When time came to tick off the Great Barrier Reef I came across the Whitsunday Islands. Initially I wasn’t too keen, but after doing some research I came to the decision Airlie Beach would be perfect for what I was looking to do. And that’s what it basically is. A base for exploring the area, and unfortunately nothing more than that. Airlie Beach is a small town with a downtown consisting of a few blocks of restaurants and shops. Quite boring in my opinion… An OK place to chill in between the activities, which mostly happens from one of the harbours in and around town. One pleasing feature is the fairly enjoyable beach walk.
I arrived at the airport on Hamilton island, which meant a 35 minutes airport transfer by boat to Shute Harbour outside town. One of the most incredible airport transfers I have had so far!
Note: Photos are by Damien Dempsey (#1) and me (#2, #3).
It LOOKS lovely, but appreciate your honest opinion! Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin #FarawayFiles
Yes, great photos 🙂
I guess it depends if you are a hard drinking backpacker.. I’m not so Airlie Beach is not my cup of tea but exploring the coast is wonderful. #FarawayFiles
Me neither. Too old for that 🙂 Or I have never been. Didn’t explore much of the mainland, mostly seaside. But great scenery from what I saw!
I am with you. We spent a week at Airlie Beach once and at the end of it I wondered why we had bothered. It works as a stopover but that’s about it.
Ah, good it’s just not me 🙂
Wonderful photos! I have such fond memories of visiting Airlie Beach a few years ago! #farawayfiles
Yes? Maybe I should have explored inland. I went out to sea.
I was much younger and we enjoyed quite a few drunken nights so perhaps that helped with the fond memories 🤣
Ha ha 😀