4th February 2016 we continued our journey from Palm Cove to a return visit to Fitzroy Island with our prearranged bus transfer to Cairns. The traffic from Palm Cove to Cairns ferry terminal was stressful and time was against us but thankfully the Fitzroy Ferry accepted my phone request via Fitzroy island hotel to wait for us as we were stuck in traffic less than 5 minutes away. Make sure if planning a bus transfer to Cairns that you allocate additional time for traffic even if it is early in the morning.
You can pre-book your ferry transfer directly through Fitzroy Island Hotel or online.
http://www.fitzroyislandcairns.com/fitzroy-tours/Ferry-Transfers/
Once we arrived at the Cairns ferry terminal we frantically ran down to Marlin Jetty – Berth 20 which is the last boat at the end of the ramp. The Fitzroy ferry staff greeted us and our luggage taken on board.
If it is your first time to Fitzroy Island try to get a good seat outside where you are able to take some selfies when leaving Cairns and approaching Fitzroy Island. The Fast Cat ride to Fitzroy Island is 45 minutes.
Once disembarking the ferry your luggage is given to you and the ferry crew direct you to reception to check in. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long for our room and were able to check in within an hour of arriving. The hotel has a storage room with lockers for your belongings then you can relax by the pool or explore the island while you wait.
Our 1 bedroom apartment had a glimpse of the sea amongst the trees. The apartment is comfortable and the air-conditioning is perfect for those really hot days.
Do not forget to bring Mosquito repellent. If you are anything like me and have sweet blood the Mosquitoes will love you.
Once settled into our room we headed to the island’s mini grocery store to buy our water supply for the next 2 days. The mini grocery store prices are expensive but that it is to be expected.
Fitzroy Island is a nice tiny island where you can just relax, swim and enjoy water sports. The island also has a Turtle Rehabilitation Centre that allows people to learn about their facility and the recovery of the injured or sick turtles before they are released back into the ocean. Make sure to pre-book as groups are limited.
Nudey beach is located on the south westerly side of the island and is a 15-20 minutes walk through the rainforest. The sand is soft however there is lots of dead coral. I suggest a good pair of reef shoes.
There are four walks available, from 45 minutes to 3 hrs return:-
- Secret Garden
- Nudey Beach
- The Lighthouse Road
- The Summit
The rest of the afternoon we chilled by the pool and had cocktails. We love this pool for the swim up bar which also has seating in the pool.
The resort’s watersports centre had water devices called “Seabobs” that we heard about on our first visit. We spoke to 2 girls who had returned from their Seabob experience and they said “it’s so much better snorkelling with the Seabob”. After our relaxing afternoon by the pool we stopped by the water sports centre and enquired about the Seabobs. The Seabob is a simple 3 speed device just enough speed to snorkel. We booked an 1 hour snorkelling trip for the following day at 11am.
There are other water sport activities you can also do like kayak. We thoroughly enjoyed the Fitzroy Island kayak snorkelling tour in 2015 and highly recommend this tour arranged through the water sport centre. The tour goes for 3 hours and you kayak over to Little Fitzroy where you can also snorkel. We were lucky to see a Reef Shark and James swam after it eek. There is also a second opportunity to snorkel half way between Little Fitzroy and Fitzroy Island, we found lots of sea life around this spot.
http://www.fitzroyislandcairns.com/fitzroy-tours/Fitzroy-Island-Sea-Kayaking/Sea-Kayaking-activity-from-the-island-2348/
On our previous trip we also hired a kayak from the beach kayak hut and did our own kayak tour around the whole Fitzroy island which was fun and quite challenging for me.
Later that evening we enjoyed our leftover Thai from Palm Cove, watched a movie then an evening walk.
After a good night’s sleep we woke early and got ready for an exciting morning ahead. 11am we headed to the water sports centre to get our stinger suits and meet our Seabob snorkelling tour guide. During our 10-15 minutes training with the Seabob I was not too sure if I could handle the device and anxiety started to kick in. When I looked across at James I could see the disappointment in his face as I said “I am not sure if I can do the Seabob” so I pulled myself together and removed the fear from my thoughts and continued practicing. After 5 more minutes training we headed out into the deep blue sea. Wow you have to try the Seabob snorkelling tour on Fitzroy Island it is so much fun. I had a blast snorkelling with the Seabob that I even snorkelled elsewhere by myself a few times to look at sea life in different areas to James and the tour guide. There is a lot of sea life around Fitzroy Island.
Currently Seabobs are only available at Fitzroy Island, Hayman Island and Hamilton Island. Cost was $140 for an hour per adult however being a guest at Fitzroy Island we were given a discounted rate down to $125 per adult. 30 minute tours are available but I highly recommend the 1 hour tour.
After an amazing hour trip we spent the remainder of the afternoon with a walk by the beach and relaxed by the pool drinking cocktails and taking in the ocean view.
That evening we had a private beach dinner booked at 6.00pm for sunset at 6.30pm. We experienced the private dinner on a previous trip and could not resist to enjoy it again. Fitzroy Island’s restaurant is a bit on the pricey side but I must say the food is always perfect and the 3 course meal quite filling.
The sunset dinner on the beach is a must. Make a special request with the restaurant as soon as you arrive. We reserved ours for the final evening and be prepared for $50 to be added to your hotel bill. Trust me when I say the $50 is worth the privacy on the beach and the great service you receive from the staff.
After an enjoyable 3 course meal with cocktails and a bottle of wine we headed over to the Foxy bar. The bar was quiet due to off season so we headed over to the games room and played the pin ball machines and few racing car games before ending our evening.
The following morning, as you can imagine I woke with a bit of a hangover and thankfully we were already packed. There are only 2 options 9.30am or 5pm departures to Cairns, we caught the Fitzroy Island fast ferry to Cairns at 9.30am.
It was a beautiful sunny morning and the Fast cat 45 minute ferry ride was quite pleasant.
Disembarking at Cairns where we were finishing our journey was great as our hotel Shangri La was a few minutes walk away from the Cairns Marina. Our stay thus far was perfect and the end of our journey was near.
christinetravels 
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