Whitsundays: Day Tours by Ferry from Airlie Beach - Daydream Island

Do yourself a favour, come to north Queensland, Australia and discover the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, tropical islands and everything that surrounds them. With 74 islands in all, traversing the Whitsundays is a must for tourists and locals alike. Put it on your list of things to do. Imagine sun drenched days followed by cool sea breezes in the evening. Make a list, alphabetically, start with Daydream Island and work your way through from Hamilton to Long or Pigeon. Park yourself in luxury at one of the fine apartment style resorts or flop down on a bunk bed at one of the budget backpacker units in Airlie Beach and look forward to memorable moments of sailing, ferry rides, fishing charters or motorboat jaunts to the islands.

Only eight of the Whitsunday 74 islands are inhabited. Some have five star resort accommodation and are surrounded by tropical rainforests and national parks providing guests with the best of both worlds. For the underwater adventurers there are a number of places to snorkel or dive from the reefs.

A few minutes walk from Airlie Beach, a ferry ride will take 25 minutes from Abel Point Marina to Daydream Island. On a clear day (and most of them are in the Whitsundays) a number of other islands are within view as the ferry follows the coast line on an easterly course. The ferry docks at the Daydream Island Resort jetty where a porter will great you with a necklace made from shells and offer a ride on the golf cart to take you to the resort or the main events end of the island.

The island is relatively small and easy to walk the entire length in ten minutes. At the south end stop for a coffee at the bakery before taking a walk round the Australian mini golf track. For the adventurous there is a bush track leading up the hillside and back to the northern end of the island with viewing stops along the way to take in the scenic beauty of the ocean, islands and main land beyond.

Cruise Whitsundays ferries depart from Abel Point Marina several times throughout the course of the day. Current cost from Airlie Beach to Daydream Island at May 2012 is $32 per adult $21 per child each way.

Daydream Island is all about the water. The island is, of course, surrounded by it with two main swimming beaches, Mermaid Beach at the north end and an area for jet skiing on the north shore. Resort style swimming pools stretch from one end of the island to the other so there is always somewhere to cool off and swim for as long as you want.

Walking bridges over salt water ponds show off the live coral, fish, sharks and stingrays providing a safe way to see what happens under the surface of the ocean. The brilliant colours of the tropical fish make them easy to spot.

Cocktails by the pool or in the pool followed by lunch at the Mermaid Beach Restaurant is an absolute delight. A seafood platter for one gives a taste of oysters, crab, prawns and Moreton Bay bugs, a perfect treat to round off the tropical experience.

Island hopping is a great way to spend time in the Whitsundays. Blue skies, even bluer seas contrasting against the backdrop of the lush tropical rainforest, the only disappointment will be the lack of time to see them all!