By Boat
Cruise Whitsundays ( tel. 07/4946 4662; www.cruisewhitsundays.com.au) operates Resort Connections, providing transfer services between Hamilton Island Airport and Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine and Daydream Island and Long Island, as well as all Airlie Beach properties.
Island ferries and Great Barrier Reef cruises leave from Shute Harbour, a 10-minute drive south of Airlie Beach on Shute Harbour Road. Most other tour-boat operators and bareboat charters anchor at Abell Point Marina, a 15-minute walk west from Airlie Beach. A new marina, Port of Airlie, is under development and is expected to be open by 2015. Most tour-boat operators pick up guests free from Airlie Beach hotels and at some or all island resorts.
By Bus
Whitsunday Transit ( tel. 07/4946 1800; www.whitsundaytransit.com.au) meets all flights and trains at Proserpine and provides door-to-door transfers to Airlie Beach hotels or to Shute Harbour. The fare from the airport is A$15 adults and A$9 children to Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour. From the train station, it is A$8.20 for adults and A$4.20 for children to Airlie Beach or A$11 for adults and A$5.50 for children to Shute Harbour. Bookings are essential and should be made 48 hours in advance if possible. It also runs buses every half-hour between Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.
By Car
Avis ( tel. 07/4967 7188), Europcar ( tel. 07/4946 4133), and Hertz ( tel. 07/4946 4687) have outlets in Airlie Beach and Proserpine Airport (telephone numbers serve both locations). Budget ( tel. 07/4945 1024) has an office at Proserpine Airport.
Island Hopping
Day-trippers to the resorts on Hamilton, Daydream, Long Island, and Hook Island can rent the hotels’watersports equipment, laze by the beaches and pools, scuba dive, join the resorts’activities programs, hike their trails, and eat at some or all of their restaurants. Cruise Whitsundays ( tel. 07/4946 4662; www.cruisewhitsundays.com) has an Island Hopper day pass that allows you to hop-on, hop-off at the islands, A$120 for adults or A$59 for children 5 to 15. They also offer day-trip packages (including lunch) to each of the islands.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
