Our stay on Heron Island was increasinbly compromised by bad weather until we could no longer dive, snorkel or even swim, so in the end we were quite relieved to get on a boat and head back to the mainland. The crossing was quite rough but not as bad as I’d feared and everyone kept their lunch down.

Back in Gladstone, we picked up a hire car from the airport and drove for five hours up the coast to Airlie Beach. Along the way, we passed through some classic Australian scenery – mile after mile of bush and scrub, massive sugarcane plantations with their own small guage railways, endless trains full of coal travelling down from mines at Rockhampton to the Port at Gladstone (depressingly, Australian coal is in great demand the world over). We also spotted some interesting wildlife –  Wallabies, Kangaroos and a White Sea Eagle. Fortunately no Crocs, – although when we pulled off the road to take a break at a deserted beach, we did spot several signs warning us to ‘Beware of the Crocodiles’!

Finally we arrived at our Airbnb, the ground floor flat of an airy house in Canonvale. Canonvale is a residential suburb just above Airlie Beach where every home seems to come with its own boat. It is perched on a hill with stunning views over the sea and out to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

We drove down to Airlie Beach and David booked us a trip out to the Reef whilst I ran around the town looking to see if I recognised anything – last time I was here, I was an 18 year old backpacker, travelling with my mate Jess. The town has really grown since my last visit. It now has a massive lagoon by the waterside which is a great draw for the backpackers as it is free!Apart from that, it’s just as I remember it – it’s the gate way to the Whitsunday Islands, a fun loving town full of bars, yachts and backpackers. Recent cyclones have hit hard, however, and many of the island resorts have been badly damaged. Even last week, Cyclone Iris, the Cyclone which affected us on Heron Island, caused serious damage here.

The following day we were up bright and early to take the 8 am Cruise Whitsundays boat from Airlie Marina, bound for the Heart Reef, a coral reef in Hardy Lagoon. Seen from the air, it has become a favourite Australian Tourist Board brochure shot, and is a top pick for many a romantic proposal, because it is in the shape of – you’ve guessed it – a Heart!  The Cruise company have a fixed pontoon at the Reef, which is where we were bound.

It was raining as we climbed aboard the large ship and the sea was quite rough, so the three hour journey was not entirely pleasant and a good many passengers were seasick.  Fortunately we’d taken travel sickness tabs so we were okay! Things picked up as the journey went on and the sun came out and we got some nice views of the islands.

Arriving at the Reef, we headed over to the pontoon and changed into wets suits ready to go diving. Despite the large numbers on the boat, there were only three of us in our diving group and we had an excellent dive. I posed for a picture with a Giant Maori Wrasse named Maggie. Maggie is so tame she lets you stroke her humphead and willingly poses for photoshoots. There’s one unique thing about Maggie – last year, she disappeared in the wake of a Cylcone and staff feared that she had died. But after a few weeks she reappeared. She looked different somehow  – her forehead was bigger, her colours brighter.  ‘She’ was now a  ‘he’! Maori wrasses are a species of fish known as protogynous hermaphrodites where some but not all females become male when they hit nine years old.

Later in the dive, we were lucky enough to spot a turtle taking a rest on the sand. The dive instructor was very excited  – David and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we’re now quite blase about seeing turtles, having seen several a day on Heron Island.

After some lunch and a lounge around on the deck, we set off for a second dive. Due to a strong current, this dive had to be cut short but even so, we saw some impressive sights, including giant clams and clownfish, which thanks to ‘Finding Nemo’ have become wildly popular.

The journey back to land was once again marred by the number of people being sick and I was pleased to get back on dry land. Despite this, it was a great trip, which was made by the diving.