Cruise Whitsundays are now offering a direct ferry service from Shute Harbour Marine Terminal to Daydream Island

Getting to Daydream and Hamilton Islands just got a whole lot easier with brand new ferry services added. DETAILS, TIMES.

New Cruise Whitsunday services mean traveling to the islands will be a breeze. Picture: Contributed

It’s now quicker and easier than ever to get to Daydream Island and Hamilton Island thanks to new ferry service routes.

Cruise Whitsundays are now operating a direct service to Daydream Island from Shute Harbour Marine Terminal along with additional Hamilton Island services.

A spokesperson for the Whitsunday Regional Council said they hoped it would allow staff, contractors, residents, and guests more flexibility when travelling between the destinations.

“Shute Harbour’s geographic location and proximity to the islands lessen travel times to Hamilton and Daydream Island by half,” they said.

“Travel times to Hamilton Island reduced to only 30 minutes and only 15 minutes to Daydream Island.”

The council has also discounted carparking in the upper carpark by 50 per cent and are providing reduced bus fares in an effort to provide cost relief for those using the terminal.

The direct ferry to Daydream Island will now depart Shute Harbour at 12.55pm each day with a return service arriving back at 3.05pm, while a new direct to Hamilton Island ferry will depart at 3.10pm and a Hamilton Island to Shute Harbor service will depart at 12.15pm.

The new ferry services will operate alongside the existing Hamilton Island services as part of a trial with the potential to become permanent or even be expanded should the trial prove successful.

The news comes after a silver award win for Shute Harbour Marine Terminal at the 2024 Queensland Tourism Awards in the tourism retail, hire and services category last month, cementing their status as one of the best in the state.

A council spokesperson said the 2024/2025 financial year was set to be a big one with in excess of 300,000 passengers expected through the terminal and three additional cruise lines making visits on top of the extensive list of marine tourism operators and cruise lines that already choose to utilise the terminal.