13 Epic Things to Do On Fitzroy Island and Travel Warnings You need to Know. Full Review
Fitzroy Island is a travellers paradise located 45 minutes by boat from Cairns, Australia. If you are going to Cairns, this is the day trip you have to take. For a relatively inexpensive price you will experience being a a tropical island close to the great barrier reef. It is quiet and remote yet still has all of the amenities including camp grounds, a hotel and restaurants. This place has a couple of really beautiful beaches including one rated as the bet beach in Australia. We went there ourselves and absolutely loved this place. There is so much to do, or you can just chill and enjoy the island. Read on, all of your questions will be answered. Please comment below with any other questions you may have so that we can update this.
13 Epic Things To Do
Snorkelling
The Snorkelling on Fitzroy island is amazing, there is a reef surrounding the entire island and it is rich with fish and coral. Fitzroy is located adjacent to the great barrier reef so you will find the waters full of sea life. I took my 4 year old son snorkelling for the first time on Fitzroy. As soon as he submerged his face he saw a huge sea turtle! The water around Fitzroy is pretty calm as the great barrier reef breaks a lot of the large waves.
Snorkeling-Fitzroy-island
Visit the Turtle Sanctuary
There is a tour of a turtle sanctuary on Fitzroy island. It is actually a rehabilitations facility for turtles. There are tons of sea turtles around Fitzroy, and the rehab centre monitors these turtles for sickness and damage. We took the tour and found it a little boring for young children. It was informative but they only really show you on tank with a large turtle in it. You can see that they have more tanks but they don’t let you go back there. All payments go to help the rehab centre. I would skip this and spend more time on the beach. If you snorkel here, you will most likely see a sea turtle in their native habitats.
Turtle-rehabilitation-Fitzroy
Kayaking
You can rent Kayaks at the water sports centre. If you are on a tour they may provide this for you. They also have life jackets here and snorkel equipment.
Kayaking-Fitzroy
Scuba Diving
There is scuba Diving on Fitzroy island, you can do intro dives if you are a beginner or you can do fully certified dives. Although I did not dive on Fitzroy island I can tell you this. I would skip Scuba diving on Fitzroy island unless you are staying at the resort. If you really want to scuba dive, do it on the great barrier reef. Most people go to Fitzroy island on day trips, enjoy the island if you are only there for a day as it is beautiful and there is so much to do there.
Scuba-diving-Fitzroy-island
Camping
This looked amazing, there is a camping area set up a short walk from the resort. They have all of the amenities including bathroom facilities with showers, a fish cleaning station, and comfortable thick gras to set up your tent! If you like camping this would be an amazing place to do it. Wake up to the ocean breeze and if you are hungry and don’t want to cook, walk over to one of the restaurants!
Island-camping
Hiking
Fitzroy island has trails all over the island. We hiked around for hours and it was really fun. It keeps you shaded as the island is thick with foliage. And there are some really dramatic landscapes to climb around on. When you get to the island if you head right off the peer past the restaurants, this will take you to the entrance to one of the trail systems. If you follow that for 15 minutes you will find the hidden beach called Nudey Beach, which has awesome snorkelling. If you have a stroller I would not take this route. Trust me, I tried it. If you are with your kids and want to be able to do a lot head left of the peer. The walking trails are a lot better this direction and it leads you to the turtle sanctuary and a beautiful beach with great snorkelling. There are 3 distinct hikes on the island. The summit trek, the lighthouse trek and the secret garden.
Hiking-Australia
Take the walking tour
There is a walking tour you can sign-up for at the ice cream shop to the right of the peer. This tour takes you to different locations of the island and teaches you the history of the island and a little about the animals and insects on Fitzroy island. The end of the tour is at the turtle rehab centre.
Restaurants on Fitzroy island
There are 3 restaurants on Fitzroy island. One on the hotel and 2 for random guests. I always bring a sandwich and snacks with me as every private island tour can be expensive for food. The day we went to the island it was not that busy, so the food came out fast. Avoid going on the weekends if you do not like large crowds in the restaurants.
Restaurants-on-fitzroy
Explore the Island
Fitzroy island is very safe to explore around. There are no real boundaries for tourists here. You can basically go anywhere on the island you want. Start with one of the hikes while it is cool in the morning and then, when it is hot head to the beach to cool off.
Explore-Fitzroy
Beach Day
The beaches here are very beautiful. I found the shore to be a little rough with shells so, I recommend bringing water shoes with you. A little higher up the sand is soft, so set you towel up here. We took tons of great family pictures on the beach and there were not a lot of people here.
Fitzroy-island-beach-nudey-beach
In water trampoline
Right in front of the water sports centre they have a trampoline set up in the water. There were not a lot of people using it, children would love playing on this.
Get Married on Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy island is picture perfect, if you are getting married this would be an amazing place to do it. The resort is very pretty and the pictures you would get would be awesome. Or spend your honeymoon here. It is small, remote and private.
Fitzroy-honeymoon
Stay at the Fitzroy island Resort
The Fitzroy island resort is the only resort on the island. It is owned and operated by the Gamble family and they sure operate this resort right. Super clean and well managed. We joked that the next time we go to Cairns, we would stay here for a few nights.
Fitzroy-island-resort
Common Questions about Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island or Green Island?
This is a very common question, and the answer is it depends on what you like. Green island is very flat and the hiking here is not as good. Fitzroy has the best beach in Australia called Nudey Beach and is better for hiking. I spoke to a few tour providers there and they said the Japanese tourist pile onto green island and it gets very busy. I prefer something remotes so we chose Fitzroy.
Is Fitzroy Island on the Great Barrier Reef?
Fitzroy island is not on the great Barrier Reef, However it is very close. When you dive or snorkel Fitzroy, you will be able to see many of the same sea life as you would on the great barrier. Sea turtles are a very common site on Fitzroy island and you can often see them from the beach. The great barrier reef is around a 30 minute boat ride from Fitzroy island.
Map of Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy-Island-Map
What is the Fitzroy Raging thunder?
Raging thunder adventures is a tour company that provides transportation from Cairns to Fitzroy island. Not only do they do the transportation part, they also provide snorkel equipment and lunch. They are reasonably priced and professional.
Fitzroy Island Day trip Prices
The basic packages that includes Ferry rides back and forth are $79 for adults and $40 for children. If you Go with a tour company they will charge around $100 per person.
How to get to Fitzroy Island?
You can get to Fitzroy island by boat from Cairns. It takes around 30 minutes to get there. Cairns harbour is where you can catch a boat out and they sell the tickets right there. You can also book it through a tour company and there are a lot of them arounds Cairns. We booked the ferry through a tour company and they were able to give us a small discount. Nothing major, I think we saved $10 per person.
How long does it take to get to Fitzroy from Cairns?
It takes around 45 minutes to get to Fitzroy from Cairns aboard a fast cat boat.
Fitzroy Island Hotels
There is only one hotel of Fitzroy island and that is the Fitzroy island resort.
Do they rent Snorkel Equipment on Fitzroy island?
Yes they have a water sports centre on Fitzroy island where they rent snorkel Equipment.
What should I bring for a day trip on Fitzroy Island?
If you are taking a day trip to the Island, I would recommend bringing snacks so that you do not have to get off your but when you are relaxing on the beach. We brought some beer and soft drinks with us as well. Avoid bringing glass. You should also bring a water bottle as it is really hot here. I like to bring my own snorkel gear because I am used to my own equipment and it has not been in anyone else’s mouth. Water shoes are also highly recommended as some of the beaches here have lots of coral on it and it can be hard on the feet. Don’t forget sunglasses and a reef friendly sun tan lotion.
