Airlie Beach

Two more hours drive up the coast and we have reached Airlie Beach which is a resort catering for sailing trips to the nearby Whitsunday Islands. These are named due to the visit to the Sound in 1770 by Captain Cook on Whit Sunday - the crew then spent some weeks surveying the area.
When we were in Queenstown, NZ, we treated ourselves to a two night three day sailing cruise to the Islands which are nestled within the Great Barrier Reef. We arrived early and popped into the sailing company sales office to sort the trip out before setting up our three day camp at the nearby Seabreeze site. A great site within walking distance of the town and with excellent facilities.
Every one here again very helpful in assisting us to get the trailer into position etc. THe site is bathed in sunshine surrounded by the sea on one side and tropical rainforest on the other.
Airlie Beach has a high population of backpackers of all nationalities and large marinas to cater for the sailing rental businesses. The town is a typical sea side resort with bars, restaurants, gift and sea/surf shops.
We walked the 2.6k boardwalk and footpath into the town in the evening, past the marinas to find the town jumping with loud music from the bars - some of it live, some recorded - none of it appealed, so we returned to a bar on the marina for a couple of beers and Savv. The musician who was less than brilliant when we passed through earlier was packing up his gear so we were able to enjoy the moment in peace.
The following day we walked back along the broadwalk to the main town. The high street is full of outlets selling adventure tours, flights, day trips etc. . We did not linger too long and headed back to make use of the site swimming pool.Read more