Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands

Gooday and welcome back to my webpage! (Think the sun may have got to me!)
Well, we arrived in Airlie Beach after the over night bus journey, which wasn't actually too bad. My back is better, but I am sitting here and I feel like I'm floating, due to the fact that I've been on a boat for the past couple of days!
We spent a couple of days in Airlie beach just chilling and sitting by the lagoon down by the beach front in Airlie beach. First couple of days were hot, but fairly cloudy so weren't feeling it too much. We are camping at the moment again and each night it always managed to rain, so Ian was darting out of the tent at 4 in the morning to get our clothes off the line!...quite amuzing! We met up with Vicky who I lived with at uni for a couple of hours before her and Shane went on their sailing trip, was really nice to see Vicky, can't manage to ever meet up in England, but we managed it across the other side of the world. Been about 3 years since I saw her! But it was cool to share travelling stories and find out what the places are like that we're going to as Vicky has just come from South East Asia. So, we didn't do much while waiting for our trip out to the islands on Saturday.
We left with 40 other people on our boat out to the Whitsunday islands. We soon realised that the island cruising was going to turn into a big party over a few days! We sailing straight to South Molle Island, one of the biggest island, that was where we were sleeping for the 2 nights. I ended up in a room with Ian and 4 other 18 year old boys, joy! We headed to the pool for a while, Ian went in and I took some photos as the sun went down. We then went to dinner....queing with over 100 other people! Thankfully it was ladies first, although I'm not too sure what the boys thought to that! We played drinking games after dinner and had a few drinks. Weren't too late to bed, however, the boys decided to have a small party on our balcony...don't worry! Granny Austin and Grandad Boon soon moved them on so we managed to get to sleep!!
We got up the following day, breakfast at 7am. Very early, but very pleased to see bacon and eggs on the menu! Fantastic view of the sea while eating breakfast and we got to share it with the colourful locals pictured below!
It was so cool, and the birds were really cute and friendly...I did get slightly scared when the fluttered in my face! But, it was all good!
We were on the boat by 8am and sailing to White Haven beach where we spent a couple of hours on the beach and had a bit of a snorkel, but there wasn't much to see around the area. We got into our stinger suits which you have to wear if you're swimming in the Whitsundays and jumped off the boat and swam to the beach. When back on the boat we had a lovely lunch, nice cold meats and salads and then spent about 4 hours sailing back to the island. We were straight in the pool when we got back to South Molle Island. Got ready for dinner and straightened my hair for the first time in months. Lisa a girl on the boat travels with a hair dryer and straighteners. Only, I wasn't very impressed, as it was so hot it just went wavey again! Lisa and I went down to dinner and then Ian came down about 10 mins later limping. He's gone over on his foot, so now has a very swallen ankle. So, he sat at dinner with ice on his foot! Same again as previous night, drinking games and then a few drinks. Only, the 18 yr olds couldn't hack 2 nights in row, they were in bed by 9:30pm! I didn't drink much, but went to bed about 1am.
Today we were up early again, I'm totally shattered. We had breakfast with the birds again and then got on the boat. We sailed to some coral reef. Got back in our suits and jumped off the boat and went snorkelling, the fish were cool, but the coral was even more beautiful. We had fun swimming around, bought an underwater camera so got some shots of the fish and coral. Unfortunately I can't download from a disposable camera!! Once we'd finished watching fish we climbed aboard and had some lunch. Then we sailing back to Airlie Beach, arriving back about 2pm. It has been so hot over the past couple of days, I can't actually bear to sit in it anymore! Think I've well and truely topped up my tan and I have a sore hip, obviously missed that bit when applying my factor 30!...bet you don't believe me, but we have been using 30 suntan lotion. Getting off the boat they inform us of more partying tonight, the boat has an area reserved in a bar in Airlie beach tonight...great! I'm so tired!. We walked up the hill back to the place where we're camping, don't think I've ever perspired so much in my life!! I was so hot. Last time I remember sweating so much was in Italy when I was 9, I'm sure my family can vouch for that! So, we went straight in the pool, set up our tent, then walked down to the lagoon and in the pool again! Since then just laying in the shade as the sun is killing me off!! Meeting up later with the people we met on the boat, hopefully a tame night!
Tomorrow we're getting on the bus at 9am and going to Townsville, about 5 hours away. We'll then get a ferry to Magnetic island where we're staying for 2 nights before our final leg of the east coast up to Cairns. There's loads to do in Cairns and further north so we're spending a week up there. We fly to Darwin on the 21st for 4 days and then Australia will be over