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You need more than one day to enjoy all that Fitzroy Island has to offer. This 339 hectare tropical island packs a big punch when it comes to things to see and do, including but not limited to, swimming in the sea, snorkelling the fringing reefs, hiking the many tracks and trails, exploring Nudey Beach, meeting the turtles at the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and more – it’s all waiting for you at beautiful Fitzroy Island. Not to mention the sunsets and sunrises, which are simply stunning! Plan ahead and do it all in comfort and style, by booking a room, a cabin or a bungalow at the Fitzroy Island Resort. Your island escape awaits …
Fitzroy Island Resort has studio rooms and island suites, penthouse apartments, beachfront cabins and beachside bungalows. Two restaurants, a beachfront bar and swimming pool. The toughest decision will be how long you stay. Daily transfers to and from Cairns, just a short ride to paradise.
Fitzroy Island is a 45 minute boat ride from Cairns, and yet a world away from the city. The island itself is just beautiful, with rising rainforest mountains, coral and sand beaches, granite boulders, coconut trees and blue, blue waters. This is one of the places the locals like to come on those big blue sky days, for rest and relaxation with a side serve of tropical resort feels. You can do as much or little as you like, but staying overnight (or more) allows you to do it all. We recently enjoyed a 2 day / 1 night stay at Fitzroy Island, and this is our Staying at Fitzroy Island review. We booked the 8am Fitzroy Island transfer from Cairns and on arrival we headed to Reception to ‘check-in’ and leave our bags in the resort’s storage room. The check-in time for the resort is at 3pm and check-out is at 10am but guests can enjoy the resort’s facilities the whole time they are on the island. We’ve previously stayed in the Welcome Bay Suite, but on this visit opted for one of the Butterfly Bungalows. The bungalows are a walk from the main resort, but they’re adjacent to the beach and our favourite Fitzroy Island snorkel site at Turtle Rock. The resort has a range of rooms, a gorgeous swimming pool, two restaurants and a beachside bar – Foxy’s Bar. There’s also a small island convenience store and the Fitzroy Island Sports Hub, where you can hire snorkelling equipment and book snorkel tours and activities.
“Staying at Fitzroy Island Resort is always a special occasion for us, in fact visiting Fitzroy Island is always special. Many years ago, this is where we had our first date, we came and stayed for our babymoon vacation here, always bring visiting family members over and have come back for two of Ethan’s birthdays. So yeah – we do love Fitzroy Island! We love the fact that there’s so much you can do here and we love the natural beauty and scenery, which is truly outstanding. From the Summit Walk, where the blue sky blends with the blue sea, down to the shore where beach almond trees provide a feast for sulphur-crested cockatoos, and into the water with coral gardens and the chance to swim with sea turtles. At the end of the day, drinks on the beach enjoying sunset, and in the morning buffet breakfasts and the chance to do it all again.” – Julie Johnston
We came for 2 days and 1 night and planned to squeeze every last moment out of our time at Fitzroy Island. After dropping our bags at the Resort’s guest storage room, we hit the trails and hiked up the Lighthouse Track and Summit Walk. It’s a tough climb, with a total elevation of 285m, but the views are simply epic and make it all worthwhile. We recommend starting with the Lighthouse Track and ending with the Summit Walk and make sure you take drinking water. For more details and pics see our Fitzroy Island Lighthouse and Summit Walk Review. Having ticked that box, it was straight over to Foxys Bar for lunch, which is served from 11.30am to 3pm. The menu features burgers and salads, fish and chips, steak sandwiches and more – you can download the Foxys Menu here – current as at October 2024. We had pre-booked a snorkel safari tour, so after lunch we headed over to the Fitzroy Island Sports Hub where we were allocated our snorkelling equipment and given a tour briefing. From there it was a short boat ride over to Shark Fin Bay for a guided snorkel tour. Highlights included seeing a green sea turtle and school of super-cute squid. We got back to the resort around 2.45pm and headed to reception to collect our keys, while the resort staff transferred our bags to the bungalow.
After we settled in, it was time to head to the beach for some more snorkelling. It was low tide and an easy snorkel out towards Turtle Rock. Our good snorkel luck continued, because we saw another green sea turtle which was awesome, some coral trout, six bar wrasse and black and white striped scissor tail sergeant fish. Afterwards we went to the pool for a swim and then headed back to the bungalow for dinner. We had hired an electric BBQ with the room and brought steak and salads with us, so it was a quick and easy dinner. Sunset at the beach that night was amazing! Golden curtains of light streaming towards us from the mountains of the mainland, seeping into the fading blue of the day, with a soundtrack of corals tinkling against each other on the beach in the gentle waves. Happy hearts, it was time for bed.
Every time we visit Fitzroy Island, we spot turtles—they’re such graceful creatures! When given space and respect, they happily swim with you, creating truly special moments.
