Whitsunday Coast Budget Travel Ideas

Whitsunday Coast Budget Travel Ideas

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Posted 2023-05-13 by T. A. Rosefollow


The Whitsunday Coast is one of the metaphorical jewels of North Queensland tourism. With lush forest, 74 islands, turquoise water, white sand and its villages geared up for tourism it is nice for budget travellers to know they are accepted and accommodation is aplenty. What follows is an eclectic list of ideas for budget travel to this fairly remote and touristy area, from transit to stays to food and drink to day trips and other activities.



Getting there

For budget travel, Premier Motor Service , to Airlie Beach, the transport hub of the Whitsunday Coast, was selling tickets from $171 (AUD) ex Brisbane and $276 (AUD) ex Sydney in May 2023, and although Greyhound traditionally costs more they issue an East Coast Whimit pass for $265 (AUD) in all directions lasting seven days, with Brisbane, Sydney, Airlie Beach as possible destinations. The Whimit concept has national or East Coast options, while self-drive or rail travel is possible and quite cheap if fuel is cheap or economy class rail is selected. Jetstar does cheap flights for $100-300 per person one-way ex Brisbane to quote an off-peak tourist season ballpark figure to the Whitsunday Coast's Proserpine Airport, with shuttle transfer from Airport between $20-100 AUD depending on remoteness/distance of the accommodation.

The best times to visit are seasonal relative to your vacation activities, for example, swimming, in pools summer is better, in the sea winter is cold but stinging jellyfish aren't present enough to easily sting swimmers. Another example is boating, the wind is fiercer in winter yet milder in spring, on that note, sailing can be used as a budget travel option. Note that Uber is not used in the Whitsunday area with taxi service 13CABS the main operator in Airlie Beach and neighbour village Cannonvale. The Whitsunday Transit local bus service is reliable and comfortable. The Port-of-Airlie -based Cruise Whitsundays is an inter-island ferry service to access the inhabited islands while transit to more obscure islands requires charter hire.



Accommodation

AirBnb is big on the Whitsunday Coast, as is backpacking, so there are some unexpected bargains, with the following listed:

There are five Big4 caravan parks in the region as seen at the Big4 corporate website .

Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat - 2614 Shute Harbour Road, Jubilee Pocket 4802, features lovely cabins in a forested area, but with nearby shops and a ten-minute drive from Port of Airlie.

Backpacking with traditional dorm-to-room upgrades possible include Magnums Airlie Beach, Nomads Airlie Beach, Base Airlie Beach, and, Beaches Backpackers (Airlie Beach).



While Backpackers by the Bay no longer accepts bookings.

Out of the many nightclubs and pubs in Airlie Beach, the main pub with accommodation in Airlie Beach is the Airlie Beach Hotel but is less cheap compared to backpacking. While Airlie Guest House is an example of high-end budget accommodation, you get stunning value for a stay in this chic bed and breakfast.





Dining

There are major supermarkets in the Airlie Beach/Cannonvale area, especially if just want homemade meals from purchased ingredients. Beagles Pizza does good value pizzas and a few sides but they deliver capably although better to order early. They are on 4/293 Shute Harbour Road, Airlie Beach. Tropic Kebabs along with Damla Kebabs on Shute Harbour Road (Damla is a chain of stores) serve this popular snack/meal for seaside lunches and nighttime revellers.

Thai and Indian food are popular in Airlie Beach, with some options not necessarily budget-priced, including Lovely India as well as Spicy Thai in the Whitsunday Vista Resort at 1 Hermitage Drive.

For those seeking a bargain lunch in the islands, Bob's Bakery is a popular bakery on Hamilton Island, if stopping by during the day, while on the mainland, Cafe One 3 on Waterson Way, Airlie Beach is often busy due to its original approach to vegan/vegetarian cuisine and fresh coffee.



Generally, the budget-priced food on the Whitsunday Coast is good quality for the price paid but popularity means queues and delivery is slow but that's when ordering at dinner from 18:00 onwards, prior is a bit quicker service/delivery.

Of course, part of a Whitsunday Coast holiday is to find enclaves/corners where a new yet rewarding experience may occur, Proserpine is highly recommended for a day trip for its cafes and laidback agricultural town atmosphere.

Activities

Proserpine is visited by bus or car, with the Whitsunday Gold coffee plantation , cafes and sugar mill.

Cedar Creek Falls is freshwater and used for walking trails and a cooling swim. It is on Cedar Creek Falls Road, Cedar Creek, Q, 4800. The accompanying waterfalls are not high but quite aesthetic.

Shute Harbour is an ideal sidetrack, with a hilly road (Shute Harbour Road) traversing Conway National Park allowing spectacular views along the way and when at the harbour itself.

The artificial Boathaven Beach is near Port of Airlie, with good views and swimmer safety net enclosures, while a boardwalk for walking/cycling track extends along the coast from Port of Airlie to Cannonvale.

Of course, on the Whitsunday Coast, it's a virtual must-do to at least see the islands, with Daydream Island being the cheapest and closest ticket/destination, it's a small and level island with a resort that is budget in terms of offshore island resorts but certainly not compared to mainland backpacking, and it has a cafe, walks and an opportunity to (departing from Port of Airlie) to get among the calmer less seasickness-inducing part of the Whitsunday Islands archipelago and see the beautiful turquoise water as close as possible.

Further on is the significantly developed Hamilton Island - which on a budget is a fun sidetrack to visit by boat for hiking or views over the archipelago.



The centrally located Airlie Beach Lookout is one of many often described as 'million dollar views' in the region - yet can be viewed on a budget.



There are all sorts of little places in the region where car hire or self drive can be advantageous, with Dingo Beach being a naturally beautiful sign of how the Whitsundays leaves its tourists spoiled for choice.

Of course, a Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet boat cruise ex Port of Airlie (usually via Hamilton Island) is still good value as well.



Conclusively

The Whitsunday Coast, especially the Airlie Beach backpacking hostels and surrounds are a delightful treat for the budget traveller, which due to its popularity combined with remoteness makes for an exciting, interesting and memorable budget holiday.

Note that all photos in this review courtesy of and were taken by its author in 2021.

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92407 - 2023-06-11 23:04:04

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