Zone RV Update: Where Things Stand and What Comes Next + is Airlie Beach worth visiting?

In this episode of the Travel Australia Podcast, we share an honest update on the current Zone RV situation — where things are at right now, what we know, what we don’t, and what it could mean for us personally after years on the road.

It’s not speculation or commentary, just a grounded conversation about change, uncertainty, and navigating a moment that many in the caravan industry are watching closely.

From there, we shift gears and continue our journey north to Airlie Beach, Queensland — the gateway to the Whitsundays — chatting about why it remains such a popular travel base and why getting back on the road, exploring great destinations and focusing on what’s ahead still matters.

If you’re planning a Whitsundays trip — or wondering whether Airlie Beach lives up to the hype — this episode is for you.

📍 Watch on YouTube: - https://youtu.be/so5zong_zAA?si=dYee3WPOcAwHK57I

As a massive thank you to our podcast listeners we’re offering a 50% discount on RV First Aid! Use discount code FEELGOOD to take advantage of this awesome offer - https://www.rvfirstaid.com.au/

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Our Travel Australia Podcast is now LIVE and available on all podcast platforms, with a new episode aired every Friday night 8:30pm [AEST].

Subscribe to Jasperoo - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCceGx3esRSQBYZfWvf4KVtw

Our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/thefeelgoodfamily has a new destination video every Tuesday night at 7.30pm (AEST). We would love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram and our website www.thefeelgoodfamily.com 

Our Family Travel Australia Podcast is now LIVE and available on all podcast platforms, with a new episode aired every Friday night 8:30pm [AEST].

Transcript

New Year Return And Agenda

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to the Travel Australia Podcast. We have Paul Katie and Jasper from the Filford family. Join us as we explore this great country Australia, its people, places, and cultures.

Zone RV Collapse: What Happened

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Yes, it's the original Travel Australia podcast where we share the latest in all of the industry news, road trip, travel, everybody, camping, product reviews, get interviews, and so much more. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

This week, we head back from an extended, unexpected break. More on Zone RV and what is going on plus Airly Beach. Is it worth visiting?

SPEAKER_02 0:44

Hmm. Ooh, yes, well, I can't wait to talk about Ali Beach. But before we get started, Paul, we really should say Happy New Year! Yes, that's right. Our first podcast for 2026. Can you believe 2026? I'm still not sure how we even made it this far, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

No, time is definitely accelerating at break speed or ludicrous speed, as they said in that famous movie. So yeah, it has been uh a little quicker than expected this last year. And I think this year's going to be no different. And then, of course, uh to end out 2025 for us, uh, the biggest curveball of our time traveling. I don't think it's the biggest curveball of our life.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

No, oh no, absolutely not. And you know, it it's interesting before we get stuck into talking about the curveball, Paul, how time down the track and looking back on things and perspective and life experience and all of those things that happen really can take what feels like a a massive thing, the biggest curveball. And when you look back on it in a few years' time, it's it's not that big. You know, there time shapes how we feel about everything. And so in the moment, yes, it feels uh incredibly huge, and it certainly did for us. And of course, um, for those of you that have been following our journey, you will know that we're talking about uh Zone RV, our caravan partner, going into voluntary administration at the end of last year, which absolutely uh I think shocked everybody in the industry, particularly in the zone community as well. We were certainly blindsided by the news and um, you know, but again, it's one of those things I think that we'll look back on as our journey continues and and certainly won't feel as heightened about it as we currently do.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Look, it's uh been six weeks since we've been uh off the airwaves, uh pretty well across our socials and uh YouTube and then obviously here on our podcast. And I don't know, you as you get older you hope that you get wiser or certainly you you try not to repeat lessons and you try not to, I guess, uh react. You try and find this measured approach to scenarios in life and challenges. Uh yeah, you try and be more measured, I think. Uh but I don't know, I I still feel like w it's a lesson I've got to learn.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Yeah, look, it look it is. And you know, I think particularly too when um something is so unexpected, you know. Uh for us personally, we certainly felt like um we were going through stages of grief because there were all of those different emotions involved. And look, what we're gonna do is just give you a an overview of what we know, where we're at, where we're headed. Um obviously there's been plenty of talk in the media on social media and uh lots of opinions out there. And look, we s we really don't want to get into any of that. We just want to update you on where we're at and then talk about some really, really feel good stuff in the rest of this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Awesome. I'd love to know what's next, Katie. Okay, wouldn't we all? Okay, let's um let's talk about what we know.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Okay, so uh basically on the first of December last year, Zone RV considered a a leader in the the caravanning industry, uh it's an Australian manufacturer creating incredible products. I mean, we we love our Zone Van and have absolutely uh stood by the the quality and the incredible capabilities of the van the whole time that we've been traveling in one. Unfortunately, they announced uh in voluntary administration. Uh basically what that means is that administrators come in to assess the the state of the business. Um they have been uh unfortunately trading insolvent and a lot of people were affected, of course, the the staff. And uh I think um for us too, not that we were we weren't employed by Zone, we weren't a part of the Zone team, but we certainly have worked very closely with Zone and the team for coming up to four years. It feels like a family to us, certainly a community of not only the staff members, but also uh the owners and other people who are involved. And so even just that aspect alone was really, really shocking and hard to deal with. That uh such a huge number of staff were out of work and let go um at obviously a very um not ideal time of the year coming into Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

