So the next big stop was Airlie Beach which is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, one of our must visits while in Australia. We arrived into the town centre around lunchtime and after grabbing a quick sandwich we set of to explore what the town had to offer. It came as no surprise to find that it was your typical seaside town littered with the usual tourist pleasing shops selling jewellery, swimwear, beach clothes and the usual Whitsunday embossed everything from stubby coolers to towels, hats and t-shirts. As expected there were many companies offering cruises out to the Whitsundays with day cruises or overnight packages. Every second shop we passed on the main strip was a tourist booking centre with them all offering similar deals at similar prices however with so many cruises to choose from we found the whole thing a little overwhelming. Rather than be pressured by the pushy sales people we decided just to gather up all leaflets from the various companies detailing what they had to offer and the costs involved. This would give us the chance to read through them all that evening and make a decision about what we wanted to do. The weather forecast for the next day was a bit dodgy so we were happy to put off our trip until the following day in the hope that the weather would improve. Once we had taken in everything from the main strip we went to check out the local lagoon. Being the tropics we were unable to swim in the ocean due to the stingers and more recently a crocodile sighting around the Airlie Beach area so the beach was completely deserted. As with the other major towns the council have kindly supplied an outdoor lagoon with saltwater swimming pool and ample grass around to sun yourself. The whole area seemed relatively new and well maintained and with a couple of hours of sun left we relaxed and cooled off in the pool. Eventually it was time to head to the holiday park which was about a 5 minute drive from the town centre. Whilst it is not the nicest park we have stayed in it was certainly close with a lovely pool area, mini golf and tennis courts as well as free BBQ's and all the usual facilities so overall we were feeling pretty pleased with our choice! After a quick shot in the pool and a ride on their water slide Michael managed to convince me try tennis! He assured me that my handicap for any and all sporting activities didn't matter as it was only for fun and the fact that he played lots of tennis growing up shouldn't put me off. Despite entering the court fearing the worst within a few minutes we were both really enjoying running around in the 29° heat and we even managed to get a few rallies. I was just glad that I didn't completely humiliate myself in front of the people who decided to sit at the side of the court to watch Tracy Sharapova wipe the floor with Michael McEnroe (well that's how I tell the story and I write the blog)!!The next day and the first thing on the agenda was to book our trip out to the Whitsunday's and fortunately the reception at the holiday camp had a booking centre and so rather than brave the innumerable booking shops in the town we just walked a few paces and within 10 minutes we were all booked and paid for the following day. We booked with a company called Reef Jet and the cruise was to take us out to hook island for some snorkeling, then onto Whitehaven beach to take in the beautiful white silica sands before taking the boat around to the other side of Whitehaven to do a short bush walk to a point called Hill Inlet which allows view of all the white sand banks surrounded by turquoise blue ocean. It is the 4th most photographed scene in Australia so we couldn't resist incorporating that into our trip. As predicted the weather was pretty average so we took the van to have a more thorough look around the town and treated ourselves to fresh fruit smoothies to add a bit of sunshine to our day and some vitamins to our sorely lacking bodies. Having taken in the towns beach walk and window shopped in a few of the cool surf shops the sun was trying its best to put in an appearance so we packed up a picnic lunch and headed to the towns lagoon in the hope of catching some rays. Once back at the campsite we had intended to take a dip in the pool however it was clear that the promised thunderstorm wasn't far away. We were only back at camp around 15 minutes when the heavens opened and we had a symphony of thunder, lightning and torrential rain battering off our tin roof! It must have been exactly what the day needed as when the rain had passed the air seemed clearer and there was only one thing for it, MINI GOLF!! I was feeling a bit physically fragile from the tennis the previous day having not undertaken any exercise other than walking for the last seven months so a rematch at the mini golf was just what the doctor ordered. The score to date is 3-1 to Michael so I really had to buck up my ideas to avoid potential golfing humiliation. With the rain having filled up all the holes with water and completely saturated the pretend grass carpet it made for a soggy but highly entertaining 18 holes in which I at last was victorious bring the scores on the doors to 3-2 to Michael. Having improved our BBQ skills considerably since arriving in OZ we had yet another delicious sizzle for tea.It was an early start the next day for the cruise with the bus collecting us at 7.45am and even by that time the sun was blistering hot and the thermostat was reading 30° so it was set to be a scorcher. As is always the case with boat trips we are the last coach to arrive at the marina so we board the boat and are unable to get seats on the sun deck however we find ourselves some very comfortable chairs in the captains lounge which is right at the front