Beautiful Day Trips from Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is a departure point for trips to the Great Barrier Reef and is close to the Whitsunday Islands.
A small tourist town located on the east coast of Queensland, Australia, there are plenty of day trips from Airlie Beach. Whether you have a car or you are looking to join a tour, there is a land, water, or air day trip for you.
Keep reading to find the perfect day trip from Airlie Beach.
Reef Tours from Airlie Beach
Cairns is a popular spot to start for trips to the Great Barrier Reef, but the reef is close enough to Airlie Beach to visit on a day tour. Most tours include a boat ride to a pontoon boat, where you will spend time snorkeling or diving.
✔ Spend up to 4 hours on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. In addition to snorkeling or scuba diving, the reef can be viewed in an underwater vessel. The heart reef can be viewed on this tour.
✔ See the reef below on a Glass Bottom Boat Tour. This boat ride is perfect for anyone who wants to see the reef without getting wet.
✔ Ride to a pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef where you can snorkel, look under the water on a semi-submersible boat, and view the underwater chamber. This trip to the Great Barrier Reef offers lots of optional activities from the pontoon.
Did you know that you can sleep at the Great Barrier Reef?
Island Boat Tours from Airlie Beach
The Whitsunday Islands are near Airlie Beach. While some of the islands have hotels, many do not. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island is the most popular spot for boat tours to stop for a few hours.
While many of the island boat tours are similar, the boats are not. There are quite a few types of boat rides to choose from.
Most boat tours from Airlie Beach are suitable for kids 4+.
✔ Enjoy an all-day sailing adventure on a high-speed catamaran. This tour includes a BBQ lunch, morning and afternoon tea, a guided walk to Hill Inlet, and lots of beach time.
✔ Relax on Whitehaven Beach for up to 6 hours on this boat tour, which offers more time on the island than most tours. Lunch, afternoon tea, and stinger suits are provided.
✔ For those who wish to see the lesser-seen spots of the Whitsunday Islands, there is a sail and snorkel boat ride that will take you to some of those spots. This boat ride is one of the later ones, and passengers are on the water until sunset.
✔ Snorkel, ride on a banana boat, go paddleboarding, and bushwalking with Tongarra Sail. This tour is for ages 6+.
✔ Ride a custom-made catamaran on this Eco Tour leading to multiple snorkel spots, beach time, and a guided bushwalk.
✔ Relax on Whitehaven Beach and at Palm Bay Resort with the only tour allowed at the resort. The tour includes 2 hours on Whitehaven Beach and an hour at Palm Bay Resort.
✔ Ride in a high-speed catamaran to Whitehaven Beach and enjoy snorkeling on the beach and two other spots along the Whitsunday Islands. Read our full review of this tour here.
✔ Choose between more snorkeling time or more beach time when you travel on an ocean raft. The small size of the boat allows it to move faster, giving you more time for activities.
Want your sailing trip to last longer? Join a 3 night sailing adventure in the Whitsunday Islands.
Adventure Day Trips from Airlie Beach
Water sports are popular at Airlie Beach, and there are quite a few options to see Airlie Beach from above.
Kids 5+ can get a little adventure in, but the more adventurous the day trip, the older the participant needs to be.
✔ Jump out of a plane on a tandem skydive over the Whitsunday Islands. The trip includes a 20-minute scenic ride.
✔ Join a 60-minute Jet Ski Safari, perfect for both beginner and advanced jet skiers. Drivers must be at least 16 years old, and passengers must be at least 8 years old.
✔ Fly and snorkel with an ocean raft tour. This trip includes a 60-minute flight over the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef and a ride on a fast boat.
Luxury Day Trips from Airlie Beach
Looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Maybe you’re celebrating an anniversary or a milestone birthday. Or maybe you are just looking for a unique day trip from Airlie Beach. Either way, there are plenty of opportunities for a luxury day trip from Airlie Beach.
✔ View the heart reef from above on a scenic flight. This tour is 70 minutes long and includes a guaranteed window seat and views of the Whitsunday Islands.
✔ Want to combine a flight over the Great Barrier Reef with a trip to the beach? This tour includes a 60-minute flight, lunch, and snorkeling at Whitehaven Beach.
✔ Would you rather have a private sailing experience through the Whitsundays? Groups of up to 6 can enjoy a private charter for the day. Up to 8 guests can build their own itinerary from a variety of departure points on a private charter boat in the Whitsundays.
Waterfalls near Airlie Beach
For those who want to stay on land or swim in swimming holes instead of the ocean, there are beautiful waterfalls to view near Airlie Beach.
✔ For those without a car or those who do not want to search for waterfalls on their own, the Waterfall Explorer day trip leaves from Airlie Beach. Spend the day bushwalking, swimming in the waterfalls, and enjoying lunch and cocktails by the pool at Paradise Cove Resort.
✔ Another option for a waterfalls tour is a Cedar Creek Falls and Northerlies Beach tour. Prefer to hike? Check out the Cedar Creek Express Eco Tour.
Cedar Creek Falls
Cedar Creek Falls is about 30 minutes away from Airlie Beach. The parking lot is extremely close to the falls, and very little walking is required.
The area is rocky, and there are large rocks to sit on and plenty of shade.
Unfortunately, the falls do not always have water running down.
We visited in January, and there was just a tiny sprinkle of water dripping down to the large pool below. That did not deter anyone from visiting, and the swimming hole at Cedar Creek Falls was full of swimmers taking advantage of the cool water on a hot day.
Araluen Cascades and Wheel of Fire
Head 2 hours south of Airlie Beach to see some beautiful waterfalls.
Reach the Araluen Cascades by walking through a rainforest by the Finch Hatten Gorge for about 25 minutes. The water in the gorge is a popular place to swim.
To get to the Wheel of Fire is about a 4.8-kilometer hike in Eungella National Park.
Rainforest Tours from Airlie Beach
Want a beach break? The Rainforest is near Airlie Beach and a perfect place to spend a few hours exploring.
x✔ Wake up before the sun and spend sunrise on the beach with kangaroos before a walk through the rainforest.
✔ A different way to see Conway National Park is with a 3.5-hour Segway tour. Kids 12+ can participate.
River Trips from Airlie Beach
The Proserpine River offers another great road trip from Airlie Beach.
✔ Sail down the Proserpine River spotting crocodiles on a 2-hour river cruise. Traditional Aussie damper and Billy Tea will be served, along with a BBQ lunch. In addition to the river cruise, there is a wagon tour where logs of Australian animals can be spotted.
✔ Head to the “world’s best location for spotting platypus,” on the Wild Platypus Eco Tour.
25 Amazing Things to do in Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands with Kids.
Roadtrip Day Trips from Airlie Beach
Cape Gloucester
Located about 45 minutes north of Airlie Beach, Cape Gloucester overlooks the Coral Sea and is a beautiful location with lots of beaches and coves.
While Cape Gloucester is near Airlie Beach, there are a lot fewer tourists visiting. There are a couple of eco-resorts with restaurants where you can eat lunch. Otherwise, spend the day swimming, fishing, lying on the beach, and admiring the view.
Bowen
Bowen is an hour north of Airlie Beach. It is a small town with gorgeous views.
The Big Mango is located in Bowen, though my kids think it looks like a big dinosaur egg. While there is a fruit stand located at the Big Mango, it was closed during our visit.
Playgrounds and a small water park are located on the water, along with a trail for walking or cycling.
Heading north from Airlie Beach? Check out our top things to do in Townsville with kids.
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