No time's ideal, is it? But No, it really isn't. I mean, coming up to Christmas, I I just it that's shocking to me. I I find the whole thing quite gut-wrenching. And as you said, it we're totally blindsided by this to think a premium brand uh with record sales and uh, you know, success month on and as you know, as we'd been told uh to to have been trading insolvent now, you know, that they they said at least a year, maybe two, it is absolutely we we are cops matt.

Creditors, Liquidation And Next Steps

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Yeah, look, and there's lots of ins and outs of it. Um what has transpired in those last six weeks is that uh there have been meetings of the creditors, so all of the the third-party businesses uh involved who are owed money uh from their dealings with Zone. Um we uh have been a part of that process as well. And also for uh the many, um, unfortunately, the many customers who have paid out varying amounts of uh money to have their very own Zone RV um built and manufactured for them. And so it has been uh quite a gut-wrenching um time sitting in on those calls, hearing the details, uh basically um if for anybody who hasn't been through this sort of process before, in a nutshell, administrators come in, they look at all of the records, get a whole scope of the financial and trading position of the business, and then basically make recommendations, which are then voted on by the creditors of the business. And so we fast forward now into mid-January. It has been decided that uh the business and the businesses associated with zone RV uh will go into liquidation. Um, and so that moves that into the next step. What happens from here on in basically is um uh up to the the liquidators to um see what they can do for these people that are affected. It is a long process, nothing happens overnight. Um, this will go on for a little while. I guess the the positive news or what we would consider um a bit of a silver lining for this story is that there are potential buyers who may be able to come in and resurrect uh this business and keep this you know Aussie made uh brand going and provide, you know, services to the already existing uh customer base and and hopefully be able to work with uh the many customers who have been impacted by this situation. So look, we are we're staying as positive as we can. We're we are hoping for a good outcome for everybody that has been caught up in this, and we're just you know, thinking of everybody and and sending lots of love and and also you know trying to make out plans for what this year holds as well.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Look, I think you're right, you know, with um uh something like 140 customers there waiting in the wings for you know part deposits paid or um you know uh a a large percentage of their deposits deposit paid and and then no van. Um it will be incredible to see what happens with uh the new buyers, um, whether they're just gonna cherry pick the assets or you know, really look to do something for those customers, although it's not their problem, um, but do something uh to help, I guess, resurrect faith in the brand. Like you said, like the the product is is incredible. It's it's an industry leader, it was an industry innovator, um, certainly earlier on, uh, but obviously the management of it was terrible.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yeah, look, definitely. I I don't think this is a reflection at all of the the end result product. And I think you could you could quite happily go and talk to any zone owner out there and they would say the exact same thing. They love their caravan, they love the adventures that it's taken them on. For s for us, certainly our zone, you know, changed the way that we travel. It it changed who we are as people in that we we seek now those adventures and you know, those remote locations, those dirt tracks that we we would never have even imagined ourselves going down prior to uh travelling in the zone, and we absolutely love it. So there's no question there on the product. I think the last thing I want to say, Paul, is that a situation like this um really does bring out the the best in people. Um and I think it is uh an opportune time for the industry to rally together and support each other so that no more of this happens, you know. Yes, it's it's a it's a competitive space and yes, it's a you know supply and demand, and we've seen the trends of of you know that that explosion after COVID where everybody just wanted to you know spend money and buy van and travel Australia. We've seen the ups, we've seen the downs, but again, this is just a reminder that I think uh everybody, including the the the you know, industry uh associations, the the the people who are overarching this industry to come together and really support manufacturers and and find a platform or a common ground so that this sort of thing doesn't happen. I mean, at the end of the day, not only is it sad for the industry, it's also sad for Australian manufacturing.