of the boat in the cabin where the captain sits. Unfortunately even though the sun was shining the sea conditions were very poor with north westerly winds of 20-25 knots, in other words our trip out to the islands was going to be choppy. Neither of us suffer from sea sickness so we weren't too worried about the wind we were just desperately hoping for blue skies for the photos we were hoping to take! The first stop was the snorkeling and the captain had a plan to take us to a section of the great barrier reef that was in a sheltered cove to give us some protection from the worst of the winds. As it was now officially stinger season we were all strongly recommended to wear stinger suits. For those of you not familiar with that term it is basically an all in one black tightly fitting lycra suit (a bit like a thin wetsuit) once zipped in you are protected from you ankles to your wrists then up to your neck. Very fetching as you can imagine and with my fat ass and Michaels beer belly we didn't know who to laugh at most. As we were about to jump into the water we looked like a couple of retired navy seals going on one last mission!! The snorkeling was great fun and its always nice to see loads of colorful fish and all the different types of coral however we both agreed that the area of the reef they had chosen wasn't as nice as when we had dived and snorkeled in Cairns and we could easily see why for some people it would make a disappointing first impression of the Great Barrier Reef and we were both pleased we hadn't paid extra to go diving! After about ninety minutes of snorkeling we were the last two back into the boat before it was off to the eagerly awaited Whitehaven Beach. As we were in a jet boat the boat was able to sail right up to the beach and so it was only a short hop from the deck onto the sand. I had my sandals in my hand to protect my feet from the hot sand but was advised by the crew that I wouldn't be needing them as the sand is so white it reflects the heat and as such doesn't get hot! It has to be the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, the sand is thought to be the purest silica sand in the world at 98% pure in other words it is completely white and to the touch it almost appears colourless and very grainy! The sand is so fantastic that a whole load of it was taken by NASA to build the Hubble telescope and we were all advised to polish our gold jewelry in it as the coarse pure nature of the sand would remove fine surface scratches from gold! We have been on beautiful beaches before however this is truly out of this world and like nothing we have ever seen before. We couldn't stop taking photos and touching the sand as it was all so perfect. There were no bugs, ants, dried smelly seaweed, bits of twig or any of the other usual crap you find on beaches, it was absolutely perfect, completely unspoiled and I could have happily stayed there forever. Fortunately apart from our boat there were only two other people on the beach which was amazing and what was even more amazing is that they had flown out to the beach on their own private helicoter! So there they were sunning themselves at the side of this tiny blue bubble helicopter that they had just landed straight onto the beach, very very cool! You may think you have been to the most beautiful beach in the world but until you have been on Whitehaven Beach I can assure you there is no comparison! After having a good nosy at the helicopter, a walk around, taking hundreds of photos and polishing our rings to a high shine it was back on the boat for a spot of lunch. After lunch it was time to up anchor and head around the island for our bush walk to Hill Inlet. In order to reach the beach where the bush walk began we had to get a small speed boat from the jet boat to the beach as there was lots of shallow coral. The winds had made the water very choppy and as a result getting in and out of the speed boat was rather reminiscent of our island transfers in Fiji and whilst others were feeling a little nervous we were enjoying our little reminder of life under Fiji time! The bush walk was fortunately brief as the heat at this point would have made a strenuous walk unbearable. On arriving at the top it was clear to see what all the fuss was about. The view out over the beach that we had been on earlier as well as the view out to the submerged sand banks surrounded by turquoise ocean was jaw droopingly stunning. The colours of the white sand and then the ocean surrounded by the green of the rainforest was like something from a postcard and we just couldn't stop taking photographs of everything around. It was easy to see why it is up there as one of the most photographed sights in Australia and when it was time to head back to the boat it was very difficult to walk away. All that remained was the exceptionally choppy ride home and with the wind up to 30 knots we had been advised to hang on! The journey home did exactly what it said on the tin and at one point it knocked a man clean off his seat and causing the rest of us to get a good shunt into the person sitting beside us. Eventually Airlie Beach was in view and at that point I was glad to disembark onto dry and solid land. Whilst the boat trip had been a bit hairy at times the experiences we had had on the islands had made it all worth while and given us a fantastic experience of the Whitsunday's!The next morning we decided to take in the Airlie Beach market, a craft and produce market that is held every Saturday in the town centre. On the way to the market we stumbled across a book exchange shop hidden away from the main strip and we had been desperate to off load some of our read books for new literary treats. The book exchange offers the chance to buy