March 7 - Australia: Airlie Beach, Queensland

I woke up and went for a run this morning.  Jon had planned on running with me, but he didn't sleep well last night so I left him in bed.  So this was my last run along the Esplanade, and while it was slightly bittersweet, it was also a very tough run because of the heat and whatnot.  Good riddance Esplanade!

Back at home (*sigh*... "home"!) I woke up Jon and we finished up our packing.  We turned in the keys, loaded up the rest of the truck, and waved good-bye to our lovely little townhouse.

On the Road Again

After stopping by two or three places in Cairns, we hopped on the Bruce Highway and headed south.  Next stop: Airlie Beach!

Being on the road again is a strange feeling after 3 months of domesticity and familiarity.  The truck is PACKED with our stuff, and we have no idea where it all came from.  Granted, the much-used Wok won't make the overseas trip with us, but the scuba equipment, cooler, and tent will.  And we're really wondering how we're going to fit all this junk in a little car to drive across the US.

The drive to Airlie Beach was a long one - about six hours.  And despite Jon's proclamation that we would split the driving, he refused to give up the wheel.  The boy loves to drive.

Along the way, we had to stop for some photos of the various crops we passed.

Sugar Cane

Mango Cove

We also saw pineapples, corn, sugarcane, papaws, bananas, and a lot of other stuff which we couldn't name if our lives depended on it.  Jon is also on a mission for all the crazy "crossing" signs we see.  He's taken a few on his camera, but here's one from the digital:

'Roo Crossing!

We've seen a number of dead wallabies on the road.  Australian road kill, and much like our possums in the US I guess.

Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach is another big backpacker's paradise, and is also the departure point for sailing the Whitsunday Islands.  We got to Airlie about 6:30 and drove around looking for a decent hostel to stay at.  Jon did the tours of three before we finally ran across one called the Seaside Backpackers, or something like that.  He looked at four different rooms here, and was shocked at the prices and the size of the rooms.  While he was looking, I waited in the truck and snapped some pictures of the lovely Airlie Beach sunset.  

Sunset from Airlie Beach

Sunset from Airlie Beach Part Deux

We didn't end up staying at the backpacker place, but the very kind woman at the desk directed us to a holiday apartment complex just outside of town called the Whitsunday Ocean View Apartments.  It sounded nice, and while it was a few dollars more than we wanted to spend, it was late and we were hungry.  It also required a two-night stay.  At that point, we didn't care.  Just give us an air-conditioned room with a stove.  The apartment was fine, although not the prettiest we'd ever seen.  We decided later that we've been spoiled by our little townhouse and the hostels in New Zealand.  But if we're going to be part of the backpacker scene here in Oz, we're going to have to suck it up and slum it sometimes.

If it makes me feel any better, the apartment did have a serious ant problem. 

The Plan for the Next Few Weeks

Our host, Mim McKew, wanted to know if she could book any sailing trips for us around the Whitsundays.  We chatted with her about it, but we were just too knackered (Australian for tired) to make a decision right away.  Later, we decided to nix the sailing trip.  There are other things we'd rather do in Australia.  Mainly, we want to get out of the sweltering tropics and head south where the weather is slightly cooler.  

So we got started cooking dinner and went to bed.