Community Impact And Industry Lessons

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Oh, look, it it is, and I I agree with you, and we've seen it across other industries, in particular the automotive industry, to so really to have a vehicle manufacturing um industry in Australia uh that is incredibly strong, uh unregulated, is that the answer? Uh, but certainly some form of protection for consumers that is better than what's happened here. And this is the third or fourth across last year. I mean this. And and tragically there'll be another half a dozen this year if this is the way that it's allowed to continue where uh the consumer needs, I think, better protection and um you know there needs to be a better system in place. So how how that's fixed, we'd love to hear from you. Drop us a line and uh and we'll go from there. One thing I will say people ask, well, you know, um you guys aren't employed um by by zone RV and you're not employees, uh, what do you do? Uh like all of our partnerships, pretty well, we supply uh as though we're like a marketing uh agency set up where we are supplying raw footage uh each month uh to Zone that was, you know, those incredible drone shots that you see on all our YouTube channel, uh images, those sorts of things that uh really it's hard to capture from a showroom or from the manufacturing plant. So uh that really is our role in the industry is to share not only our journey and our stories and uh these incredible destinations and places, but um but also to be able to work full-time and and travel. Uh, we work with our really that sort of ecosystem of premium brands to bring you the best quality products being used properly in the best locations around the country. So we'll continue to do that. We're not gonna stop doing that. Um, and this is certainly a chapter closing, but not the end of the story.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

No, that's right. And we'll keep you updated with our plans. We're certainly uh not not traveling. We're not not traveling. We uh we've got a big year planned ahead and we will keep you updated. I know there's plenty of people out there who uh just want an update. They just want to know what's happening, and um look, we will let you know when we know and once decisions have been made about which way uh we are going to continue our travels around Australia, but rest assured there will be plenty more.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Yeah, we've actually we've we've uh we've got a uh uh a well-earned break. I know it looks like we're on a holiday all the time uh coming up that is not in a van and it's not in Australia. And it's only for a week, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

But uh yeah, stay tuned for that one. We're having a a little bit of a sneaky getaway.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

We are, and like we always do, we can't help ourselves. So we will be uh, I'm sure, capturing lots of footage of that, and there'll be a podcast around that as well.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Okay, now talking of that feel-good stuff, let's get on to it. The feel good find of the week. Ellie Beach, the Wit Sundays uh region, 74 Islands out there. Is it worth visiting? Uh people, you know, oh, is it worth the sort of the detour in off that highway there, or should I just kick on to the tropical Cairns region and all of that? Like, absolutely. But I tell you what, when we've been traveling around Australia now full time for six years, this is the place we'd rather be. This is our retirement plan. This is where we want to, you know, end up uh one day. Um and look, recent weather, they've had a cyclone in the region there. So more than ever, is it worth visiting? Absolutely yes. Get on, book it, and get yourself to Airly Beach. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Yeah, look, we we love nothing more than supporting these local communities, particularly after uh things like this, where they they do need that tourist dollar to uh come and and help them thrive after these sorts of events. But look, I tell you what, you won't be disappointed. I cannot believe, Paul, that in all of our time travelling Australia, we have never spent any time in this Whit Sundays region until recently. And we did. We absolutely fell in love with it. I mean, it is just beautiful. What I I think I love the most about it, I mean, it's absolutely stunning. The colour of the water, it's actually the Coral Sea, which is this incredibly light blue turquoise colour. Perfect, different from anywhere else, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 16:00

