Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays

We got into airlie Beach at 7am but couldn't actually check into the hostel until 2pm. The only logical thing to do was obviously get a Maccies breakfast. As I was eating my hash brown a kookaburra swooped down and tried to snatch it out of my hand so that woke us all up. They are the cheekiest birds I've ever come across! After showering the rest of the day was spent trying to sort out the Whitsunday trips and our general lives. We had a BBQ on the beach that night too which also included some delicious barbequed king prawns. The BBQ was right on the beach and this one ended in fewer injuries than the last one which is always good!
The next morning I had to be at the marina for an 8am departure. Our boat was called Broomstick and there were 11 of us on the trip, plus the Skipper and 2 of his helpers. We were very lucky with the weather as it was sunny for the majority. There were some grey clouds on the first evening and second morning and it was quite windy sometimes but other than that it was great - I even got a bit of a tan/sunburn!!! We did some sailing and went snorkelling on the lower reef. The water wasn't perfectly clear as there had been rain the past few days but it was still amazing. Some of the coral and colourful fish were just like you see in brochures. We had to wear very unflattering stinger suits though just to be on the safe side. We also spent some time on a small sand island that is underwater during high astronomical tides.  We then sailed into a sheltered area and put the anchor down for the night. It was a clear night so the stars looked absolutely beautiful as there was literally no light pollution, we literally spent about an hour wrapped up in our blankets staring up at them. We also got to see the southern cross.
The next day was spent on Whitehaven Beach, then second most photographed place in Australia. It was absolutely stunning and the water was crystal clear. Some of us donned the stinger suits and had a swim with some sting rays. Theres a really nice walk through some rainforest to get to the beach too. After lunch we got to do a spot more snorkelling and I saw so much more this time. Some of the natural colours there really are fascinating, I saw a fluorescent purple fish and a few with zebra stripes. The afternoon was spent with the sails up heading back to Airlie Beach.
The Whitsundays are absolutely incredible and if you get the chance to do it, definitely go for it!
Xxx

Agnes Water

I only spent one night in Agnes Water and from what i saw that felt like enough. Agnes Water is twinned with a town 5km up the road called 1770 which apparently is basically a marina. Having said this I actually had a really good time whilst there. There was a group of 4 of us and the first night the guys cooked us 2 girls dinner which was the cutest thing. The night was spent playing drinking games just for a change. We stayed at a hostel called Cool Bananas which was run by some of the craziest Australians, the owner was OCD when it came to cleanliness. This did lead to one of the cleanest kitchens we'd seen but he'd scream at you if things weren't washed up as soon as they'd finished being used. He also had a little sidekick, nicknamed Gollum as they shared a striking resemblance, who'd patrol everywhere on a skateboard carrying out his bosses work. Having said this he was pretty friendly and said goodbye to everyone individually when we left.
On our second day, after taking advantage of free WiFi me and one of the guys went for a leisurely stroll on the beach. The beach was sheltered and was surrounded by big rocks. After about 20 minutes we realised that the tide was coming in and thought we'd walk over the rocks as there must be a path further along the beach. There wasn't. Or at least there might have been but the tide had come too far in to get around a rock that jutted out. Our only option was up what can only be described as a cliff edge. Adam is much taller than me and has longer legs and he went up the way with lots of big rocks but I had to find another way as my legs were too short to get from rock to rock. So, my way involved going through undergrowth and pulling myself up on some very unstable branches. I slipped on one rock that went tumbling down but luckily my other foot was on a steady rock. After almost stepping on a toad I emerged from the top a sweaty mess yet with a feeling of accomplishment. After lunch the four of us went on a trip to Scooteroo, which gives you a chance to ride a modified Harley Davidson scooter kitted up in helmets,leather jackets and fake tattoos. It took me a while to get the hang of the scooter but after going through a muddy puddle too fast it all clicked into place. You have to ride single file with a leader at the front, a van at the back and several other bikers driving along the line to check everyone's okay. I started off right near the back but after the first stop I politely asked if I could move and ended up leading the pack. It was so much fun and has made me want to start proper motorbike lessons when I get home. On the drive we saw loads of wold kangaroos and watched the sunset over a harbour. Apparently, from the back I looked like a mean biker with my brown curly hair blowing out from underneath my flaming helmet. I think people half expected me to have a big bushy biker beard when they saw my face.
After getting back we watched The Inbetweeners movie before catching the overnight bus to Airline Beach.
Xxx