The journey from Hervey Bay to Airlie Beach was 13 hours in our camper van, so we decided to break the journey up and do a stop over in Rockhampton. Rockhampton claims to have 300 days a year of sun but even it was raining non-stop from the minute we got there to when we left!

We arrived at Airlie Beach late afternoon - it had been raining all day and was forecast to continue into the night. We really wanted to see what Airlie Beach was about and as it was a Friday night, have a few drinks! We decided to not let the rain beat us and took the 25 minute walk into town in the rain. We were glad we did - the two main bars, Magnum and Beaches, were packed and had live music on. The food and drinks are really cheap here so we took advantage - and headed home in the rain!

The next day the weather was much better and I'm glad to say we have had beautiful sunny days ever since - camping is soooo much better when there's no rain! That day, we headed to Airlie Lagoon - a manmade pool to hang around and dip in as the sea is full of jelly fish in certain seasons and swimming is not recommended. We booked our boat trips and decided to go for two different trips - one to Hamilton Island and one to Whitehaven Beach and for some snorkeling around the Great Barrier Reef.

Our day on Hamilton Island was perfect - we got there at 8.30am and didn't leave until 5pm so had the whole day there. Hamilton Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands where you can stay on it - there's loads to do and you can drive yourself around in buggys! We spent some time taking advantage of the very exclusive resort pools, beaches and activities. We had a free snorkeling lesson - preparing us for our next trip. We also had lunch included in our trip and had some beautiful food overlooking the marina. We also had an afternoon beer (or two) at the swim up bar at the resort - all your needs were really catered for and we felt for a day like we had loads of money and were staying there…

Our second trip involved riding on a rafting boat around the Whitsunday Islands - it was another beautiful day and the views were spectacular. We stopped off at Border Island for 1.5 hours of snorkeling - I was a bit nervous as had never been snorkeling in the ocean before but it was fab. We had to wear some sexy stinger suits to protect us from jelly fish and marine stingers but that was all part of the fun! We had an amazing time and saw a giant turtle, loads of different types of fish and corals. The boat team were throwing in fish food right where we were and swarms of fish were swimming all around us. The experience has also inspired me to book a diving course whilst we're in the Gilli Islands to explore marine life even more J We then headed to Whitehaven Beach on the Whitsunday Island - the sand was so white and fine, it literally squeaked when you walked on it! We had lunch and then headed for a bush walk for a lookout over the island. It was like paradise, the water was so clear and warm and hardly anybody else was there. We chilled for a bit enjoying the views and then headed home…

The remaining days in Airlie Beach we just chilled - enjoying the tranquility of our caravan park, which was so quiet and peaceful and also Airlie Beach itself. We have really enjoyed camping - although it has definitely got better since the rain has stopped. It is so handy just having everything in one place and not having to pack and re-pack all the time - it also provides the ultimate flexibility. We have even talked about doing it again - hopefully with a slightly bigger van and better weather J

We only have just over a week left in Oz now, which will mostly be spent with Dave's uncle James and family in Cairns and Brisbane!