It it is the picture perfect postcard. And I mean, you can look at all of these incredible locations around the world, other parts of Australia, but this is the place you'd rather be.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Absolutely. And then of course you've got those Wit Sunday Islands, which stay tuned, that'll be coming up in another podcast. But it's still got a very chilled, slow, relaxed, almost village vibe to it. I mean, Paul and I lived on the Gold Coast, and the Gold Coast, there's parts of the Gold Coast that are just absolutely incredibly stunning, sensational locations. It's busy, and it's been getting busier and busier. Those six years that we've been away from the Gold Coast every time we come back and visit family. It there's just it's so busy. Everybody wants to be here, right? Because it's amazing. Airly is as beautiful, if not more, but with a really laid-back village vibe where, you know, you're on island time even when you're not on the island.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

I I love it. And we probably shouldn't be talking about it.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

No, actually, don't take our word for it. It's terrible. Don't go there.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Book it, no, book it now and go and support them. Yes, business is back, the the beaches, the islands, tourism experiences. It's all open. Uh now let's talk about let's just run down this list, Katie. And we say it every episode, get on and check out the YouTube episode, Ellie Beach. Is it worth visiting? Uh it really goes into where we stayed, where we played, where is the best activity for you if you've got a week. And then coming up, as you said, we're actually going to go and stay out on Hamilton Island and share a week out there and what that looks like as well.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

So good. And look, we did jam-pack our time in because we wanted to get the the maximum experience for the time that we had. So we stayed at the NRMA Parks and Resorts, Airly Beach Holiday Park. Um, it's in quite a great location, actually, for us. We found it very, very convenient. Um, so it's a walk into town, and if you're feeling fit, you can go up over the hill, or you can take the beautiful boardwalk that goes along the Coral Bay Marina. You can check out all of those incredible uh boats that are at the marina and all of those really beautiful apartments and and residences that uh are out facing the Coral Sea there as well. So that is a great location. It's also next to a little supermarket, there's an Asian grocery, everything you kind of need in walking distance. But that being said, Airle is one of those places where nothing's really that far away. So even if you've got to jump in the car and go somewhere, you're kind of there within, oh gosh, 10, 15 minutes at the most.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, I know. Traffic jams there are generally waiting for the cane train or the cows to cross from a paddock to the the other.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

Yeah, or the kids at the crossing, you know, when school comes out. Like it really is awesome.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

These are good problems.

Our Role, Partnerships And Plans

SPEAKER_02 18:57

Yeah, they are. And we found the NRMA parks great. We were actually in a site that I guess you would consider up the back but close to the front, weirdly, depending, you know, how you look at the map and the layout. And we had heaps of room on our site. We we cannot complain about being squished in there. I know there was a couple of comments on our YouTube episode from people who had stayed, I guess, right in the thick of it in the park and said, you know, it is quite tight. I actually think that is generally the case in most caravan parks these days because vans are getting bigger.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Exactly. Vans are getting bigger, so are people.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Well, these and these parks have been around for a long time, you know, when caravans used to be those cute little like tin can shapes and families would go away and they'd be like no more than 16 feet. So um take that into account. They've got a great resort pool. It is really beautiful. The palm trees swaying, you know, it's just it's tropical vibes all around, and that's what we really love to put.

SPEAKER_00 19:52

Yeah, yeah. You know, get in early, snag your your spot, claim your s your your Lilo.

SPEAKER_02 19:58

Yeah, just don't put your towel there overnight. Night and you know, not be there while you there's lots of that talk in the um media at the moment as well.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Don't be that person, just rock up when you're rocking up and you'll be right.

