14 June 2014

Arrived in Airlie Beach, it is a small coast town dedicated to the backpacker and the young party drinkers, there isn't all that much else here. It is a very wet old day and that never adds well to the impression of a place either. Not that it's a bad place, I guess it is great if your here with you're buddies and you're all set for a tough drinking night/weekend/week. Lots of places to eat and lots of budget campervans about, huge number of caravan parks about as well, or holiday parks as they like to be called. Certainly a lot of thought put into the place and it seems well laid out. Interesting old school Ansett reference as well.

 This is the old, old Ansett symbol isn't it?

 Random street shots follow

 Looking out towards the Yacht Club

 Mooring out in the harbour

 another random street shot

The Lagoon, free here unlike Mackay, with a lifeguard too, well the Dugong is a statue, but there is a life guard at the pool/lagoon

The plan was to perhaps send the afternoon out on Hamilton Island having transferred by ferry at either Airlie or Shute Harbour. Unfortunately it has actually rained quite steadily all afternoon, which is great for the little creek just outside my "Camp-O-Tel" in the holiday park I am staying at, but it is not so great for anyone actually wanting to get out and check things out. Well that and it would have been $110.00 return just for a couple of hours at the Island, so couldn't really justify that. Oh and if you want to know a Camp-O-Tel is a permanent "tent" that is on site at the caravan park, alloy frame, canvas top and fiberglass floor, has a table, double bed and power and that is cheaper to stay in than to get a site and set up my own tent, go figure! It's actually not too bad, well as long as the resident gecko doesn't snore :)

Camp-O-Tel

Drove over to Proserpine for a look, seemed a small sort of place with not a great deal happening, I guess it grew up servicing the sugar mill and there doesn't seem much else happening. Probably unfair given the rain and that fact that everything closes at lunchtime on a Saturday, so nothing was open when I was there and it was really just a walk up the street and leave. Not exactly true that nothing was open, all the pubs were doing a fine trade.

 Proserpine main street 

 Proserpine main street from the other end

 Actually a busy pub

and another, like the style. What would they name pubs if the was not Prince of Wales?

Now Shute Harbour, well what can one say, its a small harbour, there are ships or various sizes there and a few ferries of different type, ummm it was raining there as well.

Hopefully somewhere drier tomorrow, off to Charters Towers