Waterfalls at Finch Hatton to Waterslides at Airlie Beach

Awoke to a misty morning overlooking the valley, and after the usual morning routine, took off in Pearl down the steep windy road to Finch Hatton Gorge, still part of the Eungella National Park. A short 1.6 km walk saw us at the Araluen Falls, a spectacular waterfall and swimming hole. Dad and the kids braved the icy water, while Mum resisted the temptation and acted as photographer! It was very scenic, made even more so by the variety of butterflies fluttering overhead in the forest canopy.
From here, Pearl made a lunch stop at the Pinnacle Hotel for a "famous in the Pioneer Valley pie" - a typical old Queensland pub and a relaxing place to fuel up.
It was about 1.5 hours drive on to Airlie Beach, all the while passing through solid sugarcane country and seeing various aspects of the harvesting process. We drove into Cannonvale/Airlie Beach about 3.00ish. Our first impression of Airlie Beach driving in was of a larger Picton, and then of a hot Queenstown, as in a tourist mecca with a lot of backpackers. We checked into a BIG 4 holiday park and talk about one extreme to another. Last night was a self-registering camp perched on a quiet mountain top while today the reception was like a hotel, automatic doors and all. Still, we are in kids heaven with a huge pool, waterslides, jumping cushion, mini golf and so on.

A whole family game of Monopoly Deal before bed.