Step 107 Bowen – Airlie Beach 81 km's

Tuesday 16^th August.

After a quick phone call for Steve about a prospective job (no, I do NOT want to talk about it) we headed down to the beach at Horseshoe Bay. Very pleasant it was too. The bay is horseshoe shaped (how did these early explorers have the imagination to travel half way round the world without a map and yet completely lose that imagination when it came to naming things?)

Steve swam here
Well a bit to the right actually

Realising that we haven't actually had a swim in the ocean for a long while (more than 5,000 kilometres?) and given there were plenty of people in the water, Steve braved it and dived in. Not quite as warm as I was hoping but a lot warmer than Torquay (on a good day).

After an exhausting drive (81 km's) we arrived in Airlie Beach and checked into the Seabreeze CP for two nights. The park is currently being renovated and the amenities could do with a bit of work but they have a new swimming pool, the sites are a nice size, we managed to get one with a bit of shade, and it is nicely positioned. Just across the road from the pathway and boardwalk and with a view to the islands from the front gate.

Taking advantage of the pathway we headed off for a walk after lunch and ended up at the marina. 

There are a LOT of boats up this way. Yachts, motor yachts, small and big. A lot of money floating around out there. There seems to be some sort of sailing comp on at the moment and as we walked along quite a few of the racers were heading in to the docks. Hope there were multiple races because some of them were a long way behind the first ones we saw come in. 

Just to keep the sugar levels up for the walk we had a magnum ice cream each.

Wednesday 17^th August

Pottered around in the morning then a quick bit of retail therapy. Di finally convinced me to get a new pair of shorts. The two pairs I have been wearing the most I picked up in Phuket a few years ago (for $5 each) and they are both aging badly. One pair has the back pocket hanging off and (small) holes in the legs and the elastic in the other pair struggles to cope when I have too much weight in the pockets. Di reckons I am too old to be showing my jocks like a skater boy. Particularly since the jocks are Target not Calvin Klein.

In a burst of energy I took off in the afternoon for a walk along the board walk. 

If you take a photo directly into the sun it makes it look darker than it really is

This time I walked the 3 kilometers all the way to Airlies pool, which turns out to be a massive lagoon style swimming pool in the town itself. The pool must be 150 metres long and very well designed with a bridge across the middle, life guards and lots of “beautiful people”. This is definitely not a Grey Nomad hang out.

A brisk walk back, no ice cream today, and there was just enough time to kick back with a good book and wait for wine o'clock to arrive.

My day was then spoiled when I received an email update from the author of my (and Vicki's) favourite author Lee Child. Ordinarily I look forward to an email from my old mate Lee, with an update on when the next Jack Reacher book is being published. But today! What should have been brilliant news ie they are in pre-production for the first Reacher movie, is destroyed by the news that Tom Cruise has been cast as the hero, Jack Reacher. Now don't get me wrong, I actually love Tom Cruise's work. I have no problems with his couch performances and I cast no aspersions on any man's religion. Here's the problem, the character he is to portray, Jack Reacher, is 6 foot 5 and weighs 250lbs. He is a giant of a man. It is key in all the stories. Tom Cruise is 5 foot 7 and weighs no more than 160 lbs. It is a travesty, it is a crime against nature it is just plain wrong. The author has now gone on record as saying that Reacher's size is a "metaphor" for his power. I'm going on record to say the authors greed for Hollywood money is a methaphor for his gigantic cop out and he is severely annoying his fan base.

Proof readers note: Steve, stop hitting the keys so hard. Steve, breathe. It's only a book series, it's only a movie.

OK,I'm fine now. Let's move on. Airlie beach, very nice spot. Well worth a visit. Even more so if you own a multi million dollar yacht.