SPEAKER_02 20:08

That's right. Look, it's super family friendly if you are a traveling family, if you've got your four-legged family with you. It's pet friendly as well, and they've got a heap of accommodation options on site too, and some of those are pet friendly as well. And a great addition that we made plenty use of was the cafe out the front. Now you don't even have to be staying at the park to come and enjoy the cafe. It's open um predominantly for breakfast and lunch, and then on a Sunday afternoon they do live music, they do good cocktails, happy hours. Yeah. So it's a great little spot there. And being an NRMA too, if you're in an EV and you need some charging. It's an EV, Katie. The electric vehicle, and you can come and plug in, and they've got charging stations out the front as well. So, all in all, look, we were very happy about our stay there. There are a number of different parks in Ellie Beach to choose from, depending on, I guess, your budget, what you're looking for, and also the location as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Location, location, location. That's what you're getting here. Yeah. Plus some pretty great facilities, really friendly staff, a huge reception area with all the tour operators, brochures. So you just, you know, don't need to go anywhere. But if you want to walk into town, you can. It would be about 15 minutes walk along the beautiful boardwalk.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

Or test the heart rate and go up over Heart Attack Hill.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Yeah. Yeah. No, it's just fantastic. We loved it. Really enjoyed our time. Very um, yeah, as I said, like a really relaxed holiday tropical vibe.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Did you mention it's right next door to the Wit Sunday shopping centre?

unknown 21:43

Oh, I did.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Have you been listening to me? No, no, no, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Oh, you did, yeah. You said BWS. I heard that bit.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

I didn't say BWS, but there you go. I said uh grocery store and an Asian grocer and a BWS. There you go. I was looking at the show notes, Katie. This is what happens. Story of my life. Is that what happens when I normally talk to you? Sorry? Okay, let's talk about some of the experiences we did because we did uh jam-pack in some. So the first one that we did was just took an around.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

I like the name.

Why Airlie Beach Wins Our Hearts

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Yeah, just took an around, took took tours. Now, we would recommend you do this. I mean, not only the value for money is ridiculous. But if you want to get a real snapshot of Airly, then do this first. And we have to say, Steve and Julia, the owners, who we were fortunate enough to go around with uh in the talks, are just awesome people, so passionate about their hometown of Airly. And I in our YouTube video, I was doing a piece of camera with Steve, and he said, you know, I just I love my job because I said to him, This is got to be the best office in the world. Like, what a gig you've got. You know, you're riding around on your electric bike and you get to meet new people and show them beautiful places. How can you ever have a bad day at work? And he said, Yeah, I love it. It's just like I get to ride around with friends all day and and show them all cool places and things to do. It's so amazing. So we would absolutely recommend you do this. Um, you can do them at any time of the day. You can also do like an afternoon, like sundowner uh tour with them. And he said, you know, often people will bring like a little eskey cooler bag with some drinks and sit in the back of the tuk-tuk. So basically, if you can picture or do go onto our YouTube channel and check it out because the footage is amazing. Uh, it's an electric bike pulling around a little two-seater um tuk-tuk that's attached to it. So it's cool, it's quite stylish. Just said, oh my god, they're so speedy. You zip around town and you can go everywhere. Like they even go on the beach, they can go on the the roads, they took us all around the different marinas. We just got such a great overview of Airly Beach and the the vibe. It was just lovely. A great way to start your Airly Beach uh holiday or or time here in the region. Spot on, Katie. All right, now the next tour that we decided to do.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Before we do, yeah, I just want to mention, okay, when you look at all of the experiences on that YouTube around Early Beach. Yeah. Uh we had a comment come in from a uh seasoned viewer who said, been watching since the beginning, but uh this looked like a blatant ad for Early Beach. And uh, you know, if if you're getting paid to do these experiences, you should let us know. Uh we weren't paid. It is that good. Like Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_02 24:44

Look, unfortunately, we're never paid to do these experiences, and that is the truth of it.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Yeah, and so we we just wanted to say look, we're never gonna stop, in particular, promoting family businesses that are Australian and that are promoting Australian products and services. That is what we do, that's what we've always done, that's what we're always going to continue to do. Uh, that's one thing. Okay, not to give that lady a slap, but just to say No.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Well, and you know what? She is right. It is an ad. We are promoting travel and tourism in Australia, and that's what we do by the very nature of our channel.

