Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.premierms.com.au
)
buses detour off the Bruce Hwy to Airlie Beach. There are buses
between Airlie Beach and all the major centres along the coast, including Brisbane ($232,
19 hours), Mackay ($30, two hours), Townsville ($46, 4 hours) and Cairns ($92, 9 hours).
Long-distance buses stop on The Esplanade, between the sailing club and the Airlie
Beach Hotel.
Whitsunday Transit
( 07-4946 1800;
www.whitsundaytransit.com.au
)
connects Proserpine (Whit-
sunday Airport), Cannonvale, Abel Point, Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour. Buses operate
from 6am to 10.30pm.
Getting Around
Airlie Beach is small enough to cover by foot. Most cruise boats have courtesy buses that
will pick you up from wherever you're staying and take you to either Shute Harbour or
Abel Point Marina. To book a taxi, call
Whitsunday Taxis
( 13 10 08)
.
Most of the major car-rental agencies are repesented here: offices line Shute Harbour
Rd.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Conway National Park
The mountains of this national park and the Whitsunday Islands are part of the same
coastal mountain range. Rising sea levels following the last ice age flooded the lower val-
leys, leaving only the highest peaks as islands, now cut off from the mainland.
The road from Airlie Beach to Shute Harbour passes through the northern section of the
park. Several
walking trails
start from near the picnic and day-use area. About 1km past the
day-use area, there's a 2.4km walk up to the
Mt Rooper lookout
, with good views of the Whit-
sunday Passage and islands. Further along the main road, towards Coral Point and before
Shute Harbour, there's a 1km track leading down to
Coral Beach
and
The Beak lookout
. This
track was created with the assistance of the Giru Dala, the traditional custodians of the
Whitsunday area, and a brochure available at the start of the trail explains how the local
Aborigines use plants growing in the area.
