Our second stop on our 2 week trip to Queensland, Australia was Airlie Beach, a resort town on the Whitsunday Coast. It was a short flight from Brisbane, and is the gateway to both the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, both of which were high on our bucket list!
We decided to rent a car in Airlie Beach, since we were staying at the Eco Cabins that were a bit further out from the main part of town. I had read a lot of positive reviews on the cabins and felt drawn to it’s rustic nature. And rustic it was! What we loved most about the cabin was the little porch that looked out to the vast green area right outside. We even saw a wallaby! The cabin provided everything we needed, including a bottle of champagne. š
We had only 2 full days in Airlie Beach. On our first day, we visited THE most amazing beach in the world–WHITEHAVEN BEACH! We signed up for a tour with Ocean Rafting, and met at the pier early in the a.m. to board their famous blue and yellow raft.
The ride on their raft was an adventure in and of itself. If you have a need for speed, this is the company to go with! Bridge was brave enough to sit on the side of the raft as it sped through the water, with her hair flying in the wind. As for me, I cozied up on the benches inside, but still had my fair share of adrenaline rush from there. š
At our first stop, we took a short hike and arrived at the Hill Inlet, which gave us the most spectacular view of Whitehaven Beach from higher up. It truly is even more extraordinary than all the pictures you see online when you’re actually standing there. The mosaic swirls of the white sand against the turquoise blue water is a sight we will never forget!
We then proceeded in getting back onto the raft from one of the nearby beaches, but not before we were able to sink our toes into the softest white silicone sand ever!
When we arrived to Whitehaven Beach, we got to spend about an hour there just swimming and indulging in the sand that literally is THE MOST pure and fine sand one will ever step foot on. Ocean Rafting prepared a simple buffet style lunch for us on the raft, which filled us up before we went on 2 snorkeling excursions nearby.
The snorkeling was great fun for us, but visibility underwater was just average, so we didn’t get to see as much sea life as we had hoped. The water was a bit choppy, but Ocean Rafting provided life vests and floating noodles for everyone to keep us safe. They also provided all equipments–stinger suits (because it was jelly fish season) and snorkeling gear.
The boat ride back was just as exhilarating. When we finally docked at the pier, we couldn’t thank the Ocean Rafting team enough for one of our best days ever!
Here’s Bridgette’s YouTube video on her experience!
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