August 24 Proserpine

Well, today we had a really interesting day exploring Airlie Beach. It is a very pretty place – lots of water, islands and boats of all descriptions. When we arrived the tide was out so the beach etc all looked a bit yucky – the difference between high and low tide is quite large and as a result, at low tide the mud and rocks are exposed. Nevertheless we had a good walk around the township and water-front. We were especially impressed with Airlie Lagoon – it consists of a number of swimming areas, a bit like the one at Riverway in Townsville, surrounded by lawns, picnic areas, BBQs, play equipment etc. The water was pretty cool and combined with a cool breeze didn’t entice many people into the water although there were lots of sunbakers. We took our costumes but didn’t feel like swimming. Airlie Beach is a typical resort type town – lots and lots of accommodation places. The shops were either clothing, food or tour booking places. The people we saw basically fell into two categories – the young (teens & early twenties) and the old (like us). We’d been told that Airlie was essentially a backpackers town and I wouldn’t disagree for one minute – they were EVERYWHERE! We’ve always found that wherever there are backpackers you can usually find cheap eating joints and cheap internet. To that I should add lots of public phones – it seemed like one for every five backpackers. The hillside in Airlie is amazing – the apartments and units are just built up and up and up. There must be some amazing views and probably some amazing rental prices. While Airlie Beach is tourism dominated, the adjoining town of Cannonvale contains all the usual shopping outlets – supermarkets, hardware etc. Going by the construction underway more shopping facilities are due to be added shortly. After lunch we headed to Shute Harbour from where the ferries depart for the Whitsunday Islands. There were some great views. Feeling energetic, we decided to walk to Coral Beach (no prize for guessing why it’s called that) and then on to a lookout over the North & South Molle Islands. It really was worth the effort of walking the 4 km. After the walking around Airlie plus the hike to Coral Beach I think we should treat ourselves to a Sizzlers. Only one problem, there isn’t one. We’ll have to settle on spaghetti instead.