Next stop Airlie Beach. Not a place that has ever really interested us but we decided to check it out in case we were missing something.
We were allocated a very large site at the Island Gateway CP so we weren’t squashed in like sardines, for which we were grateful.
B72304DE-E679-4292-B1D4-796B5E10297C.jpeg
There were a number of Bush Stone-Curlews with young wandering about in the Park. Their call is really eerie.
ED01346D-F97C-41D6-A8EC-910C4703CF82.jpeg
At 4pm daily, there is a bird feeding session. Not just the usual Rainbow Lorikeets, though there were plenty of them, but also a flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks and a pair of Radjah Shelducks, aka Burdekin Ducks.
88484ACF-98CA-4CDA-8696-F66D9AB4FF4E.jpeg
We drove out to Shute Harbour expecting to see some spectacular views but, due to redevelopment of the Harbour area, it was difficult to get a photo without a crane in it.
1E157A78-1479-4F24-9C3F-02EE2878A86C.jpeg
A walk around town confirmed that this really was not the place for us. Just too commercialised.
So what to do for a couple of days? A tour seemed like the only option so we decided on a flight over the Whitsunday Islands and the Reef. The tour company was offering huge discounts as they are obviously missing the southerners and it was not much more $$ to add a boat tour to the itinerary.
The flight was really fabulous. We were bussed to the relatively new Whitsunday Coast Airport located south of Proserpine and loaded into a 14 seater Cessna Grand Caravan fixed wing aircraft for the hour long flight. Wow, what an experience.
Whitehaven Beach with Hill Inlet at the top of the photo.
CD29007E-186B-46FD-AE33-C52880F8C0A9.jpeg
Heart Reef
B13993CF-5131-4513-A07E-A008A4601FA7.jpeg
Looks like the limit of photos for this post so will continue in a new one.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.