Latest update from Airlie Beach - Well, yesterday we went on a FANTASTIC trip around the Whitsundays Islands! We set sail at 8.30am and we greeted by the crew and got free tea and coffee. Our first stop was at a bay containing lots of beautiful coral reef. We got to snorkel which was amazing. It was really good because there was a diving instructor on board so he told us how to snorkel as we obviously hadn't done it before. It actually harder than it looks - I kept swallowing water to begin with - hehehe! Honestly, we can't explain how beautiful it was though when we looked down. I was lost for words (and you know that doesn't happen often!). We were surrounded by schools of fish, all different sizes and goregous colours. We even saw a couple of bigger fish which were about 1m in length - what an experience! We had to wear wet suits which, as you can imagine, looked very fetching on us but they worked well. The water was 22c but apparently it can feel cold so the wet suits meant we could enjoy it longer. It's also the start of the stinger season (jelly fish) so we needed protection just in case. After 1.5hours snorkelling, we had a VERY rough ride to our lunch destination. Mum, you would have hated it, I sure did. Luckily I wasn't sea sick but it wasn't that pleasant! The lunch was good though - it was a buffet of rolls, meats, pasta salad, potato salad, fruit and lots more. We then went on Whitehaven beach which is as beautiful as the postcards. The sand it perfectly white and is so fine it's amazing. Also, beacuse it's white is reflects the heat so doesn't get hot - now there's a useless fact for you! We enjoyed an hour on the beach wandering up and down and just enjoying the view. Australia really is a beautiful place, you'd love it so much! Finally, our last stop on the boat was at Hill Inlet which we walked upto a look out and saw some swirly sands which was quite breath taking. The day was fantastic, it really made us want to do more snorkelling that's for sure. We got back at about 5pm feeling weary but wow it had been a fantastic day to remember. We had shared yet another great experience. Well, today has been pretty boring compared to yesterday. We walked along the main street again and then lay on some grass area, under palm trees, all afternoon feeling very loved up and happy. Even though it's called Airlie Beach it hasn't actually got a beach but it's got a lot of grass land and a huge man-made lagoon (bit like a swimming pool) which is good. We had a paddle in there on our way home this afternoon. It's been a nice relaxing day! Tomorrow, we've booked another Whitsunday's excursion to an Island which we're looking forward to. The boat sets sail at 9.30am and simply picks us up at 5pm so we've got a whole day to explore. Our ticket also includes lunch and we got the chance to request a picnic so that's what we've done. We're planning on having a great walk and finding a nice quiet spot to enjoy our lunch tomorrow. Should be good as theirs lots of walking tracks to follow. We've bought some good hats so we'll be protected from the strong sun. It's getting hotter and hotter as it is currently around 29c - we're loving it. Getting through sun cream though but it's not too expensive here which is good. Well, I think that's about it from us. It's our last day in Airlie tomorrow as we move onto Mission Beach on Thursday. Our bus is at 9.10am and we are due to arrive in Mission Beach at 6pm. Not too bad really.