BootsnAll Travel Network



Feb 22nd/23rd – Whipped Ice Cream


Airlie Beach 110

Originally uploaded by roupiesontour

Another splurge for today – we seem to be doing a lot of those in Australia. A day trip out to see The Whitsundays, I would have loved to have gone sailing for a few days but I think the kids would have been a bit bored and the budget just does not stretch that far. We opted for some fast paced ocean rafting instead. It was great – we had such a fab time. The skies were deep blue and the ocean a greeny turquoise with hardly any wind so we were lucky. On our way to our first snorkelling stop we saw the boat that during the storms had to airlift all the backpackers off – they were in the water for over 3 hours. On a peaceful day like today it’s hard to imagine nature being so fierce.

The Whitsundays are a collection of small islands set in idyllic ocean. The snorkelling was okay, not as fantastic as Mexico but with all the rain they have also had here it has meant visibility was not what it should be. You also have to wear the sexy lycra stinger suits to protect yourself from jellyfish – another glamorous outfit! There was coral and fish to see including a Giant Wrasse that looked like Elvis but no underwater world if that makes sense.

The next stop was the famous Whitehaven beach and OMG the sand is so white and fine it looks just like whipped ice cream. There were rays circling around our feet and small mangrove trees complete with leaves growing underwater, a very strange experience. We saw lots of turtles on the way back but again for poor O not the chance to swim with them! The scenery here is just so breathtaking, you cannot help but be relaxed by it. It was a shame to go home but we at least had some thrills – we tried to chase a 5 million dollar boat and could not beat it so zig-zaged in and out of it’s wake. The kids enjoyed it – they were sitting on the edge of the raft and O had changed places without me seeing, when I looked up to her previous seat and saw an empty space my heart stopped…………The crew were really relaxed and full of jokes so it was with heavy heart that we left the boat. It is just so beautiful here.



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