already discounted second hand books at an even cheaper price when you part exchange your own books! They had them all over New Zealand and since arriving in Australia we had been desperately hoping to find one! We had a good hour perusing the shelves before making our selections and then heading to the counter to barter a good price for our books! Or in the case of the grumpy lady in this shop she barked how much she was willing to give us and we graciously accepted!! When we arrived at the market it was a hive of activity with all the tourists and locals out to bag a bargain and there were certainly plenty to be had. Many of the stalls sold the same things as their neighbour so there were clearly price wars resulting in reasonable prices for a lot of really nice trinkets. There were plenty of pretty things for me to ooh and ahh at and for Mike to say "would you like it"? and me to reply "maybe" and then never go back to get it! After talking Mike out of buying raw prawns (as I have no idea how to cook them and I don't want to poison him…. yet)!! I managed to bring him round to my way of thinking with some ripe and ready to eat avocadoes as a satisfactory alternative. After the market it was lunch time so with our newly purchased avocadoes we headed back to the lagoon for lunch and hopefully of the sun puts in an appearance our daily quota of vitamin D. That evening it was the Rugby League World Cup Final with the home nation Australia taking on New Zealand. As we were in Australia we both felt that they should have our support however we both knew that New Zealand has our hearts so we would be cheering on the opposition. As a treat we hit a chinese all you can eat buffet just around the corner from the bar before heading to the bar early to ensure us the best seats in the house. The first 15 minutes of the game involved Michael trying to explain the difference between league and union so that I could better follow what was happening in this faster paced alternative to what I am used to watching. From the start the Kiwis were the underdogs and it was almost a given that the Australian side would run away with it. I know you are all on the edge of your seats to know what happened but I am gonna keep you there a little longer while I really spin this out!! Only kidding New Zealand pumped the Aussies 34-22 to take the world cup title and I have to say excluding when Scotland beat England at Murrayfield it was the most exciting game of rugby I have ever watched and I was literally on the edge of my seat. At the start of the game we tried to subdue our cheers however by the end we couldn't help our selves and us and a group of 5 kiwi lads were expecting to get lynched when we left the bar as we were shouting so much!! After the rugby we went for a walk around the town to see what Airlie Beach has to offer on a Saturday night. We soon realised this was no normal Saturday night as it was Schoolies week. When all the seniors are finished high school they flock to the town to have one week of solid party. The town was full of 17 and 18 year old youngsters who are accommodated by the council in giant tents erected at the beach front. We couldn't resist heading down for a nosey and were instantly reminded of our school days and all the shenanigans we used to partake in some 10 years ago. Up until this point I had never really felt old or even older than I did when I was about that age however one look at all these kids going in and out of that tent and for the first time ever I felt old! On looking at their little I.D cards around their necks they were born in 1990 and whilst that seems fairly obvious to most I just couldn't get my head around having a date of birth that ends in 1990! We were thoroughly entertained for about 20 minutes just watching all these pissed kids coming and going from the tent and as it reminded us so much of our school days we spent the rest of the night reminiscing about us and our friends at school and all the funny memories came flooding back. Before we realised it was 2am and we had been chatting and laughing in the van for a good 4 hours! (I think the wine certainly helped with the memories and the laughing too).The next morning and as you can imagine the Australian sun still rises at 4.30am and it still heats up the campervan even when you have a hangover. We had intended to try to book onto a scenic flight over the Whitsunday's as the pictures we had seen from the sky were awesome. Today was definitely not the day for flying as we were both somewhat fragile so we decided to try to get booked on for the next day before leaving and heading further down the coast. We had taken some time reading the leaflets from the two companies who offer flying and had opted for a plane over a helicopter and had chosen the flight path that we wanted. Armed with the information we were sorely disappointed when the company were only doing two of the printed seven flights both of which as you can imagine were ridiculously expensive so with much regret we had to take a pass on the scenic flight for now. The rest of the day for me was spent nursing my sore head by the pool and for Michael it was spent watching rugby that was playing on the camp TV so we were both kept happy! By late afternoon we were both feeling a little better and well enough for one last game of mini golf before we moved on the following morning. I wont dwell on it for too long Michael had his eye in and brought the score back to 4-2 to him so I have some work to do in order to catch up! Having spent a number of nights at Airlie Beach we had thouroughly enjoyed our stay, the WhitSunday's in particular Whitehaven Beach was out of this world and it is clear to see why it is the number 1 thing to see when in Australia.