How to do Queensland’s dreamiest islands without breaking the budget

Airlie Beach is an entry point to the Whitsundays, 74 islands off the central coast of Queensland where life slows down and the Great Barrier Reef reveals itself in stunning patches of coral and schools of technicolour fish.

Make Airlie Beach your base.

Luxury abounds across the famous Hamilton, Hayman and Daydream islands – some stays commanding upwards of $2000 a night – but you can use Airlie as your base, be clever with your coins, and explore the Whitsundays without blowing your budget.

Stay

Cabana bliss at Coral Sea Resort.

Stays at Coral Sea Resort (coralsearesort.com) start from $290 including breakfast (a selection of pastry, cured meats, yoghurt and barista-made coffee) and access to the massive pool and oceanside cabanas. Some rooms have sea views and generous kitchenettes.

BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort (big4.com.au) is a family gem, with cottages, condos, studios and cabins from $139. Splash in the 32-metre swimming pool, play mini-golf and explore the animal park.

At Cannonvale, the modern, stylish Mantra Club Croc Airlie Beach (all.accor.com) has luscious pool-side rooms and family suites, palm-shaded loungers and on-site restaurants, with nightly rates from $150.

If you’re happy sharing your space, the recently refreshed Bounce Airlie Beach (staybounce.com.au) offers dorm beds from $60 and Nomads Backpackers (nomadsworld.com.au) from $71.

The ultimate family friendly home base: BIG4 Adventure Whitsundays Resort.

Savvy campers can take advantage of the campsites managed by Queensland Parks; they require permits and must be booked in advance, but start at $7.25 per person. If you don’t have your own gear, Scamper (scamper.com.au) provides return transfers to uninhabited islands from $94 and comprehensive kits (tents, sleeping pads, kitchen tools, snorkelling equipment and more) from $150.

Splash out Catch a 30-minute ferry to Daydream Island Resort (daydreamisland.com), revitalised after the Cyclone Debbie’s destruction in 2017, with rooms from $300 a night. Explore the 200-metre internal living reef with resident marine biologists. Want to take it up many notches? Book Camp Island Lodge (campisland.com.au) for $2800 a night and revel in the privacy of your own island (no, really).

On land

The 50-metre man-made Airlie Beach Lagoon has year-round lifeguards and is frequented by swimmers and sunbathers (who make the most of the foreshore’s surrounding green space) alike.

A mountain-biking track and skyway is slated for Airlie Beach by 2027, but the best way to explore Conway National Park on two wheels now is with Bike and Hike Whitsunday (bikeandhikewhitsunday.com.au). Small-group tours zip through 23 kilometres of tropical rainforest on powerful e-bikes that adjust to the landscape. On foot, try the three-day Conway Circuit walk or the gentler one-hour Airlie Creek Track, or earn the view from Honeyeater Lookout after a steep three-hour hike.

Bowen has eight stunning beaches and the 10-metre-tall Big Mango. Find mango sorbet made with the local fruity favourite at the Visitor Centre. While in Bowen, check out the 28 murals depicting Australian history, which have been a street-art fixture here since the 1980s.

Splash out Embrace a higher altitude with a 70-second tandem freefall from 15,000 feet with Skydive Airlie Beach (skydive.com.au). For $309, you’ll travel at over 200 kilometres an hour above Whitehaven Beach, the marina, the lush rainforest and countless shades of blue.

On water

Ocean Rafting’s Southern Lights trip also stops at the iconic Whitehaven Beach.

Family-owned Salty Dog Sea Kayaking (saltydog.com.au) offers guided small-group half-day kayaking tours for $110. You’ll travel out to White Rock, past Shute Island, and through wild whitewater (with snacks and drinks at the halfway point) before the heat of the day sets in.

The 12-metre-long, bright yellow Ocean Rafting (oceanrafting.com.au) boats were originally designed as rescue craft, which allows them to hit high speeds and get into the crannies between islands. The Southern Lights trip includes two snorkels, a national park walk and a picnic lunch on the 98-per-cent-silica sand of Whitehaven Beach (the locally-owned business has the only all-access permits for secluded Hill Inlet). Snorkelling gear is included in the $220 ticket.

Explore the outer reef with Red Cat Adventures.

