Windy Whitsundays

Our stays are getting longer, after just two weeks on the road we enjoyed three nights at the beautiful Airlie Beach. We were fortunate enough to be given a big grassy site at the Island Gateway Holiday Park on the edge of the campground with heaps of room for the kids to run around and ride their bikes. The caravan park was the closest to the centre of Airlie Beach and half the price of the Big4 caravan park further out of town.

On our way up to Airlie Beach we saw some massive ocean racing power boats on the back of semi-trailers, very impressive. These, as were we, were heading for the Mackay Marina. We were meeting up with Nicole Bartels for lunch and they were on their way for the race on Sunday. It was great to catch up with Nicole while the kids played in the park and then we all enjoyed fish and chips overlooking the Marina and some might tug boats. Kai was quite impressed by their size.


We arrived in Airlie beach to a perfect day only to be greeted by strong winds over night. This meant that the jumper went back on the next day, although it did not stop us heading out to Cedar Creek Falls, Conway Beach and to the local shops for new shoes all round for the kids. In the afternoon we went to the lagoon at Airlie Beach, an expansive beach/swimming pool (very cold) that the girls insisted on going swimming in and Kai sensibly opted for a quick paddle and then back to the play equipment. A stroll through town provided all the information that we needed to arrange a day trip to Daydream Island the next day.


An early start (6:30) to be at the ferry by 8am saw us getting ready to go in the wind and a shower of rain. It’s a bit like heading off for a bike ride in the rain, you know there is a pretty good chance it will turn out ok, but heading out in poor conditions makes it hard to get motivated.

It turned out to be an all right day weather wise. After a short ferry ride to Daydream Island we quickly found the play equipment by chance. We thankfully managed to pull the kids away from the equipment in time to see the public fish feeding in the largest outdoor aquarium in the southern hemisphere ‘Living Reef’. Afterwards there were photos with the mermaids in the howling wind and a dip into the freezing pool, which migrated to the slightly warmer spa. Here Kai found the bubble control, which was enough to keep him happy and Maddi found a friend to play with. On to our lunch spot at Lover’s Cove, which Maddi was desperate to go to as her new friend was going there, but a wrong turn (which was hard to believe on such a small island), had us heading for the other end of the island. Kai was ‘busting’ so we stopped so he could wee on the side of the track. Not really note worth, except for the poor unsuspecting snake that was happily sleeping there and made a hasty get away into the undergrowth. An information sign a little further along informed us thatit was a common (or Green) tree snake. All the kids kept a little closer to us along the track after that.



It was an uneventful late lunch and ice cream however the ferry home provided entertainment with a very breezy open top deck with the occasional spray.

Tomorrow we head further north in search for even warmer weather and hopefully stay clear of any wind and rain.

Till next time
Tig and Thea