.
Airlie Beach took us by surprise – a main street with shops, café’s and restaurants and a parallel street running along the beach fringed with shady pine trees. We stopped at the Sailing Club to admire the view – out in the bay, there was a cruise ship anchored and those tourists had come ashore and a group of them were now also at the sailing club admiring the view too!
Gerry acquired some useful information from one of the hosting ladies with regard to camping sites and we drove further around the cove till we came to a Big4 Camping ground – Airlie Cove. Before we made any arrangements to stay overnight, we also inquired about boat trips to the Whitsunday Island. The receptionist was very helpful and booked us a day trip for the following day – we were to be picked up by courtesy transfer and brought to the Abel Point Marina for a 9 am departure by the Catamaran Bullet. So we booked a pitch for 2 nights and once we were settled in the nearly empty campsite, we had some lunch and later on when the heat of the day was somewhat less, we decided to walk to town – straight away outside our camping grounds, there was a board walk which took us through shady grounds and 4 km further we were in town.
By that time we were really thirsty, so we ended up in the main street and while Gerry enjoyed his beer, I had my now traditional ginger beer. No alcohol and yet very refreshing! It was great just sitting on the verandah, watching people – mostly backpackers – go past. Just across in one of the hotel buildings, there was a restaurant, which was mentioned on Trip Advisor –The Deck –, and we thought we would have dinner there and not spend time trying to find something better. I looked over their menu and it looked really good – very Mediterranean!
Well our choice was a good one – first we had oysters to share ( and for me a glass of Italian Prosecco) and then Gerry had his grilled sirloin steak and I had grilled tuna.
Well after dinner, we felt fit enough to walk back to the camping grounds – mind you I was somewhat hesitant as part of the walk was through a wooded area without any lights. We heard all sorts of bird noises as we walked and some were quite scary……… However the fragrances from the trees and flowers compensated for the scary rainforest noises.
By the time we had arrived back at our campervan, we had walked some 8.5km. I was hot and sticky so I took a cool shower before going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be an early start, as we will be picked up at 8 a.m. for our Whitsunday Islands catamaran tour. Keeping my fingers crossed and whispering a silent prayer so that we would have good weather tomorrow for our trip!