SPEAKER_00 25:18

Absolutely. And yes, we would love to get paid more um for this. You know, when it says at the top of our YouTube uh there's paid placement, I think you have to tick a box when you load a YouTube um clipper, and we tick that box. That is because we are partnered with many brands that appear in our show, um, but we don't ever do cash for comment. What we're doing is like we said, we we're basically uh supplying content and raw files for for these brands, anyways. Uh but one thing I do have to say is that Steve and Julia are dear friends of ours, and so they got a bit of an extra plug. That's true. Um that's because we we knew them from back on the Gold Coast, and they're giving it a crack, and their product is freaking awesome.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Um, but then the the rest of the tours as well uh were tours that we went and did, and yeah, they're just fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Yeah, and look, it really it really is an ad in the best possible way. So, you know, each to their own and and how you how you view that. Um, but for us, it is a hundred percent always about sharing the best destinations, the best experiences, the best people, and supporting these people in achieving their dreams. I mean, we're out there and we're trying to achieve our dreams as a family and our as a business and as traveling Australia, and then if we can help other people achieve their dreams, Steve and Julia are a perfect example, or the next tour group that we're going to talk about on the Sunset Cruise, or the boys went and did uh early morning jet ski tour that we'll quickly talk about as well. We're out there helping these people promote their businesses, in my eyes, there ain't nothing wrong with that. And honestly, I think if we all did that, if we all supported each other as a human race, then the world would be a really different place. I'm digressing. Now listen, uh before I go, oh we were on you.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

It's raining me in. She's gonna talk about the sundowner cruise, which is two of my favourite words in their experience.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Uh if we cover an experience and it isn't feel good and it doesn't feel right and we don't enjoy it, we just don't cover it. Even if we've gone there to film it.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Uh so we hand on heart stand by anything that we put out there. We just, you know, if it's a great product, we'll talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Great experience, we'll shout about it. And this next one, Sundowna Cruise, shit was good.

Where We Stayed And Getting Around

SPEAKER_02 27:42

It really was. And look, there's heaps of cruises that you can do in Airly Beach. Heaps. And so we did a lot of talking around and got a lot of recommendations. And this one kept coming up for being a very relaxed, a very casual, a very family-friendly experience. So that ticked all of our boxes. We knew we wanted to get out, get on the water, watch the sunset, and just have a really lovely time without feeling like we needed to lock into a dinner or spend a ridiculous amount of money or be um, I guess, in an experience that maybe wasn't quite suitable for us because we do have a nine-year-old with us. So this one ticked all of those boxes. It's great because it was like literally two hours. I'm pretty sure we met at the Coral Bay Marina at like just before 5 p.m. We were off the boat just after seven. Sundown at time. Oh, I know. It's a flat bottom boat. So um for anybody who's got any mobility or stability issues, it was fantastic. And they actually described it to us as a floating bar.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Which is why some people had some stability issues getting on.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

Well, everybody was very well behaved, I have to say. And floating bar can make you think, okay, party. It was not that at all. It was actually just really lovely, well done. Uh, you do get a free drink when you first board on the boat. And what I loved is that they have like the little bar set up at the back, and then in the very middle of the boat was like an island uh bench with seating on both sides, which is where we sat up. And I just love sitting up there like that because you did feel like you were at a bar, but you're on the water. And it was a really nice slow pace. Our skipper just took us around. There was commentary when there was need for it. It wasn't over talking. There was some nice music in the background.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Well, I wouldn't say nice music. Uh, the the waitress, the main lady from Ireland, was there and she said to us, I we said, How good is the playlist? And she said, It reminds me of every Irish wedding I've ever been to. And I said, Yes, it it is. It's like your ultimate wedding playlist. Yeah. I was hoping it was on Spotify so we could get it. And they played it loud. Yeah, they did. It was great.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

And actually, speaking of Spotify playlists, I'm gonna give us a little plug here because over this summer holiday period, we decided to create another Feel Good Spotify playlist. And it's actually called Feel Good Summer. So if you love Spotify and if you love listening to good playlists, we'd love you to get on and check this one out. It's free. So you don't have to do anything, you just search for it. Feel good summer. It'll pop up. You'll see it's by the Feel Good family, and that's a collection of our favorite road trip summer tunes.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Our favorite 100. So if you've got a six and a half hour journey ahead of you, yeah, this is for you.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

Awesome. Now back to Sundowner Cruisers. I mean, really, not too much more to say here, other than absolutely stunning being out on the water. We jagged perfect weather and conditions for it. So it was flat like a lake. Uh, we got to watch an absolutely sensational sunset, of course, which is why you're going to do this. See the sights of Airly from the water. Jasper got invited to drive the boat, which is always a massive highlight for him.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

So good.

