After a rainy start to our time at Airlie Beach, we thought we would use the time we had to wait out the weather to explore. We spent a little time strolling through town and I managed to find a little square of awesome retro fabric in vinnies that will always remind me of the Whitsunday’s!

After a chat with our friendly caravan park owners about where they go on their days off, we went in search of a place called Monte’s, which apparently was great for a beer on the deck. It was about an hour north of Airlie just passed Hydeaway Bay. As we left Airlie Beach behind the clouds cleared and we found ourselves on some very off the beaten track roads in seemingly the middle of nowhere! All of a sudden the ocean was on our right and we had stumbled across Hydaway Bay (and yep, thats how you spell it!) Delighted to see the sun we stopped for a sunbake and a spot of kite flying.

We continued on to Montes along strange dirt roads through rugged scrub that seemed to lead to nowhere. Finally, we saw the sign and were amazed at the tropical paradise. We stopped for a beer and lunch under the palm trees and were so glad we had followed the local advice and left the bad weather behind!

As quickly as it came, the good weather turned to clouds and we headed back to Airlie. On the way were were lucky enough to spot an Eagle!

With fingers crossed we went to bed hoping that the sun would show up in the morning. Before geting to bed however, Rob somehow managed to trip over a possum. The two of them ran into each other in the dark just near our car.

Today, we woke up to sunshine and went down to the marina to depart on our boating adventure. By the time everyone had boarded, the rain clouds were back and as we headed into the Whitsunday Passage, we were pelted with tropical rain. Once again, the sun pulled through and shone brightly for the rest of our day. We snorkeled in Manta Ray Bay on the north of Hook Island. We saw some amazing coral, however it would have been better if we had the chance to snorkel the outer reef.

Upon leaving Manta Ray Bay some whales popped out of the water about 50m from the boat! Just as everyone gasped in excitement Rob decided to take the opportunity to relieve his sea sickness from the top deck to down below. Despite feeling sick, he was a trooper!

The day continued onto Whitehaven Beach. It is just what you imagine it to be. I will let the pictures tell you what it is like. It was however much further from the mainland than either of us imagined it to be. It is now clear why it costs so much to get there. Next time, I think it would be best to spend a couple of nights camping on the island and I now know it is well worth the cost of the camping drop off water taxi to get there id you plan to stay for a couple of nights. What a wonderful sight it would be to wake up to and have the chance to enjoy it before the tour boats arrive for the day.

The last stop for the day was Hill Inlet Lookout which is just north of Whitehaven Beach and looks back towards the beach. A short stroll through the forest leads up to the lookout which offers spectacular views to Whitehaven beach and beyond. Again, we were playing touch and go with the weather, yet managed to get a few pictures with the sun out.

After having visited the Whitsunday’s a few times before. I would now recommend Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet Lookout as a must stop destination for any visiters. Camp for a night or two if you can as it is well worth the cost, and if not Whitehaven Express ran a fantastic day trip.

Tomorrow morning we continue our journey north to our next stop Townsville.

Over and Out! x