Ferries between Cardwell and Hinchinbrook Island are operated by Hinchinbrook Island Cruises. A day trip costs $170 and they can drop you off at Ramsay Bay at the northern end of the Thorsborne Trail for $90. Transport between the other end of the trail and the mainland costs $50 and is operated by Hinchinbrook Wilderness Safaris.
Port Hinchinbrook Ferry Terminal
Port Lincoln Airport (PLO)
Rex and QantaLink fly to Port Lincoln from Adelaide. The flight takes 45 minutes and the Rex flight is a good option if you’re travelling on a Rex backpacker air travel pass. The airport is around 10km north of Port Lincoln.
Port Lincoln bus and coach stop
Premier Stateliner coaches go to Adelaide via Whyalla and Port Augusta. Coaches stop at 24 Lewis Street in the centre of Port Lincoln.
Port Lincoln Visitor Information Centre
Port Macquaire Transit Centre
Greyhound Australia and Premier Motor Service coaches run up and down the coast stopping in Port Macquarie at the transit centre at 28 Hayward Street near the Coles supermarket.
Port Macquarie Airport
Port Macquarie’s small airport has flights to Brisbane and Sydney. The airport is served by Qantaslink and Virgin Australia.
Port Macquarie Historical Society and Museum
This small museum features exhibits on Port Macquarie’s convict heritage, including the obligatory display of store dummies in period costume.
Port of Airlie Maritime Terminal
Cruise Whitsundays ferries sail between Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island, Long Island and South Molle Island. The ferry to Hamilton Island costs $56 each way.
Ferries depart from the Maritime Terminal at the Port of Airlie complex east of the town centre.
Port Stephens Surf School
You can learn to surf at the Port Stephens Surf School. An introductory two-hour lesson costs $60. A two-day course (two two-hour lessons) costs $100, a three-day course costs $165 and a five-day course is $249.
Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre
Portland coach stop
V/line coaches go to Warrnambool and Mount Gambier in South Australia. Coaches stop at Hently Plaza.
Portland Maritime Discovery Centre
This excellent Maritime Discovery Centre in Portland has a number of interesting exhibits focusing on local shipwrecks. It also features a huge skeleton of a sperm whale.
Portland Visitor Information Centre
Powerhouse Museum
One of Australia’s largest museums has some excellent interactive displays and is host to a number of very good temporary exhibits. It is definitely one of Australia’s more enjoyable museums.
Free entry with the iVenture Sydney card
Free entry to the Powerhouse Museum with the iVenture Card Sydney sightseeing passPrairie Hotel
The Prairie Hotel, across the road from the Parachilna Overflow, is a classic outback pub that is a surprisingly good place to eat. Their specialty is the ‘feral grill’ with camel, emu and kangaroo. They also have cold beer and very good gelati.
Pro Dive dive courses
Pro Dive is one of several companies in Cairns that offer scuba dive courses. These dive courses include several dives on the reef and upon completion give you PADI certification, which is essential for diving on the reef.
Like other dive schools in Cairns, Pro Dive has several different courses but the open water courses are the most popular; these courses combine theory and pool dives with a couple of dives on the Great Barrier Reef. Open water PADI courses generally run over four to five days, the cheaper courses involve daily trips out to the reef and the more expensive course include accommodation aboard a boat on the reef.
You can still dive without PADI certification, but this will involve doing an introductory dive as part of a day trip to the reef. An introductory dive is a good way to find out whether diving is for you.
Prom Country Visitor Information Centre
Proserpine train station
Proserpine is the closest town to Airlie Beach that has a train station with the Spirit of Queensland stopping here en route between Brisbane and Cairns.
The train station is on Hinschen Street, just a short distance west of the town centre.
Whitsunday Transit operate regular buses linking Proserpine with Airlie Beach.
You can travel to Proserpine using the Queensland Coastal Pass and Queensland Explorer Pass rail passes
Puffing Billy Railway
Puffing Billy is a century-old steam train, run by volunteer train enthusiasts, that still runs between Belgrave and Gembrook on its original track. The train takes you through scenic countryside and the trip is a lot of fun. There are between three and six trains a day, although not all of them continue all the way to Gembrook.
Free return ride with the iVenture Melbourne card
Free return ride on the Puffing Billy railway with the iVenture Card Melbourne sightseeing passQantas Founders Outback Museum
Aviation buffs and plane spotters will love this museum at Longreach Airport, which is home to the original Qantas hangar as well as a replica of the first Qantas aircraft. The museum is the only place in the world where you can take a tour of a fully equipped Boeing 747.