SPEAKER_02 31:09

He's driven more boats than I have.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

His little face, I just I will never get tired of that that little face of wonder. Yeah. And sometimes I feel like I've got an alien on board. Because it's you forget that that moment when something's for the first time, and that oh, oh, wow, you know. Yeah, it's it's such a joy, isn't it, to be present for that.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

He did he gives you one look in the YouTube episode, you caught it on camera, where his eyes are just wide and he l raises his eyebrows and he's like, eh, it's like, look at this, dad. I'm driving this boat. Um, so that was really lovely. And the skipper and the the hostess, our Irish hostess, were really lovely.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

To be sure.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

Yes, exactly. And then the last experience that we did, well, really, that the boys did, and you can talk about this, Paul, was heading out with um the team from Whit Sunday jet skis.

SPEAKER_00 32:07

Look, this was fantastic. The thing I'm gonna say about this that we just either missed in the fine print or just did not know was that there is almost a one-hour induction where you sit almost like in a classroom style, there's a big screen. Uh there was the instructor talking you through the safety regulations. In effect, this is almost like sitting and getting a learner's permit for the jet ski. Because you've got to think you're going almost 70 kilometers an hour once you're out there. Wow. Uh and so not only do they go through the basics of operating the vehicle, but then they go through the essential safety operations for the vehicle, and then also everything to rescue and you know what would happen if it goes bad. And then you go down to the jet skis, and there must be gosh, I think 14 people to 20 people on each tour. I hope I got that right, with individual uh instructors. And they then reiterate all of the safety information that you needed about distance signals. And they they almost test you, you know. Well, they do test you. Uh so if you've got younger ones, and I think the youngest that you can go with is eight, so Jasper scraped in there being nine, um, be prepared for that part of the process. And it's the bit that you can, you know, see all the all eyes rolling, like, do we have to can we just get on the water? Obviously, it is integral to your safety, but also it's it's just part of it. So you suck it up, get on with it, listen, and then you'll be sweet.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Uh once you're out there, once you hit the water, you've got maybe five minutes of cruising out under six knots out of the marina, and then boom, it is all on. It it it is literally open water, islands dotted out on the horizon, and you are fanging it. Jasper is holding on for dear life. Uh I have to check if he was still there. It was amazing. And but I knew he was there because you know, uh, he wasn't holding on to me, he was holding on to his uh grips. Um, so that's why, you know, to sort of keep turning around. But I could hear him squealing.

Tuk-Tuk Tour: Best First Look

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Yeah. Yeah, so cool. Well, it's the first experience like that that he's ever had, and talk about getting the adrenaline pumping. Um, what I liked again about these guys is that they offer three different tours depending on obviously your fitness level, your adventure level, and how much time you want to spend out there. So what the boys did was like um an early adventure tour, um, which was the the shortest tour.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

An hour and a half total, I think.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

And then I think the the next two, um, one gets you out to the islands, and then one's not a full-day tour, but you know, uh lots and lots of hours. So you can kind of pick and choose. And it also says it caters for, well, every age from eight upwards. And um, I had fun reading a lot of the reviews actually, because a lot of the reviews were from more mature folk who said this is super cool. Like even us oldies can get out on the water and experience this as well.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

Yeah, absolutely. And they stagger start you, so you've got 40 meters. Yeah, I listened uh between you and the next um ski. So that's really cool. And we you wait, you know, you might fang it for five minutes and then you'll regroup, then you fang it for five minutes and then you stop and you look at turtles. I mean, you know, this this place is a a marine park, it is protected. There's six of the seven species of turtle found in the world. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 35:50

Well, you guys saw like seven or eight, didn't you? Yeah, not species, but no, yeah, seven or eight turtles.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

