Day 1: K'gari (Fraser Island) to Brisbane
Getting from one beach town to another by plane was not easy. We couldn’t find a direct flight or even a one-stop flight that made sense, so we flew to Brisbane, spent a night at the airport, and flew to Airlie Beach the next day. It was a clear day so we had nice views of the coast from the plane.
Day 2: Brisbane to Airlie Beach
The following morning we flew to Airlie Beach. We booked a shuttle to get us into town. That was actually entertaining. The driver was a hoot, and since there were a few locals on the shuttle, we got to see some real neighborhoods. After we dropped our bags at our hotel we ended into Woolworths for breakfast, dinner for tomorrow night, and booze.
The terrace outside our room is situated for prime sunset viewing and we took full advantage.
A local cockatoo put on a show doing cockatoo things. We also had a nice chat with our host.
Day 3: Whitsunday Island Tour
We caught the sunrise over the other side of the bay as we walked over to the port for our Whitsunday Island tour. That is the main reason we’re here: to visit that island.
And yeah, I can understand why Whitehaven Beach ends up on so many “best beach” lists. That’s Hill Inlet pictured below.
We were back in time to catch the sunset again. We bought stuff to make sandwiches yesterday because we thought we’d be tired and dirty when we got back, and we were. It was nice to not have to eat out.
Day 4: Airlie Beach Coast Walk
Airlie Beach is known as a backpacker beach town, and it is. (The fact that we arrived on St Patrick’s Day probably only accentuated that.) Lots of young drunk people. We probably would have loved it 40 years ago. It’s not bad now. Some of the bars downtown were kind of load but not unbearable walking by, and where we stayed outside of town it was quiet.
Today we walked the boardwalk that stretches from the lagoon in downtown Airlie Beach along the coast. It was a nice stroll, even if we were chased under cover by rain once or twice.
And we had another beautiful sunset to finish up our stay in Airlie Beach.
Essentials
Lodging
We forgot to take any photos of our studio at Sunlit Waters in Airlie Beach. The photos on their website are representational. It was a nice studio with room to eat and a table out on the shared terrace overlooking the pool. The only downside is it was up a steep hill from downtown, but that’s how you get that view. Our host was lovely. We had a couple of nice chats and he let us do a later check out while we waited for our shuttle.
Our room at the ibis at Brisbane airport was smallish with one nightstand , clearly designed more for the single guest. Convenient free bus to Skygate for Woolworth (breakfast, dinner) and Dan Murphy. Easy signed walk from domestic terminal.
Dining
We had pizza and interesting beef tacos at The Deck in Airlie Beach. Otherwise we got stuff from the supermarket and ate in our room. There were other interesting sounding restaurants in Airlie Beach, we just weren’t in the mood to eat out.
Transportation
We flew in and out of Airlie Beach. We booked a shuttle with Heart of Reef Shuttles to and from the airport. We booked through the Sailing Whitsundays website but it looks like they have their own website now too. It was timely, well-organized, and actually fun. Otherwise we walked everywhere in Airlie Beach. Be aware there are steep hills in the area.
The Brisbane airport has a free shuttle that runs regularly to the nearby Skygate shopping center that has restaurants, a large Woolworth’s supermarket, and a Dan Murphy (bottle shop aka liquor store). That was handy. So was being able to walk between the airport and our hotel.