Downtime...

We are in tropical Queensland in the summer, aka ‘The Wet Season’ and today proved why the name is very apt: it rained most of the day and when it was not raining the humidity made you sweat so much you were still wet.

Anyway, we had no plans for today, a downtime day following the exertions of yesterday and a day to arrange trips to the Whitsunday Islands.

The Whitsunday’s are a collection of 4 small resorts on land and 74 islands scattered in the ocean in part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.  We have arranged 2 sailing trips around the islands for Saturday and Sunday: one to the lesser frequented northern section and the other around the more common tourist route.  We are both very excited, although perhaps Jonny more so than Samantha!

So with trips booked we set out to have a look around Airlie Beach, what followed had some unexpected twists.  We caught the bus again, not just once but 5 separate times during the day and all for $4 – VFM!  Unfortunately we didn’t always know where to get off and once ended up at Centro, an out of town shopping centre, but not exactly Lakeside.  Not a problem for us seasoned travellers, a quick look around the Australian equivalent to Peacocks and we hopped on the bus back to the centre of town – we’ve got this bus malarkey nailed!

Food has been good all day.  Lunch was at the Hogs Breath Café, an American Style Diner, and dinner was at the Shipwrecked Restaurant where after a couple of warm up cocktails (Carol – see the Ted Baker bag in the picture) we eventually got to try ‘Moreton Bay Bugs’: these are rather unfortunately named mini lobsters and we have to say they are very tasty.

Jonny would just like to make it make it clear that both plates were not his and he is not, as Samantha referred to him 'Jonny Two Plates'!

All in all, not much else to report: rained all day, got the bus, Jonny bought an umbrella (Man City colours), ate well, trips booked…now off to bed, night night.