Day Three Whitsunday Cruise...Airlie Beach

Day Three Whitsunday Cruise - at Airlie Beach

 

It was magical waking up to see the sunrise in the Whitsunday Islands, they really are beautiful. It was perfect weather and the sun glistened on the water and made the incredible view sparkle and shimmer. Our ship Pacific Jewel, was anchored some way off Airlie Beach and passengers had to be taken ashore by a number of tenders and catamarans to take up their various day trips.

Arriving at the Whitsundays

Airlie Beach

the Islands

 

Because our bus trip to the coffee plantation and Proserpine museum didn’t start until midday, we had a leisurely breakfast and went ashore mid-morning to do some shopping before the bus picked us up. It was fascinating to view the procedure of getting so many passengers off the ship quickly and efficiently, they really do have this down pat. When it came to our turn our passenger cards, which have photo ID, were swiped so they could keep check of who had left and returned.

 

Julie, Lynden, Barb and John in the Whitsundays

Loading the tenders

The catamaran we sailed on to shore

We were lucky enough to get on one of the large catamarans, and sat on the top deck to enjoy the view. It wasn’t sailing, but it was perhaps the next best thing. By the time we arrived at the harbour we reckoned we would be too rushed to get into Airlie beach and back before our bus trip, so Julie and I had a browse around a lovely shop in the harbour precinct and both bought outfits for ourselves. John parked himself with a red wine at a nearby café bar (oh yes!), and we joined him and sat having coffees and looking out over the activities in the harbour.

 

On board the cat

Julie and Barb

The water was so blue....
 

Julie and Barb shop at the harbour

Coffee before we go on tour

Our coach arrived and the very cheery driver helped us aboard. John commented that this was the geriatric tour, and indeed we were amongst the youngest on the trip. Given that my arthritis is playing up at the moment causing mobility issues, I fitted right in with the demographic!

 

Airlie Beach

beautiful harbour

Main street of Airlie Beach

At first we thought we’d made a terrible mistake with choosing this tour when the coach pulled over a few hundred metres after starting, just near the beach where there is a man-made lagoon, and our driver launched into a long spiel about the history of Airlie beach. He went on and on, so now it’s your turn for the abbreviated version! Its origins were a privately owned cane plantation which allowed a few fishermen to build shacks, and these shacks eventually grew like topsy into a town. Today it is very expensive real estate with waterfront views commanding millions, and it is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and all the tourism that entails. It’s certainly very pretty, and large resort developments cling to the sides of the hills to get the best views.

 



Our ship anchored

We eventually got underway and the spiel continued. Our driver was very enthusiastic and proud of his new home town, pointing out his own property on the way to Proserpine. We eventually turned onto the Bruce Highway, and could see the billowing smoke stack of the Proserpine Sugar Mill in the distance. Not far along we pulled into the Whitsunday Coffee Plantation. Our group had pre-ordered drinks and they were waiting to receive us. We sat in the shade of a long verandah while the owner’s wife gave a presentation explaining the workings of their operation, from growing to harvesting to eventually roasting the coffee beans. We had the opportunity to taste and buy their product. Julie got chatting with the lady and was highly amused to discover that they had originally come from the Sunshine Coast. A few years ago they knew nothing about coffee growing but wanted to move here for a better lifestyle for the kids, so they Googled “coffee growing” it and hey presto! They became coffee entrepreneurs!

Coffee plantation with sugar mill behind

Coffee making process explained

The end product

Hello Cocky!

At the Coffee plantation

Coffee beans

 

We drove from there through Proserpine to the local museum. It was surprisingly good for a little museum in the middle of nowhere. Some of the stuff in there took me right back to my childhood in Yeppoon. The 50s kitchen looked very familiar, as did the movie theatre complete with canvas deck chairs. It made me want to roll jaffas down the aisle.  The glass fronted shell cabinet looked just like the one Pop had in our house, complete with its display of reef shells. The whole thing was very quaint and twee but kinda lovable. John meanwhile sat on the verandah chatting to our driver, and it turns out he too had grown up in Yeppoon. Small world.

 

Proserpine Museum opposite cane fields

50s kitchen

Just like Pop's shell cabinet

The canvas chairs in the local cinema in Yeppoon weren't this new looking

Julie chats to a volunteer in the museum

There was just enough time on the way to squeeze in a final photo opportunity before getting back to the ship. When we were on the catamaran again John recognised one of the crew as being Skye, a girl he used to work with on the City Cats. Barb had worked with Skye’s sister Coral. As I said - small world.

 

Back to our floating home

A good day out after all

Loading up again

On return we all retired to our cabins for a brief siesta before meeting on the upper deck for drinks, while we watched the sun set as we sailed away from the Whitsundays. Our booking for dinner was quite late so we filled in time in the Orient bar for pre-dinner drinks. A pianist started tinkling in the background and it was quite pleasant. But then more people arrived and were encouraging him by clapping loudly. His performance got louder and louder until it was impossible to chat over the sound of it.

 

Tadius left us a gift

Sundowners in the Plantation restaurant

Buffet dinner

Help yourself

We moved on to dinner in the Waterfront and were seated with a mother and her twenty year old daughter. At most meals in this restaurant we shared with at least one or two other couples. Most were pleasant and chatted away with us, as did mum and daughter. It was a good way to get people mingling and meeting.

Bye bye Whitsundays