diaryofapom.com

Memoires of a tour of Australia

We arrived at Airlie Beach with our ears full of hype, that had been pushed onto us by just about everyone we have met along the way. All of them said that it was one of the ‘must-see’ places in Queensland, and that we must try to get to it on our way down. Well we did, and whilst it is OK for a day, I am glad we aren’t staying any longer than that.

Airlie is a very touristy town, which fails to deliver on what is expected. Don’t get me wrong, it is a perfectly nice place to visit, but not for more than a day for us. It seems very well suited to, and almost purpose built for, backpackers but not so much for anyone else. If I arrived in Airlie Beach for a week-long stay I would be disappointed, unless I was staying a nice hotel that had everything in the grounds.

There isn’t actually much of a beach to speak of, the main street consists more of swimwear shops than decent eateries and bars, and it lacks any discernable air of sophistication.

The marina and the new apartments overlooking it are fabulous, and well worth a look. Walking into town past it all on the promenade makes you feel that the town must be something special; it isn’t.

The campsite we stayed on, SeaBreeze, was even more disappointing. For $30 a night we expect decent facilities but we didn’t get them on this site. They are very dated, in poor condition, not very clean and don’t seem to have hot water. However, the pitches are large and the staff are very friendly and helpful. But that cant make up for poor facilities when they are charging what they are charging. If it wasn’t in Airlie Beach I doubt that customers would put up with it.