At home in the Whitsundays

27th. September  2015

Whitsunday Airport hosted the 2015 Airlie Beach Air show that took place this weekend. Thousands of Aviation enthusiasts from around Australia visited Airlie Beach for this exciting event.

Click here for a short UTube video.

The constant thrum of Aircraft engines could be heard all weekend and as I sat on my patio sipping my afternoon Cappuccino yesterday, I was delighted to watch the internationally famous synchronized stunt displays of the RAAF Roulettes. Over the years they have thrilled the crowds with their brilliant performances and no Air show is complete without them.

The weather was glorious so before breakfast Barry and I took Sasha the pup for our Sunday morning walk. We enjoyed walking along the board walk from the Abel point Marina to Airlie Beach. We particularly enjoy looking at the yachts.

The weather on Saturday was perfect, sunny and hot so we visited the Airlie Beach Markets and purchased some delicious fresh tropical fruits and herbs for my herb garden.

9th. Aug 2015

The suitcase is unpacked, the laundry is done, and I am in the process of sorting out all the documentation I brought home with me from my trip to Ireland. This may take a couple of days as there is so much of it.

As promised, I would like to show you where I live on the great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia.

At this time of year we experience the “Dry”. There are only two seasons in tropical North Queensland and as you can see the ground is drying out and hose watering is required to keep our plants alive.

My Bougainvillea loves the “Dry” and flowers during the cooler months. It grows lush and green during the “Wet” hotter months.

At this time of the year my Mango trees, all three of them have lush green leaves but shortly they will flower and bear fruit. The fruit will be at their juiciest best later November until early January.

Most of the more modern houses around Cannonvale and Airlie Beach are being built in the Pavilion style to take advantage of the cool breezes.  

Along the board walk from Cannonvale into Airlie Beach, there are seven golden sand beaches. We have a resident Bower Bird along one of them who builds his bower to attract his mate. This bird likes to decorate his bower with red items and shells that he collects from the nearby beach. 

The beautiful Coral Seas Resort has long been a favourite of Barry’s and mine. We often dine there and enjoy their extensive and delicious menu – not to mention the beautiful view across the Coral Sea.

Quite often Weddings are held in the Pavilion at Coral Seas Resort with the beautiful view out over the ocean making for a very romantic celebration

“Cruise Whitsunday” the Ferry company in Airlie Beach transfers millions of visitors each year out to the Islands in the Whitsundays and also to the Pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef. Airlie Beach is the closest location to the Great Barrier Reef.

We have many super yachts visiting each year and it is not uncommon to see the Hollywood Movie Stars, Multimillionaires and Royalty from around the world leisurely strolling around Airlie Beach. In the last couple of years Nicole Kidman with husband Keith stayed on board a yacht whilst making a movie. Also, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pit stayed in Cannonvale whilst Angelina was directing her movie “Unbroken” just to name a few.

“Whitsunday Magic” a casualty of Cyclone Yassie ran aground and remains embedded in the sand.

Surrounded by tropical rain Forrest mountains. most of the local people choose to build on the side of the mountains to gain a better view of the ocean and nearby Whitsunday Islands. 

29th August, 2015.

This morning, I awoke at dawn to the sound of a family of Kookaburras ringing in the new day – very noisily. We live on the side of a mountain in the shadow of a National Park, so we have lots of native birds come to visit. Curlews, Fire Tail Cockatoos, Sulfur Crested Cockatoos and various other Rain Forest birds.

It is a beautiful warm and sunny day here in the Whitsundays, a perfect market day and today being Saturday by 7am the Airlie Beach Markets will be in full swing.

It pays to arrive early because it is a very popular market and all the parking places are gone by 9am. Thousands of people visit the market every Saturday. It is very popular with both the locals and the Tourists.

The markets are also held when we have cruise ships visiting Airlie Beach. This can be 6 or 7 times a month.

I have been visiting the market for delicious fresh seasonal produce, colourful tropical flowers and locally made crafts since moving to Airlie Beach 15 years ago and over that time the markets have grown. There would be about 100 market stalls now.

It is a lovely friendly atmosphere and with the beautiful background of the golden beach and sparkling Ocean with Yachts bobbing in the background – who could ask for more?

Following our visit to the Airlie Markets, we visited our favourite place for Breakfast – “Capers on the Esplanade” and enjoyed some delicious Pancakes with freshly grown Tropical Fruits. Yum!