Heart Reef

Today started overcast and cooler than the previous days, so we decided to walk the 2.5k from the campsite to Airlie Beach along the coastal board walk.

Along the way we saw signs that the area was still recovering from the last cyclone. Just around the headland from the main marina was a little cove with a yacht mast sticking straight out of the turquoise water. The hull completely submerged! Further on we found another recent wreck smashed on the rocks... Boats cost a lot of money - it beats me why you'd moor yours right in the firing line of every Cyclone that hits Queensland!

In town, we found it was market day; Sophie bought an opal from a very nice man who turned out to be from just down the road from where she lives!

Then the sun came out.

By now we were heading towards late morning, and as the clouds cleared, the temperature soared. 2.5k later we were hot, tired, thirsty and more than a little bit burned!

That afternoon we arranged for a light aircraft flight over the reef. A fantastic experience with views for miles and miles over the Whitsunday's and coral as far as the eye could sea. Pictured is Heart Reef - about 10 meters across it was only 'discovered' in the '70s when tourists started taking these flights! From sea level, it looks just like any other coral reef... While we were up there we also saw a shark and a turtle swimming about minding their own business!

The views and experience were great, but the plane was SO HOT! 6 of us squeezed in a tiny little thing made out of balsa wood and sticky tape. Needless to say the blue peter plans for this plane didn't include air conditioning, and by the end of the flight, we were all starting to feel the effects of the heat.

Too much sun and too little ventilation meant that we both started feeling a little below par that night, so we only ordered one Martini from the new bar guy, and decided to have an easy day tomorrow of pottering in the water and in the shade!