Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Well most of our wee group left Magnetic Island on the 2nd September for a trip to Airlie Beach. This is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. My plan was to stay in Airlie Beach for one night and go on a 3 day/3 night boat trip round the islands on a boat called "Spank Me". After our day of travelling we went out and got royally hammered in a bar called Beaches (part of a hostel which is really nice) and then went to a club called Morocco for some karaoke. My God i was absolutely wrecked. It was fun tho and i only spent like $20! I had a combination of wine and cider which might not have been the best plan of action when i had to go on a boat trip the next day. Karaoke was amazing and our whole bus group plus DJ Dave from the Greyhound bus took over the bar with some amazing singing and dancing on the tables. We rocked that place!
The hangover i had the next day however was not so good! I even felt sick whilst brushing my teeth it was that bad. We found our way to the Marina to get on our boat and met up with some people that one of the lads knew. My boat was an old racing boat so did not have cabins and stuff but it was a nice boat. A bit cramped tho! All the crew were very nice. My boat was one of the more expensive boats as it was a longer trip and it takes you to the outer great barrier reef which is great for diving. We had rubbish weather on our trip tho and were not really given much advice about what clothes to take so we had our summer gear when it was bucketing down with rain and very very windy so i was a bit chilly most of the time. Plus after being in the water it takes a while to warm up cos u can't have a warm shower. There is only cold water available and ur limited to 30 seconds per shower so no hair washing for me for 3 days YUCK! We went over to Whitehaven Beach which would have looked lovely if it hadn't been raining however we did have fun playing about in the water and running Baywatch style across the beach! We visited a few more islands throughout the course of the trip for some snorkelling which i managed altho not very successfully due to my inability to swim and being utterly terrified of deep water :S I was supposed to get a free introductory scuba dive but i ended up declining it because I'd had problems breathing with my snorkel so i didn't fancy goin even deper into the water then not being able to use the equipment. Plus it was bloody freezing! Some of the guys dived in the outer great barrier reef and seen a bull shark and a stingray. There were lots of lovely fish and coral but im afraid it was all wasted on me as i don't like marine life very much! The food was lovely on the boat too but i would recommend taking plenty of bottled water on with u as the water onboard was horrible. Also take some snacks because its 3 meals a day and only 3 meals a day so no midnight munchies! It was awful for me too cos coffee was limited to certain periods of the day and on the first day i'd only had one so i started to get a really bad headache. Damn me and my caffeine addiction. On our way out to the outer great barrier reef, the water was REALLY choppy and everyone sat up on deck apart from me who was asleep downstairs. When i tried to go upstairs i was paralysed with nausea as it washed over me and i fought hard not to be sick. It was tough but i managed it. I never want to experience that again it was like a really bad hangover multiplied by 100. Once i got up the stairs i was fine tho but one unlucky guy was sick and then that made me feel sick all over again! Sea sick tablets are a must just in case! I think most people felt that 2 nights would have been enough on the boat because by the third night everyone was becoming antisocial and just wanting to get back onto dry land. All my stuff stank of damp as well and my hair was a riot! We eventually got some sun on the way back to Airlie Beach and i ended up with a very burnt face by the time i got back to my hostel!
With the package i bought for the Whitsunday Islands i got some free nights in a hostel called Koala's in Airlie Beach but i wish i'd never bothered cos the place is a bit of a dive. There are cockroaches in my room and i'm trying to pretend they are not there. I was warned before leaving home not to go there but some of the others had stayed there the first night and thought it was ok so i thought i'd give it a go and get some free accommodation but maybe paying the money would have been worth it! There is another place called Magnum's which is cheap as chips but i think its pretty basic. I heard there's not much of a kitchen either. Beaches is a very nice place to stay and the bar is pretty good too. Most of the people from boat trips end up there because the boat companies reserve tables and provide free beer which is cool except that i don't drink beer lol
Airlie Beach overall is a nice wee place to go. I've met so many people here from other places i've been to which is cool cos everyone seems to be heading in the same direction so its nice to bump into people u know. I even bumped into someone from home today which was nice. It was good to talk to someone who fully understood my accent and quirky words like "boggin". After our boat trip we tried to recreate the karaoke night in Morocco but it just wasn't the same and i was stone cold sober even after consuming cider and vodka so it was a bit of a let down. The lagoon here is not as nice as the one in Cairns but its still a good sunbathing spot. There is not much of a beach despite the name! There are many shops and internet places which is good and there is even a McDonald's and KFC! There are also cool wee markets at the Esplanade on a Sat morning and Sunday evening and i highly recommend the Thai food bit. Hmmm yum! Aye so Airlie Beach is good for nightlife and shopping i reckon. After about a week tho its time to move on!
- comments