For stronger swimmers, try the Red Cat Adventures (redcatadventures.com.au) Outer Reef Snorkel Adventure. The fully inclusive $259 expedition lasts eight hours, covers multiple snorkelling spots (such as, if you’re lucky, the coral bommies of Stepping Stones at Bait Reef). It includes morning tea, buffet lunch, fruit platters and gear, and guarantees sightings of turtles, eclectic reef fish and reef sharks and – depending on the time of year – humpback whales.

Every Wednesday, Whitsunday Sailing Club (whitsundaysailingclub.com.au) members take punters out on the water. For $15 (to cover insurance), you’ll meet the locals, see the region by boat with a drink in hand, and return to the club to swap yarns.

Splash out ReefSleep (cruisewhitsundays.com) offers rare access to the reef. Sleep in a luxe swag under interrupted starscapes on the two-day, one-night experience, which includes all meals, drinks, snorkelling (and gear) as well as a semi-submersible guided reef tour for $670.

Eat + drink

Coastal-leaning pub grub at Northerlies overlooking Pioneer Bay.

Every main meal at Airlie Beach Hotel (airliebeachhotel.com.au) earns access to the all-you-can-eat salad and dessert buffet, which makes a $32 chicken schnitty with chips and salad extra affordable. There’s free live music most nights and the hotel runs a courtesy bus, so you can save on mileage.

Eastwoods (eastwoodsdining.com.au) has a very generous Asian fusion banquet (minimum two people, $70 per head): think spiced beef tartare with crisp cassava crackers and soft-centered “Thai-style eggs” in a punchy sweet-and-sour sauce.

Take the Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill (northerlies.com.au) courtesy bus from anywhere in Airlie, then settle in for dinner overlooking Pioneer Bay – or watch live musicians, kids devouring $13 meal deals and guests enjoying half-price buckets of prawns as the sun sets. The colourful cocktails are divine, too.

Crowd-pleasing pastas and great happy hours at Paradiso.

There’s often a line for the deal at Beagles Pizza (beaglespizza.com.au) – pizza, garlic bread and a 1.25 litre bottle of soft drink for $30 – and Whitsunday Sailing Club runs a Monday special of $25 for chicken wings and beer. Airlie has a large Woolworths and Cannonvale has a Coles. Cannonvale’s Prickly Pineapple is a go-to for fresh fruit and veg.

Sweeten the arvo with happy hour at Paradiso (paradisoairliebeach.com.au), where $15 gets you a strong, fluffy mango-filled white rum cocktail. Cocktails at Sandbar (sandbarairlie.com) are $16 between 4pm and 6pm, including three kinds of margarita and a zesty mojito.

Splash out Sydney chef Josh Niland will open a fish-focused restaurant at yet-to-open Hamilton Island hotel The Sundays (hamiltonisland.com.au) in early 2025. It’ll be within the luxury 59-room boutique hotel, rooms at which start at $891 a night, so plan accordingly.

Downtime

Airlie Beach Community Markets each Saturday on the foreshore.

Every Saturday from 7am to 1pm, the Airlie Beach Community Markets bring the foreshore to life with local artisans and growers. Bowen Markets are on Sundays – rain, hail or shine – and feature 50 local stallholders as well as live music and street food vendors.

Yoga studio Vibe (vibeyoga.com.au) offers an unlimited weekly pass for $59, including classes and mat hire; Mana Spa (manaspa.com.au) offers a 30-minute float session in a warm pool filled with 400 kilograms of Epsom salts for the same price.

Splash out Float into wellness-centric bliss with an all-inclusive stay at Elysian Retreat (elysiantretreat.com.au) on Long Island. Splash in a magnesium infinity pool, paddle through cerulean waters, practice yoga, and indulge in gourmet meals. A 90-minute “Drift Away” ayurvedic massage will set you back an additional $200.

The details

Visit
The Whitsundays are temperate year-round, but June to September has tops of 26 degrees and a chance of spotting whales. Peak season is from September to February. The wet season runs from January to March. The most affordable time to visit is outside of school holidays.

Fly
Virgin Australia offers up to 11 return services per week into Proserpine Airport and direct flights to Hamilton Island. Services run daily from Sydney and three times a week from Melbourne. See virginaustralia.com.au

Swim
Stinger season is late October until May. Most tour operators offer stinger suits, but be aware if you plan to swim at unprotected beaches, in sheltered coves or in slow-moving waterways. Boathaven Beach, Dingo Beach and Horseshoe Bay have stinger nets.

The writer was a guest of Virgin Australia and Tourism Whitsundays.