Airlie Beach

i dont know anything about that spot but if i was going somewhere near the water for any amount of time i would definatly be taking my gear!

hahaha thanks Dave, i can always rely on you to hook me up... and hell yeah im going to the coast to the summer.. gooodbyyyyye Bungles:)

i guess my main concern is stingers, but not sure how good that will be for working on my nice even all over base.. theres nothing healthy about a blotchy tan

i dont know why i still call you a friend

negative batman, maybe if you were 20 years younger, female and hot, then id reconsider..

but seriously this post has gone off track, im chasing people and places to kite in Airlie hahha

Hey danny,
i lived in airlie beach for a year and heres the run down. Airlie itself is a bit of a swamp and no good for kiting. theres cannonvale beach which is covered with rocks and oysters, i kited there once on a northerly and ended up putting my kite into a gum tree.. no fun... airlie is surrounded by hills and the winds are very gusty, to a point where it will be 15 knots, then you will get what the local sailors call a bullet and it will be 50 knots... no fun...
The place to kite is about 35 mins drive and its called Conway beach, strictly flat water but muddy brown and its on the mouth of the proserpine river which is rumored to be the most heavily croc population for all of north queeensland.. I kited there a dozen times cos the wind is really nice but i never felt comfortable cos i didnt want to fall.. The thing with nth queensland is you gotta get over the mind **** of everything is out to kill ya....
If your headed to airlie to work on boats(thats what i did) eventually you will end up at whitehaven beach on whitsunday island. On the north end is hill inlet, on a south east wind you will have waist deep turquoise water and steady wind with amazing scenry(rate the number 2 beach in the world) but geting there can be a problem... If you dont have a boat you can go with a company called scamper that will drop you off and pick you back up at a prearranged day/time... you can camp there for 7 dollars a night but there is nothing there... completely uninhabited and no phone reception so its best to go with someone else and dont hurt yourself, but if you do theres always people on boat trips around so you can get help if you really need it.... Apart from that theres Bowen and the don river an hour to the north(butter flat water on mid to high and back again) and Mackay 2 hrs to the south where theres a bit of a scene... The Boys at airlie sails are kiters(met them after the gum tree incident) and you will see them around and there was usually always a couple of lads at the don and mackay but conway beach was usuall empty save for the kite buggy dudes...
If you you tube conway beach/kite theres some clips so you get an idea...
As far as stingers go, I lived, kited, dived and swam in the coastal areas and out at the islands and reef for a year and never had a problem but thats the luck of the draw i guess... Its hyped up a bit and all the locals dont even wear stinger suits, the boats make you now but thats more for insurance reasons...
For example my old captain had been working the islands for 30 years on dive charter boats and only had one person stung, not bad odds...(mainly on northerlys, after heavy rain and in summer)
So there you go mate, when the wind is on(wich is a lot) its really pure and steady, its just a bit of a mission and sometimes a little bit of a head ****... A bit of a case of less think, more do and you will get out there...
Definately take your gear tho, if you froth on kiting you will be pissed if you dont..
Have fun bro, say hi to all the hot euro backpacker chicks for me...
Oi BennyB

Benny, tnx!
"when the wind is on(wich is a lot) its really pure and steady" -finally there's hope! Best news since I booked my ticket to oz I'm gonna carry my kite stuff around on my trip and maybe I don't have to leave all my fellow hot euro backpacker chicks and drive to wa just to get some wind after all

thanks for the heads up guys, ill be travelling around the islands by the sounds of the contract ive been given.. so ill make a point of getting to all the spots:)