Before going to Whitsundays, I searched for information on review websites, but I couldn't find many reviews on Pantip. My fellow travelers encouraged me to write one.

I would like to preface this by saying that this is my first time posting. My English is not perfect, and my Thai is not very good either, so it may come out as a bit of a mix. I apologize in advance. Please feel free to critique and comment.

The goal of this trip is to see the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Let's start with some general information about the GBR.

The GBR is located off the coast of northern Queensland, Australia.

I've heard that the GBR is the largest coral reef in the world, but I didn't think it would be this big. It's 2,000 kilometers long. If you open Google Maps, you can clearly see it as a line. The guide said that it's about the same length as Japan. Since the coral reef is not far from the coast, you can go diving at the GBR from many cities, such as Cairns, Townsville, and Whitsundays. But the most popular place is Cairns because Cairns has a lot of activities to do and is a big city. So many tourists know about it and like to go there. Activities in Cairns include hiking, playing in waterfalls, diving, and visiting various islands in the GBR. (When I was looking for information about the GBR, I mostly found information about Cairns.) Townsville is popular among Australians, but not so much among tourists, so I didn't look for information there. When I was planning my trip, I had to choose between Cairns and Whitsundays, which was a very difficult decision. As I said, Cairns has a lot of activities and is cheaper than Whitsundays, but we decided to go to Whitsundays (the reason... to be continued).


General Information about the Whitsundays

The Whitsundays are a group of islands located off the coast of Queensland, roughly halfway between Cairns and Brisbane. The mainland port from which you can catch a boat to the Whitsundays is called Airlie Beach. The nearest airports are Proserpine (PPP), sometimes referred to as Whitsundays Airport, and Hamilton Island (an island within the Whitsundays group). Flights to Hamilton Island are more expensive than those to PPP (think of it like flying to Koh Samui in Thailand). There are very few flights to either airport, with PPP only having three flights per week, every other day. These flights are typically return flights, and I'm not sure how many airlines operate them, but I have seen Jetstar and Tiger Air.

This archipelago is home to several prominent islands, including:

1. Daydream Island is an island with accommodation suitable for family vacations. The journey is by boat from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island.

2. Hamilton Island is said to be an island perfect for couples. There is a free bus around the island. Transportation is by plane or boat from Airlie Beach.

3. Whitsunday Island: This island has no hotels as it is a national park (similar to Similan in Thailand). There is no overnight accommodation, only one-day trips are available.

For details of other islands, please refer to this link: https://www.experienceoz.com.au/which-island-whitsundays

The Airlie Beach area offers a wide range of accommodation options, from backpacker hostels to luxury hotels. On the islands, however, there are only hotels available, making accommodation on the islands more expensive.

Prepare before traveling

As I mentioned, Whitsundays has few activities, mostly related to the sea, such as sailing, diving, and island hopping. There is only one cruise company, Cruise Whitsundays (which makes our lives much easier, no need to choose much), but there are many agencies, so you need to choose carefully. Because the prices they offer will not be the same, but they will end up on the same boat anyway. We chose to book with Airliebeach.com because it was the cheapest among the tours we called. I recommend booking in advance because there is only one boat per day, and it will fill up quickly during peak season.

High season is from June to November. It is a peaceful time.

Low season is from December to March. It is the monsoon season.

When we went, it was early December. We knew it was monsoon season when we booked, but what we didn't know was that it was also stinger season! Even though it was monsoon season, the weather wasn't bad (compared to friends who went during high season and got caught in the rain). It was just very, very hot. The only thing you need to be prepared for is sunscreen. Put on a lot, not because you're afraid of getting tan, but because you're afraid of getting burned.

The total trip cost includes flights and accommodation (excluding meals).

Round-trip Tiger air tickets $238

Accommodation for 3 nights $90

Scenic flight $199

Snorkelling at Reef World + Full day Whitehaven beach tour $344 (This price is a package price for

Airport shuttle bus transfer $40

Total $911


Our travel plan is as follows:

Day 1 Sydney to Whitsundays + scenic flight

Day 2: Diving at Reef World

Day 3: A full day at Whitehaven Beach

Day 4 Travel back to Sydney

This is an aerial photo of Cairns compared to the Whitsundays. Both are beautiful, but in different ways. We chose to go to the Whitsundays because we heard that the coral is denser there. We were afraid that diving in Cairns would be too similar to Thailand. Another highlight of the Whitsundays is Heart Reef, a heart-shaped coral reef. (Stay tuned... we'll start on Day 1)

Here is an example of a picture I found on Google.

Top view picture of Cairns

This part of the Whitsundays



Day 1 Sydney to Airlie Beach + Scenic Flight

(Requesting to post live photos from the camera without any filters or color adjustments, so you can see the real natural scenery. And the writer is secretly lazy to edit, hehe)

The first day started with a departure from Sydney at 8:30 am. The flight time was approximately 2.5 hours, but Queensland time is 1 hour behind Sydney time. In addition, the flight was delayed, so we arrived in Prosepine at 10:30 am.

There are only a few options for getting from Prosepine to Airline beach.

1. Airport shuttle bus transfer is what we use. It costs $20 one way and $20 round trip, for a total of $40.

2. Taxi I'm not sure if you can find one at the airport or book it in advance. If you have a full car, it might be cheaper than the airport bus.

