How To Get To Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is located on the North Queensland coast roughly halfway between Brisbane and Cairns.
There are four main ways to get to Airlie Beach and the decision really depends on how much time you have and how you like to travel.
The Aeroplane
Flying into Airlie Beach from literally anywhere is going to be your fastest method of getting here. Direct flights are available from a handful of locations around Australia with those missing out on direct routes having to transfer in Brisbane.
If you are coming from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Darwin or Cairns, then flying will most likely be your best option.
There are two airport options that you could choose in order to get to Airlie which are Proserpine and Hamilton Island. As a rule of thumb, flights to Hamilton Island will be more expensive and transfers from Hamilton Island are also rather expensive.
Flying into Proserpine will be your cheapest and best option. Transfers are provided by many different companies which means there is price competition driving the cost down. The ride into town also only takes half an hour.
>>>Try Google Flights to get an idea of the prices.
The Road Trip
A north Queensland road trip is something that normally sits pretty high on most peoples bucket lists. The open road, beautiful destinations and a few wonderful weeks really is the dream.
Airlie Beach is perfectly located between two of the more common stops which are Seventeen-seventy and Magnetic Island. Grab your road snacks, fill up the tank, appoint your DJ and hit the Bruce Highway.
The road has improved over the last decade significantly and currently, there is not a lot of roadworks happening between Brisbane and Airlie Beach. Northbound from Airlie you will find hour after hour of reduced speed roadworks at the moment.
Parking in Airlie Beach is quite limited and there is absolutely nowhere that you can camp in your van or trailer for free. Luckily we have a decent selection of caravan parks.
The closest place to pull up a caravan or campervan is Base Airlie Beach which is right on the main street of town. This can get a little rowdy so if you have children or just prefer somewhere quieter then Seabreeze Tourist Park is the next closest to town.
The Bus
There are two companies that offer regular long-distance bus services up and down the east coast of Australia. These are Greyhound and Premier. The bus trips are very good value for money and even run at night. Greyhound is normally slightly more comfortable and Premier is normally slightly cheaper.
Free WIFI is advertised on both of them, though 90% of the time this will not work.
If you are someone who can get a nights rest on a bus, then this is probably the preferred method. The bonus of the bus is that they drop you right in town and there will be no transfers required.
The Train
Queensland rail runs the Spirit Of Queensland which winds it’s way from Brisbane all the way to Cairns. The stop for Airlie Beach is Proserpine and the connecting bus or taxi is only half an hour from town.
Rail seems to be a mostly forgotten form of travel which makes it quiet and cheap. This train is nothing like the trains of the past though. Rail travel has evolved into a new kind of luxury that compares to first-class aeroplane seats. 