Mission Beach to Airlie Beach

I am getting very slack staying in Mission Beach was so so relaxing zzzzzz oops sorry there I go too relaxed again!!We are going south we thought Townsville but it was such a culture shock after sleepy Mission Beach its busy busy busy.So much traffic,so many people,planes and chinook helicopters we decided not to stay as planned and headed on to a tiny little place called Giru to free camp.The Burdekin bridge between Ayr and Home hill is a massive structure with crisscross metal struts along the side and top it was built to stop the two towns being cut off when the river floods.

The Bruce Highway goes through acres and acres of sugar cane with the train track crisscrossing across the road and dissapearing into the fields,I wonder how many acres of cane there are.You know you are coming to a sugar town when you see the chimney belching out smoke,its a busy time of year now the cutting season.It makes you stop and think when you get a spoon of sugar how much work and time it takes to produce it.Next stop was Bowen I was so looking forward to seeing it,I was so dissapointed,there are some lovely scenic bays,but very little boating.Though we did have a very interesting chat with a lady in the info centre,she had been a volunteer on the set of the Australia movie.She had met them all Hugh Jackman,Brian Brown,Nicolle and Keith Urban she had some great stories to tell,we have a great story to tell about Bowen too but thats not for all,far too shocking!!!Well now we are in Flametree just along from Airlie Beach and the beautiful Whitsundays it is so beautiful,boats boats and more boats,heaven!We went out sailing just 5 of us out to a tiny island,snokelling,lunch on a deserted beach,and Jeff took the helm nearly all the way back which made his day,it really was a great trip.We are here for a few weeks,well thats the plan but things do seem to change quite a bit,more sailing we must go to the most famous Whitehaven beach and I want to go in a seaplane to Hayman Island more of that in my next blog.Whats next?well we have just stuffed our faces on the most delicious strawberries,then a swim then some lunch I think,and the good news is we have missed the winter completly yay!