Alex and I recently spontaneously booked a flight to the Whitsundays only having a few days to plan the trip. I would not have been able to plan so easily if it wasn't for Adrenaline, Cruise Whitsundays or Hamilton Island. The flight to Proserpine from Brisbane is an 1.5 hours. This was my first time flying into Proserpine so I was a bit shocked when I found out the airport was 30 minutes away from Airlie Beach and there are no Ubers! No biggie though, you can hop on a shuttle bus that synchronises with the flights. We purchased a return ticket for $36/per person which will conveniently drop you off at your hotel or airbnb.
We spent 7 days exploring the Whitsundays. Below I have put down our itinerary and how we spent our days in paradise.
✧ Monday: Flew into Airlie 6pm. Checked into our Airbnb - La Boheme.. ate a kebab.
✧ Tuesday: Seaplane // 2 hour Jet Ski Tour
✧ Wednesday: Camira Adventure Sailling
✧ Thursday: Explore Hamilton Island
✧ Friday: Hamilton Island + Helicopter Ride
✧ Saturday: Great Barrier Reef Fun Day Adventure
✧ Sunday: Back to Airlie // late flight
GSL Aviation
Sea Plane
Adult: $299 | Infant: $0
This was such a pinch me moment. I have always dreamed about going on a seaplane in the Whitsundays! We booked the Whitehaven By Seaplane Tour with GSL Whitsundays. This was such an epic way to start our trip and I couldn’t recommend it more. We picked the 9 am flight so we were back by 11 to fit more actives in the afternoon. We were also secretly hoping to beat the crowds (school holidays), which we surprisingly did. This flight package includes aerial views of the swirling sands of the Hill Inlet and 90 minutes on Whitehaven Beach. The perfect amount of time to relax, swim or if you’re anything like us.. take thousands of photos haha.
booked with Adrenaline.com.au
Jet Skiing
Adult: $280 | Bring a friend along to ride on your jet ski at no extra cost
When Alex and I were planning this trip, we wanted a little bit of everything. We wanted to spend time relaxing but we also wanted to do some thrilling water activities! There are so many fun action-packed options to pick from on Adrenaline’s website, it was so hard to choose. We decided to book the Whitsunday Island Jet Ski Safari which is a two hour tour and it was SO fun! (Alex’s FAV experience during our stay)
We did the seaplane in the early morning (9-11am), had some lunch (11:30-1:30) and then went straight to jet skiing. The timings worked out perfectly giving us some down time in the middle of the day.
You can bring a friend along to ride on your jet ski at no extra cost but I do recommend booking your own jet ski, it is such a good bloody time to have your own to whip around!
BOOK HERE
✧ If we had more time we would have done the ocean rafting ✧
with Cruise Whitsundays
Camira Sailling Adventure
FROM $209 PP
An affordable way to go sailing in the azure waters of the Whitsundays
The Camira is a speedy 85ft ocean-going catamaran that will give you a full day of adventure! It departed from Airlie at 8:15 which gave us time to grab a coffee in the morning before the big day. Before we got on the vessel we were greeted by the lovely staff and we could tell it was going to be a fun day. The staff are so friendly, professional, extremely knowledgeable and made us want to come back for another adventure!
We had two hours to spend at Whitehaven Beach which was more than enough time to walk to Hill Inlet (FUN FACT: This is the third most photographed place in Australia). We also stopped at a small reef for an hour of snorkelling where we spotted some sea turtles! When we came back to the vessel, we spent our time soaking up the sun on the deck. They made us a delicious gourmet lunch with soft drinks, beer and wine available. We returned back on the mainland around 5:45 just in time for some dinner and some drinks.
Click here to book your next sailing adventure!
Hamilton Island
#HamiltonIsland
✧☽
We hopped on board the earliest ferry to Hamilton Island because I could not wait any longer to revisit one of my fav places! This was my third time returning to Hamilton Island and it just gets better each time. We spent two nights on the island and I recommend spending no less than that. There are so many things to do. If you’re the adventurous type the island has over 20km of scenic walking trails. One trail in particular, Passage Peak is the highest view on the island with 360 degrees views.
✧ HAMILTON ISLAND APP ✧
I recommend you download this app before visiting the island. Everything you need to know is on this app including facilities, activities, opening times and includes a map to help you find your way around the island.
✧ HOW TO GET HERE ✧
Flight or Ferry
Hamilton Island is the only Whitsundays Island with its own commercial airport. It has direct flights daily from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns.
✧ WHERE TO STAY ✧
We stayed at the reef view hotel where we were greeted with beautiful views and cockatoos (oh hey that rhymed!)
There are so many places to stay on the island, click here to explore your options.
✧ WHERE TO EAT ✧
We used the Hamilton Island app to help us decide where to eat. I recommend booking for dinner especially during busy periods of the year. We went during school holidays and everything was booked out.
Where we recommend: Popeyes Takeaway for the best fish and chips. The bakery for some delicious pies! The Marina Tavern for an affordable pub feed. Breakfast at the Reef View Hotel. If you don’t feel like going anywhere get pizza delivered to your room from the pizzeria. I also recommend One Tree Hill for sunset drinks overlooking the Whitsunday Islands.
✧ HOW TO GET AROUND ✧
Buggy! You can rent a buggy from a little shop down the road from Reef View Hotel or there’s a free shuttle (check the app for timings)
Fly to the heart...
Hamilton Island Air
Another pinch me moment spent exploring the Whitsundays. We embarked on an hour long scenic helicopter flight from Hamilton Island over the Heart reef & Whitehaven beach. The iconic views from above are just incredible, a must do! There is so much to see, so many islands to explore. This is the perfect way to see the spots that are harder to get to. Why not see them from air! There views that you can never get sick of. You can spot sharks, turtles rays swimming from above. You’ll also see ReefWorld which is where we did the Outter GBR trip (mentioned above)
Click here to see all of the scenic flight options.
Cruise Whitsundays | @Adrenaline_au
Great Barrier Reef Fun Day Adventure
Heart Pontoon at Hardy Reef
Pick up locations: Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island or Daydream Island
On our last full day we spent it on the deluxe floating pontoon with Cruise Whitsundays. This is a must do experience! This fun day adventure includes a full day of excitement exploring one of Australia’s natural gifts, The Great Barrier Reef. You can’t go to the Whitsundays and miss out one of the worlds greatest natural wonder. When you’re finished exploring the reef, you’ll spend the day relaxing on the deluxe floating pontoon. There are refreshments, a buffet lunch, morning and afternoon tea supplied so you won’t need to worry about a thing! If you’re not a fan of the water, they have an underwater viewing chamber available for you so you can enjoy the experience from above. There is also a semi-submarine guided tour which is takes you for a ride along the beautiful ecosystem below.
all gear is provided, including wetsuits and stinger suits. Optional activities (own expense): guided snorkelling safaris and scuba diving
Book your adventure HERE