Today is a bit of a race against time because I have booked a Scenic flight to see the Heart Reef at 1pm and I need to pick up the voucher from the tour company when I arrive. The journey from the airport to Airlie Beach takes about 45 minutes and the bus will drop people off at various resorts.

The photo below shows the atmosphere of Airlie Beach. It's a very small town, similar to a quieter version of Patong Beach. There's only one main road, and you can walk from one end of the town to the other in about 15 minutes. It's a very relaxed and laid-back place.

We booked a backpacker accommodation called Nomad Airlie Beach. Luckily, it was right opposite the tour company, so we didn't have to walk far (I forgot to take a picture of the hotel, sorry >_<). There were four of us, so we booked a four-person dorm and got the whole room to ourselves, hehe. The eight-person room here is quite small and narrow, but if you're only staying for a few nights, it's not bad. The room was clean and comfortable. The location is also good, right at the beginning of the main street in town. Most tour companies offer backpacker packages with this hotel, but since we booked our accommodation before the tour, we bought the tour without accommodation. If you're going to go, I recommend consulting the tour company there first, as you might get a better price. The tour price we got was only for backpackers. If you stay in a hotel, the tour price they offer will be more expensive, almost $100 more.

Upon arrival, it was lunchtime and the food in town was quite expensive. After walking around, we ended up at McDonald's. We had to eat quickly as the bus that would take us to the airport for the scenic flight was scheduled to arrive at 1 pm. The pick-up point was either the bus stop in town or the hotel. When booking, they will ask you where you are staying and then provide you with the pick-up point.

Scenic flights are available in a variety of programs, which you can find at this link: http://whitsundayscenicflights.com.au/

This program will not have a backpacker price and the price is quite high, but I am willing to pay because I want to see Heart Reef. It is recommended to read the program carefully. Some programs will circle around the islands and not reach Heart Reef. Some are private tours. We chose a 60-minute flight to fly around the islands and Hear reef. My friend told me that the 30-minute flight will not see much. It is not recommended. It takes time to get on and off, and there is not much to see.

The planes that take off are small planes like the one in the picture. It's a bit scary, I've never been on a plane like this before.

Oh, when you book a tour, they will also ask for your weight. They will need to weigh the balance, otherwise the plane won't take off, haha.

The aerial view of the Whitsunday Islands is stunning.

(I think this is Daydream Island.)

Whirlpool gives credit to the brother who joined the trip. We didn't see it in time. He took a picture of it while flying.

And then we arrived at our destination, Hardy Reef, one of the coral groups in the GBR (actually, the coral reefs are not continuous, they are in groups, but they are arranged in a long line, so each group has a name).

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef in person, I finally understood why it's called that. It's truly magnificent.

This photo is the highlight of Hardy Reef, the Heart Reef. It's very small, you have to look closely or you might miss it. The captain said that the Heart Reef is about 17 meters wide. It doesn't sound very small, but I guess it's because we were on a plane that made the heart shape look so tiny.

This is a picture of me flying back, passing through some islands, I don't know what they are, there are so many of them.

This is another important tourist destination in the Whitsundays, Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. The highlight is the uneven depth of the sand, creating a pattern. This point is called Hill Inlet, where the sea flows through the island. When I went, I was lucky that the tide was low, so the pattern was clearer. When the tide is high, the pattern will fade (like in the picture on the 3rd day).

This picture shows a river flowing from Hill Inlet.

And we passed Hamilton Island with a yyy. You can tell by the airport on the island because it's the only island with an airport.

The boat tours run at different times, so it's best to check with the tour operator beforehand. We just made it in time for the last tour, which was at 13.45. This was a good time because we arrived in Airlie Beach at noon. On other days, there are full-day trips, and on the day we returned, we had to leave early in the morning. The first day was the most convenient time.

Upon our return, a car took us back to the original pick-up location, just in time for check-in. In the evening, we went for a stroll around town.

Accommodation photos

Although the name is Airlie Beach, it doesn't mean that there is a long beach where you can swim all the time. Because during the time I went, it was the jellyfish season, so they recommended swimming at designated points. Airlie Beach has an artificial beach called Lagoon, which is free for city residents to use. (I forgot to take a picture of the lagoon, I'm sorry >_<)

The atmosphere of the beach near Airlie Beach

I was so busy enjoying the atmosphere that I forgot to take any pictures.

The food in the city is very expensive. After walking around for a long time, I ended up at Fish Divine, a restaurant that everyone recommends. I arrived at the restaurant around 5:30 pm, and most of the tables were already reserved (it must be really popular). However, the food is not cheap, with main courses costing around $25-$40.

I'm so hungry, I only got two pictures.

The first dish was Grilled Salmon with some kind of sauce (if I remember correctly, it was lemon). The second dish was Seafood fritter. The food was very fresh and delicious. No wonder why people book a lot. While I was eating, people kept booking.

After finishing my meal, I took a leisurely stroll back home. It happened to be Saturday, so most shops were closed early, even Woolworth (supermarket) closed at 5 pm. My plan to buy snacks for the next day's trip was foiled, so I had to go to a minimart where things were much more expensive (bummer...). In the evening, the clubs started to open like in any other tourist town. I walked around until I reached my accommodation and rested, getting ready for the next day.


In summary, Day 1 was very impressive. The scenic flight was amazing and totally worth it.


(Follow Day 2...Day 2 Snorkelling @ Hardy Reef)

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