 Our next port of call was Airlie Beach, which sounded a nice idea, but, in fact, a place we knew nothing about. On arrival, we walked along the shopping street finding the usual clothes and souvenir shops. There were also some interesting bars along the main street. As we cut down a side street, we came across the lagoon and sunbathing area. This was a large pool cut off from the sea. It was easy to recognise the holiday makers from our cruise because of the brightly coloured green and white striped towels. On this hot day, we realised we should have brought our costumes, but it was too late now. As we wandered down the beach, we were impressed with the tranquility of the place and sat to relax for a while. It seemed a shame that the beach wasn't used more, but it was 'stinger' season and the sea in this area was filled with poisonous jellyfish. One of the downsides of the tropics! As, in the past, we stopped to leave our mark with a couple of sculptures made from found objects.  After a rest, we wandered back into the town for a drink and something to eat. We noticed many backpackers around the town and wondered where they stayed. As we walked up one of the side streets, we found the backpacker village. Airlie Beach seemed to be a mecca for young people; a place to stop off during their travels around Australia. This was quite an impressive set up with cabins, a laundry area, communal kitchen and eating area. No slumming it in this town! After exploring further, we started to make our way back via a small selection of market stalls. Here we stopped to admire some of the handcrafted goods, as well as the usual clothing stalls. We ended the visit with an ice cream and decided that this was a really nice place to stop and relax for a day; with just enough to see and do.
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