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