Fitzroy Island provides the perfect escape from all the hustle and bustle of city life. Just a short 45 minute Fitzroy Flyer ride from Cairns, it is a popular day tour choice for both locals and visitors who are wanting a taste of laid back island living.
Fitzroy Island has the perfect balance between allowing visitors to get back to nature and celebrate untouched landscapes with its rainforests and white beaches, while having the option to indulge their adventurous side with the numerous activities on offer.
It has something for everyone, from families with young children to solo travellers. Some of the things a day out at Fitzroy Island may include are:
- Scuba Diving
- Snorkelling and Watersports
- Sea Kayaking
- Taking a Glass Bottom Boat Tour
- Exploring the Walking Tracks
- Visiting the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre
- Enjoying a cocktail or a beer at Foxy’s Bar
Scuba, Snorkelling and Watersports
One of the things that attracts people to this beautiful part of the world is the spectacular Great Barrier Reef. Fitzroy Island is the ideal place from which to explore the reef and its amazing marine life. Two of the most popular ways to explore the reef and get up close to this incredible marine world is to either snorkel or scuba your way around. You can hire all of your snorkel equipment and scuba gear from the Fitzroy Island Sports Hub.
Explore the breathtaking underwater world straight off the Island’s beaches. This is a great way for kids or first timers to learn to snorkel, while not missing out on the seeing the beauty of the reef.
Alternatively, you can explore the reef on a stand up paddle board. Paddle your way around the around, and get into those hard to reach places, where you can marvel at the marine life below. You can hire SUP boards and organise guided SUP tours at the Sports Hub.
Sea Kayaking
If sea kayaking sounds like your idea of fun, you can choose to go on a 3-hour guided sea kayaking tour, or alternatively you can hire single or double sea kayaks from the Dive and Adventure Centre and explore the surrounding waters at your own pace.
The guided tours are run in the morning, leaving you the rest of the day to take in all of the other things the Island has to offer. The sea kayaking tours give you the unique opportunity to explore reefs and beaches that are not accessible by boat or foot and also include a picnic lunch.
Glass Bottom Boat Tour
Take in the beauty of the surrounding reefs and clear waters from the safety of a glass bottom boat tour. This is ideal for people who want to stay dry or families with small children who want to get a glimpse of this amazing underwater paradise, and learn more about the marine life that inhabit these pristine waters.
Glass Bottom Boat Tours depart twice a day around the sheltered waters of Fitzroy Island, where you’ll see soft coral and marine life including wild sea turtles.
Explore The Walking Tracks
Fitzroy Island offers a number of scenic National Park bushwalking tracks for all ages and levels of fitness. The 339 hectare island has a rich array of flora and fauna all nestled within the Island’s various landscapes.
There are easy 5-minute walking tracks to explore, as well as longer trails ranging from 30-minute walks to 3-hour hikes. Exploring the Island via these tracks is a great way to spend the afternoon. Some of the popular walks are:
Secret Garden Track – 1km return, 45 mins duration
Explore the western edge of the jetty, taking in the giant granite boulders and lush tropical rainforest.
Nudey Beach Track – 1km return, 45 mins duration
The Nudey Beach Track is a nice leisurely walk that takes you through tropical rainforest and coastal woodlands before opening onto the stunning award winning white coral beach.
Nudey Beach was voted Australia’s #2 Best Beach and here you’ll find calm blue waters, perfect for swimming, snorkelling or just relaxing on the beach.
Turtle Rehabilitation Centre
Fitzroy Island is also home to the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre which is a volunteer operated, non-profit organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured turtles.
The Centre runs tours that allow people to learn not only about the history of the organisation, but also the journey to recovery that injured or sick turtles undergo whilst at the Centre, prior to their release back into the ocean.
The tours run from 1pm daily and go for 45 minutes, so it is easy to slot it into your day trip and is an interesting, rare and worthwhile experience.
Foxy’s Bar
Whether you’re needing to refuel with some lunch or wanting to wind down with a cocktail in the afternoon, Foxy’s Bar is the place to go. It is a large Pacific Islands bar situated right on the beach front and has an excellent casual café-style food menu and provides a wide range of food and drink options, including kids meals and coffee. Takeaway meals plus beer and wine are also available for purchase from Foxy’s.
As you can see, a day out at Fitzroy Island can be an action packed adventure, a laid back day of rest and relaxation, or a little bit of both. Whatever Island experience you’re after, Fitzroy Island won’t disappoint.
