Feels Like 108º? Time to Shop at Favorite Aussie Dress Boutique

Day 43, 2025 Grand World Voyage

Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025; Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia.

Airlie Beach is a small resort town in Australia’s Whitsundays, a tropical island group that not only is a beautiful vacation spot, but also one of the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef. We are here in the dead of summer, and the heat and humidity combined to make it feel like 108 degrees, according to my weather app.

This area is known for its white sand beaches and turquoise waters. The ship’s excursions ranged from a jet ski safari (a blast according to friends) to glass-bottom boat rides, kayaking, sailing and flying over the beaches and famous heart-shaped reef. I went shopping.

I first visited Airlie Beach in the fall of 2022 and stumbled across a small boutique. I hadn’t really been one to shop for clothes while traveling, but as I wrote then, “I’ll remember Airlie Beach when I need to shop again for dresses – the selection here suits me just fine.”

I clearly remembered Airllywood, but I had to dig deep into my financial files to find the name and location so I wouldn’t miss it. An hour later, I left with three new colorful dresses and a blouse.

Just as in 2022, we used large boats from shore to tender in the long distance through the shallow waters. It was a bit of a tricky maneuver to tie the boats up so passengers could safely transit the gangway from ship to boat.

In the cooler November temperatures of 2022’s visit, I walked to town from the tender terminal, but this time I gladly paid $5 Australian ($3.17 US) for a round-trip ticket on a shuttle with aircon, as they say here. Once in town, I found things just as I remembered – in fact, I seem to have taken the same pictures so find it a challenge to post new ones this time.

You may recall in my last post I talked about all the things that will kill you in Australia. Jellyfish were on the list. Some are lethal so to be avoided, and some beaches provide the protection of nets. Many towns have lagoons offering safe swimming, and I saw a number of the blue-striped Holland America beach towels in the shade of the Airlie Beach lagoon.

Back on the ship, the Lido Pool area was full of preparations for the “Shrimp on the Barbie Party” – another in almost daily special events. Each one seems to outdo the previous. Various food stations offered chicken kebabs, fish sliders, shrimp prepared two ways and desserts. Of course, the beverage stations featured Australian beer. I joined friends at a table near the exit to the Lido Market, where frequent gusts of cool air kept the temperature bearable. (I totally forgot to take pictures, so Crissy was kind enough to share hers.)

We have fallen into a cadence of alternating port days and sea days. Our first port after Sydney was Moreton Island, a private resort with a long list of activities. Think of Holland America’s Half Moon Cay but with a hotel and a few restaurants and shops. Unfortunately, we arrived in the midst of a heavy rain that didn’t let up until early afternoon. I decided to make it a ship day for painting and never went ashore.

Valentine’s Day was a formal night, and most passengers dressed for the occasion. The dance floor of the Crow’s Nest was full for the Valentine’s Ball, but my favorite part of the evening was the Game of Love in the World Stage. Four Holland America officer couples competed to see who could match the most answers.