Day Twenty Eight - August 3rd, 2013
Clairview to Airlie Beach

Just as I knew I would, I awoke around 4am desperate for the loo but extremely unwilling to get out the car. With an imagination running wild, I could only think of the the rogue crocs, snakes and spiders just waiting at the door to get me. I figured I'd rather die from a burst bladder than from a snake bite, so tried to forget about my predicament. Eventually I must have drifted off, as I only woke when Elly did, and made the last trip to the awful loos at the free site. Feeling extremely grubby and not very well rested, I made porridge as Elly packed the car. We were on the road by 8.30am.

We have really hit the tropics now, having crossed the Tropic of Capricorn just north of Rockhampton, and saw hectares of sugar cane growing. It's then transported by railway, several of which we crossed and hated as we worry they might come out of the blue. We counted the trailers on one train; 45 in total, full of cattle. Awesome to see.

We passed over several creeks, many with alligator warnings, but most of which had fishermen on the river beds. Absolute nutters. I won't be going anywhere near those murky swamps!

We made it to the outskirts of Airlie Beach, and descended upon Woolys absolutely ravenous. We have what Elly calls a 'French Lunch'; bread, cheese, veggies, dip, smoked salmon for me and ham for him. This is a staple holiday favourite of ours and it was delicious! We drove into Airlie and got our first glimpse of the water. A delectable shade of turquoise, and my first encounter of such beautiful colours. Elly has been to the Maldives a few times and has witnessed it before, but it was truly special for me. I sent a picture to my family, and my mum told me she remembers the first time she saw waters like that; in The Bahamas in 1980. I'm sure it will always be ingrained on my memory too.

We drove around for a while familiarising ourself with the town. Unfortunately, the main strip is undergoing a pretty serious facelift, and the roadworks are rampant. However, we liked the feel of the place even if it is touristy. We drove the little way out of the centre to a campsite which had been suggested to us by the couple pitched next to us at 1770 - Airlie Cove Caravan Park. We went in to reception and were given such a friendly welcome it would have been impossible to look elsewhere! The lady behind the desk took the time to show us all the options available for sailing the Whitsundays and told us if we booked through the caravan park, we would get to leave our car here and lock our valuables in a safe while on the boat, AND have a free night camping on our return! We paid the $60 for two nights unpowered, and headed to our site to browse our brochures. It didn't take long to make a decision, and grabbed at the opportunity for a 'standby' fare. As we hadn't pre-booked and we have the time to spend, we found a great deal on 'Silent Night'. Two days and two nights, private cabin for $380 each. Now I'm so glad we didn't go to Fraser Island! I'm happy to pay though as this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We headed back to reception and got everything sorted, and paid the $160 upfront payment. They let us know we'd have to check in with the company either today or tomorrow at their office in the town before we set sail on Monday.

We set the tent up and I had a shower, not being able to deal with the grubby feeling any longer! Then we jumped back in the car and parked in town. We found the information centre and checked in, paying the remaining $600. We have been given some Eco friendly tote bags to take onto the boat. I think my wash bag alone is bigger than the bag, so we may have some problems.

Another stop at Woolys and we headed back to the campsite. I read my book while Elly showered, and then we migrated to the camp kitchen. With a Polynesian feel to it and fantastic appliances, we were super excited to see a TV! We popped it onto a channel showing the English program 'No going back' (lovely to hear English accents) and started cooking our jacket potatoes. We haven't had a microwave or oven at a campsite for a long time, and were excited to have this meal as it has become something of a novelty! I'm sick of rice and pasta! We settled in as the credits rolled for 'Cool Runnings' which I was very excited about, however it was not to be. A group came into the kitchen and asked if we would mind switching over to the AFL. Never mind.

Elly worked on his photos (www.dreamexplorelive.org - fantastic photos if anyone would like to take a look) and we had a little relax. It's nice to be back on a secure campsite, that's for sure! It's been 2 days without a run and I'm feeling very cooped up! Hopefully tomorrow I can squeeze in a long one down by the marina.