It was a chill day at Airlie Beach on Day 5 of our stay. Everyone was tired from our big day at Whitehaven Beach & Hill Inlet the day before so it was a reading books, watching TV, playing games, sort of day. Just what everyone needed. You have to have a down day every now and then to recharge.

It was a hot day 29° and 45% humidity. I really wouldn’t like to be there in summer if that was a mid winter’s day.

Katie, Maddie and I went out in the late afternoon to do the groceries and a little surprise shopping for a birthday that’s coming up soon. We bought some nice surprises!

The kids spent the afternoon at the pool and water slides. It was my turn to cook so I cooked fish and sweet potatoe chips with a spinach, beetroot, walnut & feta salad. Delicious.

We were to pack up and leave the next morning and begin our journey inland. I think we’d all had enough of the coast and being around lots of people. So I found us a camp via WikiCamps at a farm stay on a mango orchard. That should be fun.

It had been a great 3 weeks traveling along the Queensland coast and exploring some of the places we’d heard of. We’d enjoyed our stays at Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Rules Beach, Yeppoon, Cape Palmerston, and finally Airlie Beach. We’d enjoyed walking on beaches, swimming, doing tours of the major attractions, learning lots of history and what each area is known for. It had been a leisurely pace with two night stays at most places.

Now it was time to head inland to Charters Towers and then on to the Dinosaur Trail.