2 Days in Airlie Beach, Australia

As part of my travels along Australia’s East Coast, I spent two days visiting the small town of Airlie Beach. Known for its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday Islands, there’s plenty to do in the town and its surrounding areas.

Day 1 – A Skydiving Adventure

I arrived in Airlie Beach the evening before and checked into Nomads Airlie Beach, a nice hostel in the middle of town. The next morning, I had to be up early for my skydiving adventure. It was my first time skydiving, and Airlie Beach seemed like the perfect place to try it. I booked through Airlie Beach Skydivers, and a group of us were picked up from a nearby cafe to head to the company’s headquarters. We stopped at a gas station along the way, but I was too nervous to eat and settled for a sugary drink instead.

Soon we arrived at the company HQ, where we had safety briefings and watched a video demonstration. I was in the first group of the day and hardly had time to be anxious before getting suited up in all my gear. I met my instructor Phil who told me he had over 20,000 jumps! It was nice to know that I would at least be in experienced hands.

Once everyone in the group was ready, we boarded a really small plane and then spent a short amount of time getting to the right altitude. Phil and I were the second jumpers; when it was our turn, I sat on the edge of the plane as instructed, and seconds later Phil maneuvered us off the edge and we were flying! It was a fun free fall, and I kept trying to smile for the camera, but the air was freezing on my teeth. After what felt like a few seconds, Phil opened our chute and the rest of the ride was a relaxing, gentle one.

Airlie Beach, the perfect skydiving setting

Free-falling through the sky

We had beautiful views of the ocean and the surrounding coastline on the way back to land. Phil made a lot of quick turns with the chute, and I was glad I took motion sickness medicine or I may have gotten a bit dizzy. Eventually we landed directly on the beach, and we took a van back to HQ where we waited for the second set of jumpers. Overall, the jump was more relaxing and less adrenaline-filled than I expected, but it was still a really cool experience. It was also nice to have such a gorgeous view for my first time jumping out of a plane.

A successful beach landing

Once the second set of jumpers made it back to land, we all headed back to Airlie Beach where I had the rest of the day free. I got some much-needed caffeine and food at Treehouse Cafe, then I went to the Airlie Beach Lagoon to sunbathe and enjoy the beautiful weather. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and reminiscing on my incredible day.

Airlie Beach Lagoon

Day 2 – A Stunning Scenic Flight

I had another early morning the next day, since I had booked a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef with Fly Australia Charters. I was picked up near my hostel, and then we drove a short ways to the local airport. We met our pilot and boarded an incredibly small plane; our seats were pre-arranged based on each of our weights, and I got the co-pilot seat right in front.

Our very small scenic plane

Soon we were up in the air and flew around 20 minutes to reach the Whitsundays. The islands were absolutely beautiful from the air. As we were heading to the Great Barrier Reef, we saw a mom and baby humpback whale which was incredible! Even our pilot got excited as he crazily maneuvered our plane so we could get a better view; at one point he apologized for all the “Top Gun stuff.” I would have 100% thrown up without motion sickness meds, as I even felt a bit queasy after taking them. It was worth it though!

The Whitsundays from the sky

A mom and baby humpback whale

Next we flew over the Great Barrier Reef itself which was absolutely stunning. I especially loved seeing the Heart Reef and the channel of deep water cutting through the Reef. We also got to see a manta ray and an entire whale family swimming over the coral. The flight turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve had in Australia and throughout my travels as a whole. I would highly recommend booking a scenic flight if you’re in Airlie Beach; it’s worth the expensive price tag.

Flying over the Great Barrier Reef

Heart Reef

Once the flight was over, a van took us back into town. I had a late breakfast at Wisdom Cafe, then went back to the Lagoon for awhile. In the afternoon I did a bit of window shopping at the downtown stores, and then I had fish and chips for dinner from Whitsunday Seafood Bar. I spent the evening at some local bars with some hostel friends, and we had a great time comparing our skydiving pictures and experiences flying over the Reef. Airlie Beach turned out to be even better than I expected, and I think it’s a must-see on any East Coast itinerary.