On Wed 27th September we arrived at Airlie Beach. we stayed in a huge hostel called Magnums. It wasnt particularly great as there was no kitchen and it was very noisy but it was ok. We spent Wednesday and thursday by the lagoon soaking up the sun and booked our trip on the Whitsundays.

We decided to travel round the Whitsundays for 3 days and 2 nights on a Maxi boat. The boat we chose, called Apollo, won loads of races in the 1980s and was a fantastic boat of its time. It was great to be on a sailing boat for a few days. We had the chance to help crew the boat and so we both mucked in pulling up the incredibly heavy sails and even steering for a bit. Simon nearly passed out after pulling up the main sail alone after the guy helping gave up. Our bunks for the two nights were so small there was no chance of sitting up but i suppose thats what you expect on a yacht. We spent the first afternoon of our trip snorkeling on a coral reef around one of the islands. It was great the only downside was that we had to wear a stinger suit to protect us from the jellyfish. They were like full length leotards and so we all looked as if we were a strange gymnast or sycronised swimming team. We have pictures so will show you when we return.

On the Second day we went to Whitsunday Island and visited Whitehaven Beach. It really is the most beautiful beach in the world. The sand it white silicone and the sea is a mixture of blues and greens. On the beach we managed to wade out and get close up to stingrays and even saw a baby shark. The sand is so fine that the Americans bought two tonnes of it and made the lens of the Hubble Satelite. That afternoon we went for another snorkel and then moored up in a small cove. As we sailed to our night stop our crew whistled for some sea eagles and they came out of the forest and circled round us waiting for the ham sandwiches that he had made them.

On the Sunday when we arrived back there was an annual motorbike event going on. The Hog Rally is meeting of Harley davidson clubs. They all gathered on the main street and had competitions and races. They were great to watch. There were about 1500 bikes and 3000 people there.

We stayed one more day in Airlie beach as it is such a buzzing place and then moved on to Hervey Bay.