Feeling the need to travel to an exotic destination to get away from it all?
Well it’s actually quite simple. Save the flight and head over to Fitzroy Island for the day, a night or a week (I’d go forever if I could!)
As soon as you jump on the 45-minute Fitzroy Island Fast Cat from Cairns to Fitzroy Island, you will feel like you are off on an adventure. Prepare for white sand, aqua water, cold cocktails and Christine Anu’s “My Island Home” to start playing in your head.
The island is surrounded by a reef system that forms part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. 97 per cent of the four square kilometre continental island is National Park and covered in tropical rainforest- it is absolutely stunning and there are plenty of walks to explore with the kids or on your own. The shortest walk takes you to the boulders lookout (around 300 meters) while the longest walk (the Summit Track) can take up to three hours.
Nestled between the rainforest and beach stands Fitzroy Island Resort, comprising of studio rooms, fully self-contained one and two bedroom apartments and beach cabins, all with ocean views.
We stayed in a one bedroom apartment, and it was certainly big enough for the four of us with everything you need to be self-sufficient meal wise. Just bring your own food. Or you can be lazy like us, and eat at the island’s bar, Foxy’s for lunch and dinner, and Zephyr’s restaurant, located at the resort, for breakfast.
The resort facilities are fantastic to say the least and exclusive to resort guests. These include Zephyr’s, an indulgent swimming pool and spa, which my boys didn’t want to leave and a swim-up pool bar, which I didn’t want to leave. They also have a cinema, games room and kids’ play room.
If you are coming for a day trip, there are plenty of great facilities to keep you entertained. We come over regularly on day trips with a packed picnic and our swimmers. You can hire or buy anything else you need including all snorkelling gear, stinger suits, sea kayaks, paddle boards and more.
The reef here is perfect for your kids to learn to snorkel as it’s really close to shore and you can go straight from the beach. Once you have finished snorkelling the kids can also go on the free water trampoline which is great fun, as well as a booked glass bottom boat tour or a tour of the renowned Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, dedicated to saving our sea turtles.
