And this is how we felt after pulling up at the Big 4 Whitsunday Adventure Resort in Airlie Beach. Wiki Camps (a must-have app for all those travelling across Australia) and everyone we had met so far had raved about this caravan park and after extending our stay to almost a week, we didn't really want to leave either! Run like a well-oiled machine, this park is set amongst beautiful tropical gardens, with top notch ammenities and entertainment for the young or young at heart. We were even handed a weekly planner as we checked in which had activities like free pancakes by the pool or free cheese and biccies get-together hour and scavenger hunts and crosswords with prizes, plus kids craft activities and movies under the stars on their big movie screen. Just to name but a few added extras that this park provided. Plus ladies told us about a "stay one week and get the next week free" accommodation deal which they have going at the moment - pretty amazing and something we definitely would have considered if we weren't heading further north!
And with the amazing pool, jumping pillows, mini-golf, playgrounds and farm animals (yes, farm animals that you could visit and watch being fed daily!) it's no wonder we found it hard coaxing the kids out of the park and into the car to actually explore Airlie Beach beyond the accommodation!
Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsundays Islands. It's pretty well known, even worldwide, with tons of Aussies and international tourists alike flocking to the region each year, many crossing off their bucket list must-do's like visiting Whitehaven Beach, flying over Heart Reef or snorkelling in The Great Barrier Reef. It's no surprise then, that the town of Airlie Beach itself is a full-blown tourist hub with every second shop in the main drag being an information or tour-booking office and scores of backpackers filling the many pubs, schooners in hand, whilst we were munching on our peanut butter Cruskits at morning tea time!
On our last visit here, Luke and I found the foreshore to be a tad grotty and the main street too, but I'm not sure whether there's been a turn over on the council in the past eight years or we were just looking at the place with fresh holiday eyes, but this time we really enjoyed the lazy tropical feel, despite stinger season still meaning the beautiful beaches were empty (the water anyway, there were plenty of super-brown tanned Brazilian bodies on the sand!!).
The kids enjoyed cooling off in the man-made pool lagoon which overlooks the coast with the Whitsunday islands in the distance and watching the sun set over the many sailing boats as we scooted around the town boardwalk was pretty magic too.
We ventured off the coast and followed the sugarcane fields to explore the nearby Cedar Creek Falls and this was a highlight for us all. A short walk from the car park, there's a huge fresh water pool that offers a natural swimming hole with two cascading waterfalls replenishing the supply. We swam in the clear waters and the kids built 'rock' castles for ages, but after a fellow visitor spotted a red belly black snake swimming in the shallows, we high tailed it out of there! This little friend and a few rather large turtles with snapping jaws made up our minds on whether a second swim was on the cards and Arley asked us why all the waterways are full of biting creatures up in north Queensland? We told him that stingers, snakes and turtles were nothing compared to the crocs we were going to swim with up north!!
We visited the Saturday morning markets at Airlie Beach and sampled some local fruits and coffee, but I must say, I was a tad disappointed that there weren't more handmade delights amongst the imported Chinese junk stalls... a great place to shop, but just not a lot to buy!
It was lovely to set up camp for a full week and not have to rush the kids or pack up our gear every few days and I know that added to our relaxing time at Airlie Beach. The kids made cubby houses, Luke perfected his Webber-cooked pizza and I even read a few pages of one of the many books I packed so optimistically a few weeks ago! All in all, a week to remember and I haven't even mentioned the reef visit yet! Stay tuned....
