Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Tips Island or Mainland?
Does all this fun in the Whitsunday Islands come cheap? If you stay in a
hotel on the mainland, yes. If you stay on an island, no. On any trip to the
Whitsundays, you’ll usually spend money on watersports, sailing, diving
expeditions, and the like—all potential budget–busters. But standby and
package deals on activities and accommodations abound most of the year,
even at the most luxurious resorts.
range from small, low-key wilderness retreats to midrange family havens to Australia’s
most luxurious resort, Hayman.
The village of Airlie Beach is the center of the action on the mainland. The
Whitsundays are just as good a stepping stone to the outer Great Barrier Reef
as Cairns—some people think it is better because you don’t have to make the
90-minute trip to the Reef before you hit coral. Just about any Whitsunday
island has fringing reef around its shores, and there are good snorkeling reefs
between the islands, a quick boat ride away from your island or mainland
accommodations.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Car The Bruce Highway leads south from Cairns
or north from Brisbane to Proserpine, 26km (16 miles) inland from Airlie
Beach. Take the “Whitsunday” turnoff to reach Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.
Allow a good 8 hours to drive from Cairns. There are several car-storage facilities
at Shute Harbour. Sandra and Roger Boynton of Whitsunday Car Security
(& 07/4946 9955 or 0419/729 605) collect your car anywhere in the Whitsunday
area and store it in locked undercover parking for A$14 (US$9) per 24
hours.
By Plane There are two air routes into the Whitsundays: Hamilton Island airport,
and Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine on the mainland. Qantas
(& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) flies direct to Hamilton Island
from Brisbane. Sunstate Airlines (book through Qantas) flies from Sydney,
Cairns, and Townsville. Airlink and Sunstate Airlines fly to Proserpine direct
from Brisbane. Virgin Blue (& 13 67 89 in Australia) flies to Proserpine direct
from Sydney and with connections from Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne.
If you stay on an island, the resort may book your launch transfers automatically.
These may appear on your airline ticket, in which case your luggage will
be checked through to the island.
By Train Several Queensland Rail (& 13 22 32 in Queensland, or 07/3235
1122) long-distance trains stop at Proserpine every week. The one-way fare is
A$134 (US$87) from Cairns on the Tilt Train. Brisbane fares range from A$217
(US$141) on the Tilt Train to A$288 (US$187) for a first-class sleeper on the
Sunlander.
By Bus Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia) and McCafferty’s
(& 13 14 99 in Australia) operate plentiful daily services to Airlie Beach from
Brisbane (trip time: around 18 hr.) and Cairns (trip time: 9–10 1 ⁄2 hr.). The fare
is A$144 (US$94) from Brisbane and A$83 (US$54) from Cairns.
Whitsunday Transit (& 07/4946 1800) meets all flights and trains at Proserpine
to provide door-to-door transfers to Airlie Beach hotels, or to Shute