Cowbright: Whitsunday Island (Airlie Beach), Australia

It’s fun to wake up in the morning, pull back the curtains and see where we sailed to during the night. Here is this morning's sunrise and our first glimpse of the Whitsunday region along Australia’s eastern coastline. After another night of coughing, I had no plans to even get off the ship today but after lunch I changed my mind and decided to venture out.

good morning, Whitsunday islands

The Whitsundays use their own tenders which are essentially speedboats used to transport passengers from large vessels like ours to shore. That turned out to be a good thing since the water was white capping and our smaller tenders would have provided a much bumpier ride. Theirs were also very large and air conditioned, so that was a plus as well.

Whitsunday tenders

our ride to the island

We didn’t plan to stay long because I’m still lacking stamina and also because Ronnie was hoping to be back in time for Team Trivia. We arrived on the island, then took the complimentary bus for about a 15 minute ride to Arlie Beach. The waters are so beautiful, blue and clear. However, the tide was out so we didn’t spend any time on the beach. In fact, kids were out playing and picking up shells where the water would normally be.

don't we wish!

We walked around a bit and went into a Woolworth – remember those? In Australia, they are not dime stores (do dime stores even exist anymore?) but large grocery stores. Ronnie is on a never ending search for hamburger dill pickles – the equivalent to his favorite kind at home. We did find one halfway decent substitute a while back though I can’t remember where. So the search will continue.

There are 74 islands that make up Whitsunday. They are known for their pristine white-sand beaches, clear waters and tropical vegetation. They are also known for their incredible marine life, colorful fish, sea turtles and dolphins. Without a doubt, Arlie Beach has everything one could want in a beach town. The streets were very clean and pleasant with lots of tourists and locals shopping or eating, many of them wearing swimsuits. The main street was home to colorful shops and restaurants.