fluffnfold

From the Hamilton Island website, it sounds like I can catch a bus from Cairns to Airlie Beach and then another bus to Shute Harbor. It looks like Whitsunday Shuttle and Whitsunday Transit operate buses between Airlie and Shute, but how do I get from Cairns to Airlie? I can't seem to find that type of bus information online; I'm looking for the name of a company so that I can see timetables and fares.

This trip sounds like a bit of effort - is it worth it for only 3 days? I plan to do a few day trips to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns to snorkel and see the reef, but I am afraid that if I don't spend some nights on an island in the reef, that I won't experience it to the fullest. If I spend some time at a beach resort north of Cairns in Palm Cove (I like the looks of Angasana) or Port Douglas (Shantara) instead, would either of those beaches be nearly as nice as staying in the Whitsundays? Although I really like the looks of Hayman Island, I have ruled it out because it seems even more difficult to reach; from what I can tell, it requires taking either a boat/ferry or another flight from Hamilton Island to Hayman Island.

I plan to spend about 7 days in the Cairns area, 4 days of which I will do active things such as Cape Tribulation, Daintree, Kuranda, Tjapukai, as well as see the GBR for snorkeling, helicopter sightseeing, and perhaps a Quicksilver Cruise or the Subsea Explorer. That leaves about 3 days for relaxing on the beach. I plan to stay in Cairns city at either the Hilton or Hotel Cairns (the Shangri-La and Sebel are sold out during my desired days) for my active days, and then move to a more beachy location for relaxation, but if it is just as easy to stay in Palm Cove or Port Douglas and sightsee, then perhaps I will spend all my time in one hotel, rather than changing locations. I'll be traveling to Sydney for another 7 days or after my time in the Cairns area. (I also arrive into Sydney from the US, but plan to immediately connect to the Cairns to enjoy that portion of my trip first before ending in Sydney.)

Thanks in advance for your help.

pat_woolford

Greyhound - www.greyhound.com.au runs several times a day Cairns-Airlie Beach, its an almost 11 hour trip one way. Assume you're flying out of Cairns to Sydney so that's a fair bit of time on a bus, and a fair hunk out of your time. Its only a short hop from Airlie Beach to Shute Harbour, where most of the island boats leave.

You do realise that Hamilton Island is not on Great Barrier Reef? You still need to take a boat out to reef from there. What time of year will you be here? This could very much determine whether or not a beach stay would be a good idea.

KayF

A friend recently flew from Hamilton Island to Cairns. Qantas fly this route, it's not cheap. You could also check the other airlines - Jetstar, Virgin and Tiger.

Kay

AlanJG

I see you are not coming to the Atherton Tablelands but that is OK if you are not interested in beautiful scenery and wildlife in the wild.

RalphR

Not worth it, in my opinion, given the limited amount of time and the distances involved. Plenty of opportunities for relaxing on beautiful (and less commercialized) beaches in the general Cairns area. And, as Alan suggests, I wouldn't miss the Atherton Tablelands.