We spent a lot of time deciding where to go next, the trouble was there was not many places of interest between Yeppoon and Airllie Beach. Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, so we decided to set off early and go there to sort out some sailing, as sailing in The Whitsundays is in my "1000 things to do before you die."
Australian roads are pretty boring, we did see a lot of dead kangaroos today but I was desperately looking for one hopping across the scrub. Our lunchtime stop was at the city of Mackay which boasts its new marina as it's attraction, but it is still an industrial mining city which makes it not very attractive.
We arrived at Airlie Beach which has a reputation of being a lively backpackers resort. It does have a lot of bars and restaurants but it is hardly Magaluf . We found a booking agent for a sailing trip and made a fairly quick decision to have a 2 day trip on a large racing yacht starting tomorrow. The sea here is beautiful turquoise blue and looks so inviting but we are now in stinger country, so it's not advisable to swim from November to May and for snorkelling you have to wear protective suits as the jellyfish are quite deadly. There is hoŵever a lovely swimming lagoon with beach built on the shore so it's not quite the same as the sea, but it was pretty nice to swim in. We are staying in another cabin tonight , the next 2 nights we will be at sea so that will be exciting.