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  • next up on my journey is Airlie Beach, gateway to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands

  • Airlie Beach is extremely popular with backpackers and you can understand why

  • you can attempt every aquatic activity imaginable and many backpackers have

  • and that's just in the lagoon!

  • The salt water lagoon

  • was built to allow year round swimming

  • up here, you can't swim on the open beaches from November to May

  • this is due to some nasty little jelly fish

  • which can kill humans on contact

  • Of course where ever backpackers dwell so too does a lively nightlife

  • and many of the staff who work at Airlie come from overseas

  • so instead of interviewing an Aussie

  • I thought I might ask a backpacker what they thought of the Whitsundays

  • So say hello to Jenni Higgins

  • an Irish Backpacker

  • working in one of Airlie's many nightspots

  • Back at home I was duty manaager

  • for an Irish Airline

  • and traveling is something I always wanted to do

  • So I decided to come to Australia for a year Im now in Airlie Beach

  • and working for an Irish Bar called Paddy Shenanigans which is great fun, a great bar to work in and it's certainly very busy

  • Everyone who works in Paddy's are Irish we might take on the odd Scottish

  • considering they are very like ourselves

  • I think it's always good when you find somewhere that you like to stay that you do work there

  • because it definitely gives you more

  • of a feeling for the place

  • because you get to know more locals and the way they live

  • I mean when I travel up further along the coast

  • I will definitely continue getting more jobs

  • even if I don't need to

  • I would always like to get a job to get more of a feeling for the place and the way the locals live

  • I never planned to stay here in Airlie Beach

  • I was traveling towards Cairns When I got here, I enjoyed here so much, I mean the town itself, it's very laid back extremely friendly people

  • and I'm here now two months and I only planned to stay two or three days

  • So far in Australia I have found the people to be extremely friendly, very helpful

  • and it's laid out for the

  • tourism industry, without a doubt I mean there is just do much to do and so much to see

  • I mean you don't even know where to start looking at the map

  • the adventures, you have the weather to go out and do all the adventure sports

  • throughout the day, and you've got the serious social scene at night time

  • so I think Australia itself, definitely laid itself out for the tourist industry

  • and it is a brilliant, brilliant place to travel

  • particularly for the young backpacker You dont' have to spend a lot of money

  • You have great hostels to stay in

  • and everything between the adventures and social scene is fabulous

  • You know, before I left home, people saying, 'Oh traveling Australia on your own,

  • particularly being a girl, it is not going to be safe

  • I mean, a girl on her own, who is going to help if anything goes wrong?'

  • But traveling Australia on your own, it couldn't be any safer. Because I've met so many girls who are traveling on their own

  • that when you meet people, everybody teams together

  • and you move on, you meet new people all the time

  • so you are actually never on your own and, it cant be any safer, it's perfect

  • you know although I'm not a local here

  • I've been in Airlie Beach two months and it may as well be 10 years

  • because that's the way I feel know, it's like being a local, with everybody else and one big family

  • Now I was on a tight schedule

  • so I only had time to do a day trip out to the islands But even doing a day trip is well worthwhile

  • I got to check out the squeaky clean Whitehaven Beach

  • and I must say the reef snorkeling was just fantastic 0:03:53.489,0:04:00.489 hard life heh

  • Australia has it's fair share of creepy crawlies

  • and some can even kill you!

  • but for many Australian men, these animals represent employment opportunities. I mean where else

  • can you call yourself a crocodile hunter or even a snake handler

  • The barefoot bushman is such a man

  • His wildlife park, just out of Airlie Beach is well worth a visit

  • 'How many times have you been bitten' I've never been bitten

  • I've had teeth in me 26 times

  • but if that thing bites you

  • you're dead, aren't you

  • yeah

  • you can watch and get all cuddly with a crocodile

  • and even annoy some little critters yourself

next up on my journey is Airlie Beach, gateway to the beautiful Whitsunday Islands

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