Airlie Beach/Whitsundays

We arrived in Airlie Beach after a night bus, & headed for a campsite to meet friends from home Clare & David. They had got back that day from a sailing boat trip, so that evening we had dinner & drinks with them and their friends from their cruise. The next day was Davids 30th, so Lou had decorated their campervan with a banner & balloons overnight and we had a celebretory McDonalds for brekkie! We spent the rest of the day at the local Lagoon, chilling by the pool in the sunshine.

David and his amazing pants

We had 3 great days with Clare and David - to be this far from home and have mates around makes a big difference to your life for a couple of days and at least a week after they leave.

David's birthday

We booked onto a 3-day, 2-night trip sailing around the Whitsunday's, a breathtaking group of islands off the north-west coast of Oz, envisaging lazy days, relaxing evenings and the possibility of bumping into an old friend, Ben London. As it turned out the cruise was more of a party boat and we never got the chance to meet up with Ben, but the whole trip was well worth it even just to see the amazing beach at Whitehaven, Hill's Inlet. The finest sand you can imagine brushes straight off your skin like talcum powder and the sea looks stunning. You HAVE to see the pics from this trip! Also included were all meals and a mattress on deck each night - it did rain but it was that fine rain that soaks you through...

Drinking breakfast

We snorkelled at Manta Ray Bay and Langford Reef, with Lou spotting a huge turtle at Langford.

Back on land in Airlie Beach we had one of our, now regular, excruciatingly boring time-killing sessions, where you've checked out of your lodgings and have to nurse large rucksacks round town all day while waiting for a bus around midnight. Enough said.

Hill Inlet

Lou in stinger suit

Not amused

On board our Whitsundays boat

Our crew

That's better

Whitehaven beach