Every holiday destination has its own unique experiences that you can only do in that destination. It might be something like riding the world’s tallest rollercoaster or seeing the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. The destination you choose for your holidays will largely be somewhat dependent on the experiences on offer.
So, today, we want to tell you about some of the amazing experiences you can only have on Fitzroy Island. But, before we dive right into these incredible opportunities, let us tell you a bit about Fitzroy Island.
The Who, What, Where About Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island is a tropical island that is located around 29km from the shores of Tropical North Queensland. The closest city to the island is Cairns, and it takes about 45 minutes to get to Fitzroy Island by the ferry.
The island itself isn’t too big, about 229 hectares, and about 97% of this area is actually national park. The national park is made up of various landscapes, predominantly luscious tropical rainforest and can be explored via a number of different walking trails.
In the Australian winter the temperatures sit between 19-25 C and in summer between 24-31 C, which makes Fitzroy Island a fantastic place to visit at any time of year.
The island’s resort has a huge array of accommodation and activities that will keep you and the entire family, entertained for hours and hours.
Now that you’ve got the lowdown on this slice of paradise in the Coral Sea, let’s talk about some of the experiences you’re only going to be able to have here.
Experiences Unique to Fitzroy Island
Visit Australia’s Most Beautiful beach
Fitzroy Island is lucky enough to be home to a lot of beauty and one of these beautiful things happens to be a beach that was named Australia’s Most Beautiful in 2018.
The beach in question is Nudey Beach, which is a picturesque white coral beach that has a totally relaxed and friendly vibe.
To reach this gorgeous slither of beauty, you need to walk south from Welcome Bay for about 15 minutes. It’s a pretty leisurely walk that will give you a glimpse of the amazing tropical rainforest and coastal woodlands of the island.
Once there, you can read, sunbathe, enjoy a picnic, watch the world pass by, or swim. It’s totally up to you and one of the best ways to spend your day.
Explore the Great Barrier Reef Only Metres from the Shore
When you’re on Nudey Beach or basically anywhere else on Fitzroy Island, you’re literally only metres away from the coral gardens that form part of the Great Barrier Reef.
So, from Nudey Beach, you can step into the water and within moments you’ll be able to see these amazing living structures and the marine life that call them home.
There are so many ways to explore the Reef from Fitzroy, you can swim, snorkel, take a glass bottomed boat ride, sea kayak, stand up paddle board, and of course scuba dive.
While there are many islands that help to form the Great Barrier Reef, Fitzroy Island is one of the best ones to start your exploration from with all of the amenities on hand to do so.
And speaking of scuba diving…
You Can Learn to Dive on a Tropical Island
If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at scuba diving, then Fitzroy Island is the best place for you. Whether you’re a total beginner or you just need a refresher course, there is a whole host of options available.
Even the little ones can get involved with the Bubblemaker Program which is designed for kids to learn how to use scuba equipment and even explore the shallow waters surrounding the island.
The island itself is surrounded by some gorgeous dive sites, so you don’t really need to travel to be able to marvel at the amazing marine world.
Visit Turtles in Rehab
No, it’s not what you’re thinking, these turtles aren’t trying to kick any bad habits. Rather the turtles who call the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre on the island home, are ones who have been injured or become unwell.
Usually their injuries occur from human actions, like boating and even hunting, however, other sea predators play their part too.
The wonderful work of the centre sees many sea turtles come and go from the facility, with many being nursed back to full health after their injury or illness.
The centre offers various activities including an extremely worthwhile turtle talk where you can elarn about the sea turtle and the work of the centre, as well as the opportunity to meet some of the residents and maybe even feed them.
If this sounds up your alley we highly recommend booking this one because it can be very busy!
Camp on a Tropical Island
While there are a few tropical islands on the Reef that you can camp on, none of them quite live up to the majesty of Fitzroy Island.
The campsite of the island is about 5 minutes from the Jetty and literally next to the beach, so you can listen to the gentle waves as you drift to sleep.
Guests camping on the island also have access to Foxy’s Bar, the Zephyr Restaurant and the General Store on the Island.
If you’re not into camping, there are plenty of amazing accommodation options available, with options for suitable for all budgets.
Help Contribute to the Restoration of the Great Barrier Reef
Fitzroy Island happens to be home to the Coral Nursery Project which is a project aimed at helping to restore the Great Barrier Reef.
As many people are likely aware, the Great Barrier Reef is under threat from climate change, pollution and various other factors.
The Coral Nursery project is establishing offshore coral nurseries that allows corals to regenerate and grow naturally. The team running the program collect small amounts of healthy corals that have survived the higher sea temperatures (which means they should be more resilient to coral bleaching), and grown them off-shore in a coral nursery, one of which is on Fitzroy Island. The corals grow faster in these nurseries than they do in the Reef, and after 6-12 months, cuttings are taken from these nurseries and replanted into the Reef. This helps to grow and regenerate damaged sections of the Reef and strengthen the resilience of the Reef.
The original corals picked out remain in the nursery to keep growing, which means they can regenerate thousands of new corals.
As guests on the island, you can participate in informative talks about the project and learn how you can help. The plan is to allow guests to plant corals and visit the coral nursery as well.
Hike to the Island Summit and Watch Whales Migrate
Between the months of May and September, the world’s largest mammal migration occurs. From the very chilly Antarctic waters thousands of whales make their way north to the Coral Sea to play, nurse their young and mate.
On the island, you can make your way to the summit during this time, and possibly see some of these amazing creatures in the waters. While the summit is the best place to catch a glimpse, people have been known to spot the odd whale or two from the island shores. So, if you visit during breeding season, keep your eyes peeled for a Humpback Whale!
As you can see, there are some pretty amazing things that you can experience when you visit Fitzroy Island. Make sure you plan your unique tropical holiday experience today.
