To tour or not to tour????????

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I hate hostels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So we rolled up on Airlie beach having booked the cheapest beds in town and with a feeling of dread that we were heading to a 'Party Hostel'. We were right, and were faced with loads of dorms filled with 18-25 year olds pissing it up every night on Daddies money.

For some reason, all these people seem to have had hand grenades planted in their bags and as soon as the bags are dropped in the middle of the floor the whole bag explodes and clothes fly everywhere with no regard to them being clean or dirty.................Yes I've seen skids!!!!

Did I tell you about the biggest mistake we've made so far on this trip????????? plus a little tip for others................Go West coast, stay well away from the east coast unless of course you love 18-30 holidays.

Nic - Hmmmm......Slight exaggeration, yes, the majority of our time here so far, has left us feeling like cheapskates in need of our zimmer-frames, but I think that if you had your own transport, and so could get off the "Greyhound" bus route, then there are probably loads of quiet little towns and beaches minus the "recently graduated". Unfortunately, we chose the "hop-on, hop-off" Bus pass for the East Coast, as we wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef, and also because it was the cheapest option! Anyway, we shouldn't grumble, we're still in a beautiful country, with really friendly locals and quite a lot of sunshine......I just can't help thinking that this huge country has so much more to offer and we're more upset with our stupid decision than anything else!!........We'll stop wingeing now and try to make the most of it!

So, back to Airlie Beach. This is the launching point from the mainland to the beautiful archipelago of The Whitsunday Islands.....Cyrstal clear waters and white sandy beaches.....oh and an abundance of daytrippers and boozed up tour groups ruining the serenity! It was at this point that we needed to make a decision. Do we spend out for a tour or do we move on?? By chance a light came shining through the cloud of indecision, and we stumbled across an outstanding diving opportunity.....But for this you will have to see the next blog!

Suffice to say, we gritted our teeth and bore the crowds of travellers and "Schoolies" which decended on the town (having just finished school for the year and hell bent on going crazy!!) and relaxed by the lagoon for a couple of days, feeling sorry that we were missing the beautiful islands, but eagerly anticipating the next level in our diving experiences.

Dan - I suppose a good thing about here is the fact that you can get your hands on a decent portion of Fish n Chips, so for dinner we russled up a few supermarket bought extra's, and treated ourselves to one portion of the greasy stuff....talk about innovative budgeting!!!

As Nic has already ready told you we decided to sack the Island tours and head down to Rainbow beach to meet Kev an ex-Australian special forces diver for something a little different!!!!

Keep an eye out for then,

Us
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Photos

A make-shift meal...
...Splashed out on one portion of Fish and Chips and cooked the rest!