From trike rides to croc tours: Surprising things you can do in the Whitsundays
By Dilvin Yasa|
Thinking of visiting the Whitsundays? There's every chance you've got watersports, sailing, a scenic flight and a decadent resort stay listed in your holiday bucket list.
Absolutely say yes to all of those things, but be sure too, to add the following to create the ultimate (and perfectly well-rounded) holiday experience:
1. Enjoy a progressive dinner - by tuk tuk
No need to travel to Asia, you can have the full tuk tuck experience by booking a tour with Just Tuk'n Around Airlie Beach, a tour operator which has a range of tours operating predominantly in and around the township of Airlie Beach. Our pick? The progressive dinner where your tuk tuk guide will pick you up and take you to three different restaurants (two for savoury dishes and one for dessert). The two-hour tour includes all food, the tuk tuk and one cocktail per person.
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2. Sink a flat white in a coffee plantation
A coffee plantation in the Whitsundays? Yep, not only is it a thing, Whitsunday Gold Coffee is a spectacular place to visit with its menagerie, children's play area and its sun-dappled cafe. Buy a souvenir, enjoy the scenery (and the sound of locals catching up) and say yes to drinking your coffee at a table (you'll be charged extra for takeaway cups).
3. Lock in dinner at Northerlies
Any Airlie Beach local will insist you go to dinner at Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill. The place to be on a weekend when a live band is playing to a packed beer garden, you can choose between the bistro menu, or the more casual Beach Kitchen Menu. Either way, the food is great, the mood is relaxed and provided you don't have anywhere else to be, you can easily lose track of time.
4. See the Airlie Beach by trike
Not a fan of tuk tuks (or dinner)? Airlie Beach Trike Tours offers both short lap and half-day trike tours in and around the town of Airlie Beach, We're all for walking around the shops and cafes but their 60-minute town tour promises to be the ultimate reconnaissance adventure.
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5. Visit the other beaches
There's good reason Whitehaven Beach gets its fair share of the column inches; it really is the prettiest beach you'll ever see. If you're desperate for a similar sort of aesthetic without the tourists however, earmark a day at Froggies Beach, Dingo Beach and Boathaven Beach.
6. Grab a milkshake with Elvis
Why settle on any old milkshake when you travel back in time to the 1950s and grab one in a neon-lit diner? George's Diner at BIG4 Conway Beach is the vessel, a space where seating is designed to look like a convertible and there's Elvis memorabilia aplenty. Sure you can order a banana split or a spider,but it's hard to go past those shakes. Just be sure to get here before they close at 3pm.
7. Get a grip on the local history
Nothing says 'historical town with fascinating sugar cane back story' quite like a quaint country museum, and it doesn't get any more quaint than Proserpine Historical Museum. Run entirely by volunteers, visit the museum to gain an understanding of the blood, sweat and tears that has gone into building up the local cattle and sugar industries.
8. Meet the local croc residents
Who can say no to a tranquil morning cruise with the likes of Gus, Gloria and Rambo? Not neighbours as such, but just three of many (MANY) saltwater crocs who call the Proserpine River home. You're not just turning up on your own of course; Whitsunday Crocodile Safari has got the perfect product, a day tour which includes a two-hour cruise, followed by barbeque lunch, wetlands adventure and even damper and tea.
9. Hit the mountain bike trails
Beyond the ripples of the Great Barrier Reef lies a network of mountain bike trails, lush greenery inviting you to discover its eucalypt forests, rainforest and grasslands. The best place to get on your bike? South Molle Island where 14 kilometres of trails lie in wait. Just be warned - it's not for the casual cyclist!
10. Have breakfast with the kangaroos
Sure, you've got cereal back in your room and one eye on a mid-morning flat white, but both pale in comparison to enjoying the sunrise with a mob of local kangaroos. Book a Sunrise with the Kangaroos tour with Driftwood Tours (eight hours), and not only will you get to experience the best of the region (as well its furry inhabitants), those flat whites are never too far away.
The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism Whitsundays. For further information about the Whitsundays, please visit their website.
