New Brisbane

Living in Brisbane, with its proximity to both the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, it’s very easy for us to forget that Queensland has a tropical paradise, and one of the world’s natural wonders, mere hours away in our own backyard. And with both Virgin and Jetstar regularly running discount flights as low as $39 to Hamilton Island and the Whitsundays, there’s no reason your escape to paradise needs to cost a fortune.

Since moving to Queensland just over a year ago, I must admit that I’ve explored very little of the state - in fact, it’s a bit of a joke with my friends that I’ve only left the Brisbane CBD a handful of times. With my second year in Brisbane about to start, I made a resolution that I would endeavour to see more of what the “Sunshine State” has to offer and so when I saw the cheap flights up to Hamilton Island, I jumped at the chance to go.

Having lived on 3 different continents in my life and having traveled extensively overseas to visit family, it’s not often that I find myself getting excited about a plane trip. But, as the plane got closer to our destination, and we began to fly over islands and reefs in the Whitsunday island chain, I felt a spark of excitement flicker inside of me. And when the plane touched down at the seaside airport on Hamilton Island and I could see ocean and tropical islands out of my window, I couldn’t stop the big cheesey grin that leapt to my face - I knew this was going to be a great long weekend!

Though I flew to Hamilton Island airport, my four nights in Queensland’s tropical north would be spent staying on the mainland, as some free accomodation I’d organised with a friend’s friend who works on the island fell through. So the backpacker town of Airlie Beach was the next best budget option and after a quick ferry trip through the islands (with a brief stop at Daydream Island), I made my way to Beaches Hostel on the main street of Airlie Beach, where I’d managed to grab a bed for just $25 a night.

Beaches Whitsundays/Airlie Beach

356 Shute Harbour Road,
Airlie Beach Qld 4802

Phone: 1800 636 630
International: +61 7 4946 6244
Fax: +61 7 4946 7764
Email: airliebeach@beaches.com.au

Perfectly located across the street from the infamous Airlie Beach Lagoon and only a 10 minute walk to the Cruise Whitsundays ferry port at Abel Point Marina, Beaches also runs one of the more popular backpacker bars in Airlie Beach and you can find something going on down there 7 nights a week, even if it’s just a bunch of drunk backpackers.

One thing I especially loved about Beaches was their tours desk. Friendly beyond belief, the staff behind the desk will spend as long as you want planning out your time in the Whitsundays and were excellent in helping me save literally hundreds of dollars while helping me take best advantage of my time in the Whitsundays. For example, what most of the commercial tour desks in Airlie Beach won’t tell you is that backpackers and students can get a 2-for-1 reef & sail deal with Cruise Whitsundays, one of the local tour operators. And while I haven’t been able to claim the luxury of being a student for a few years, Beaches were able to sell me a Nomad’s backpacker card fairly cheaply, which let me take advantage of the deal.

Cruise Whitsundays - Queensland Australia

Phone: +61 7 4946 4662 (Tollfree: 1 800 426 403)
Email: info@cruisewhitsundays.com

Sales Office:
263 Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach

The first trip I took on my 2-for-1 pass was to Cruise Whitsunday’s Knuckle Reef Pontoon, for my first ever opportunity to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. A relatively new establishment, Cruise Whitsundays have specific zones in which you are permitted to snorkel, which ensures that the reef and its wildlife are protected from harm, while still allowing you to get an excellent look at the magnificent world below the surface. Needless to say I had lots of fun chasing fish around while humming the Jaws theme song. Throw in a fantastic lunchtime feast with plenty of fresh seafood, a bar where you can stay hydrated for the day, glass bottom and semi-submersible boat tours, as well as paid helicopter tours to Heart Reef (the world’s most photographed reef) and you’re looking at one fantastic day out on the Great Barrier Reef. It was truly an experience that you have to do at least once in your life and my only regret was that I only had the time (and funds) to spend one day doing it.

The second trip on my pass was Cruise Whitsunday’s Camira Sailing Adventure, which basically involves taking out a big purple catamaran for a day spent sailing through the majestic Whitsunday Islands, complete with morning & afternoon tea, a mouth-watering barbeque lunch and all the beer and wine I could drink in the afternoon, all while laying in the sun on the canvas at the front of the boat and watching the islands go past. A truly fantastic day, the Camira adventure also stops in at the world-famous Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. With powdery soft sand caused by the extremely high silica content and its aqua clear water, Whitehaven Beach consistently wins international awards and is a must do if you’re in the Whitsundays, even if you choose not to go on Camira (though in my opinion, Camira is the best way to do it).

For my last day in the Whitsundays, I decided to check out Hamilton Island, which has made headlines recently with its “Best Job In The World” marketing campaign. The day trip option run by Fantasea Cruises includes return ferry and bus shuttle, lunch in the Hamilton Island resort and access to all of the island’s resort facilities. As a much cheaper alternative to actually staying on the island itself, a daytrip lets you get a taste of what it’s like to live the luxuruous life without paying the luxurious pricetag. I spent the day chilling out in their pools, drinking in their bars, sometimes doing both (they have a swim-up bar), cuddling a koala (Hamilton Island wildlife centre is one of the few places you can still legally cuddle a koala), soaking up the sun and generally exploring the island. It was another day well spent and is definitely a place that I look forward to coming back to sometime soon.

The day that I had to leave the tropical north to go back to Brisbane was a sad day for me, but I know I’ll be back. The beauty and the tranquility that the north of our state has to offer is something that people spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of kilometres to see - and it exists right in our backyard. Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and swimming at Whitehaven beach are two truly “must do in a lifetime” activities and I can now happily tick them off my bucket list - though I’ll gladly add them back on just so I can do it again!

– Ross