Uh amazing, you know, and so that's awesome. In whale season, they have had whales in the bay. Uh there's dolphins, do gongs, more bird life than you can believe. Uh look, an hour and a half, if you're new to this, uh and you've got a younger kid like we have with Jasper there being nine, hour and a half plenty. Okay. I I I think any longer it would yeah, not be it it'd start to lose its um the excitement part of it. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, so great for people who just want a a taste of it and still feel like they've had you know a full day and go on the early morning one because that's when the weather's best.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Yeah, that was really great. You guys uh set off early and then you were home early, you know, before morning tea times as well. So that's great.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Now listen, we're gonna wrap up, but before we do, this is probably the free highlight of the entire location here, and it is the lagoon and the the beachfront. I don't know, we've seen amazing ones. Cannes is a great example, Townsville, Yapoon. This is by far the best uh free lagoon and beachfront that we've seen anywhere in our travels. It is absolutely it's just picture perfect.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

Yeah, it it really is. It really is. Even on a bad day, it's still beautiful. And um we had lots of fun at the lagoon actually. And there's even this little spot where you can hire um like Lilo's or um what are they called, Paul? The deck chairs. Deck chairs, yes, those ones you can actually hire deck chairs and umbrella and everything from uh a beach towel to a sand bucket and spade to an eskey full of ice, um, and really great prices too, we thought we got two deck chairs and an umbrella, I think it was$25 or something for us for an hour to kick back, have somewhere to put our stuff, enjoy the lagoon. I mean, just for just you know, he gets in there in a split second, you can't get him out. So again, if you've got kids and you're looking for something to do, safe swimming area, again, obviously um something big you do have to take into account, particularly if you are in this region in the warmer months. So make sure you are well prepared for that with um obviously things in the water, the stingers are a big thing up here in this region and anywhere north of here, and also too, you are still in crop country. So again, just making sure that you are aware of that, not to scare you off, but just you know, preparation.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

I can see why people become complacent in paradise.

SPEAKER_02 38:33

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Get lulled into a false sense of security.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

Yeah, absolutely. So the lagoon's a really, really great choice. And then just behind the lagoon, actually, is a really great little gem. We had some lunch there, and it's called the Treehouse Cafe.

SPEAKER_00 38:48

Bonus, absolutely. This is the bonus.

SPEAKER_02 38:50

It is. You'll understand why it's called that when you go there. There's massive, big, beautiful banyan trees out the front. We were actually there the weekend that the Ellie Beach Festival was on, and so there was all of this live music, I think, in like 80 venues across Ellie Beach, which is just incredible. So we were having lunch at the tree house, and there was lovely acoustic young lady. I I can't remember her name, and I'm so sorry if that was you and I just can't remember your name, but you were awesome, and we loved listening to you as you sang with your guitar while we had our lunch, and it just really created that great vibe.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

Her voice was memorable, her name wasn't.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

Oh, that's terrible. No, that's not true. It's just because we've got lots in our brains. Sorry. And a lot has happened between uh when we were there and now we actually visited in November, early November of 2025, which is when we were coming back down from our tropical North Queensland road trip. And so that everything that we've spoken about on this podcast is from November 2025.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

I want to go back there now. All right. Now we're on to our takeaway.

SPEAKER_02 39:55

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Okay. Enough news and and blues and all the rest of it. week. This I think really sums up, you know, what we've been talking about in this podcast. Whether it's a brand or a beloved destination, sometimes the toughest storms clear the way for fresh beginnings, and that's where the real adventure starts. So bring on twenty twenty-six. Uh certainly for all of you out there, for your family, your friends, yourself, your health, your wealth, prosperity and the journey, may it be kind to you. And yeah, we hope that you you more than thrive this year. It's uh an incredible opportunity, isn't it, at the start of the year to really set good intentions, uh, but then you know you've got the time ahead of you to actually put those intentions and those plans into play and and uh enjoy the time that you have.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

Absolutely Paul couldn't have said it better myself, Dale. Well done.

Sunset Cruise Vibes And Playlist

SPEAKER_00 40:55

She's so lovely for me isn't she all right for now we will leave it there. Okay, next week Hamo oh yeah baby we're talking like locals Hamilton Island for now dream big look after yourself and look after your family and happy trails