Big 4 - Big Bucks

Our R&R continued in Airlie Beach – the gateway to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands. We stayed at our first (and most probably last) Big 4 caravan park. Big 4’s are supposedly renowned for being the ultimate in family friendly caravan parks with big pools, playgrounds, mini golf etc. and we always said that w would stay at a few along the way to give our kids some play time of their own from time to time. Up until now we (and they) hadn’t really missed this sort of thing however the photo’s of the Airlie Beach Big 4’s water slides, jumping castle, and mini golf in our trusty guide book sold us. Once I made the booking I thought I might have to sell my right leg, or at least one of the kids to pay for it!! $77 per night is beyond a bit steep, it was bordering on mountainous!!!

The CP was certainly very nice, with the best amenities that we’d had on our whole trip. The playground, pool and especially the water slid were all terrific fun and we made the most of our stay. As we did in Townsville’s (free) water park, we didn’t get past he CP’s pool for the first two days however we did manage to venture into town on our final day and I was amazed how much Airlie Beach has changed. I was first up here in the early 1980’s on a family holiday and I have fond memories of Mum and Dad and my brother venturing out on charter yachts each day, sailing, swimming, snorkelling and even doing a scuba dive around the reefs and islands of the Whitsundays. I was next up here in 1993 with Leanne on our honeymoon (sailing on our own this time) and I remember Airlie to be a quiet town with no beach and lots of palm trees. Fast forward 16 years and how things have changed. The place has obviously been a developer’s paradise with resorts and hotels everywhere. Every second shop of the main street is either a bar, a clothes shop or an internet café and the mangrove swamp that was the “beach” that I remember has been replaced by a huge man made lagoon and promenade. We kind of knew all this before we came but I still couldn’t believe how completely everything (and I mean everything) had changed.

As we were to go out to the Great Barrier Reef when we reached the town of 1770 in a week or so’s time and with the hip pocket still smarting slightly from our last three nights’ accommodation, we bid farewell to Airlie and went looking for Billy’s spoon!