Day 2 started with a beach walk to the resort for breakfast. They do say it’s the most important meal of the day and the buffet was generous with its offerings, which included bacon and eggs, baked beans, hash browns, grilled tomatos and mushrooms. You could also enjoy a selection of pastries and croissants, cold meats and cheese, tropical fruits, toast, juice, tea, coffee and more. Breakfast at Fitzroy Island Resort is served in Zephyr Restaurant which has indoor and outdoor seating, providing panoramic views over Welcome Bay and the jetty. Download a sample buffet breakfast menu here. After breakfast we headed back to the bungalow and packed up in preparation for check out. The reception team had let us know the day before that we could lock the door and leave all the bags in the room, for transfer back to the storage room. Too easy. That done, we grabbed our mask, snorkel and fins and headed back to the beach for some more snorkelling at Turtle Rock and then underneath the jetty.
We had booked a tour at the island’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, which started at 12.45pm. The center provides treatment and rehabilitation for sick and injured turtles from across the Great Barrier Reef. There’s lots of interpretive signage at the entrance, which describes some of the risks turtles face, outlines the different species of sea turtles and provides turtle trivia. Our guide then provided an overview of the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre’s history and purpose, before taking us in to see one of the ‘patients’ a green sea turtle called Raine. Raine was swimming around in an enclosed pond which had a viewing window, allowing us to see her. This was an amazing opportunity to get close to a sea turtle and learn more about them. We highly recommend the Turtle Talk tour: they run Tuesday to Sunday, at 12.45pm and 2.30pm – prebook to avoid disappointment.
Lunch at Foxys was next on the agenda with some well-earned soft drinks, cocktails and beers, all with a massive side serve of blue water views. This time we had burgers, salt and pepper calamari and the kids had chicken tenders. We were booked on the 5pm Fitzroy Flyer transfer back to Cairns, so after lunch there was still time to splash around under the jetty and swim in the pool. It was a wonderful and action packed stay at Fitzroy Island. We all had the best time and can definitely recommend it to you.
Yes – it is definitely worth staying at Fitzroy Island. We have done it many times, over many years, and have always had a great time. By staying on the island, you are giving yourself the time to do all of the activities with downtime for swimming and relaxing.
The resort at Fitzroy Island is good. It offers a range of accommodation types, has 2 restaurants, a bar, swimming pool, guest storage room and a range of tours and activities. We did the snorkel safari tour and Turtle Talk presentation at the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, but there were a range of other activities available that we did not do. This includes fish feeding, kids art and craft, junior marine biologist program, movie screenings, tie dye workshops, jewellery making classes, sip and paint and more.
The Welcome Bay Suites at Fitzroy Island are lovely. They have a main bedroom with Queen sized bed and can accommodate 2 other guests on a fold out lounge. They have a shaded balcony and kitchen facilities and are air conditioned.
The Butterfly Bungalows at Fitzroy Island Resort are great for families. They are away from the main resort, positioned beachside down past the campground, and adjacent to the beach. They have a main, open plan living space, which has a Queen sized bed, kitchenette, dinging table, bathroom with toilet and shower, and a separate room for the kids with a bunk bed. There’s also an exterior deck with outdoor table and you can hire an electric BBQ from reception.
Yes, Fitzroy Island has 2 restaurants. Foxy Bar for simple meals and beachside beverages, open for lunch and dinner. Download the Foxys Bar menu. Zephyr Restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Download a sample breakfast buffet menu and Zephyr dinner menu here. Current as at October 2024.
Yes, you can take your own food to Fitzroy Island. We took our dinner when we stayed at the Butterfly Bungalows and self-catered, which was great.
Yes, Fitzroy Island is suitable for families, especially those with active children who will enjoy all of the walks and activities.
We stayed 2 days / 1 night – because we are locals and can go again – if you are on holidays here, then we’d suggest spending a few more days at Fitzroy Island as there’s lots of things you can do. From island hikes, to swimming and snorkelling and the all important relaxing and enjoying.
There is so much you can do at Fitzroy Island! The island has walking tracks and trails. You can snorkel from beach or take a guided snorkel tour. Have drinks at Foxys Bar. Buffet breakfast at Zephyr’s Restaurant. Visit the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Swim at Nudey Beach. Enjoy one of the resort’s many planned activities and of course, just relax and enjoy your holiday.
Yes, you definitely need to make a booking to stay at Fitzroy Island. The island is popular with locals and visitors, so make sure you book ahead to avoid disappointment.
There are several companies providing boat transfers between Cairns and Fitzroy Island, with many different departure times. You should be able to find something to accommodate most itineraries.
Yes, you can also camp at Fitzroy Island.
Yes, Fitzroy Island and Fitzroy Island Resort is open all year round, with island transfers taking place 365 days a year.
There’s no bad time to visit Fitzroy Island – and no best time either – so just book it at a time that suits you.
I loved staying at Fitzroy Island and I think other kids would love it here too! It’s a great place for families with so much to do. There’s lots of snorkelling – I took my friend snorkelling for the first time and he loved it, so that was awesome. It was our first time staying in the Butterfly Bungalows and I thought it was a really good experience, because it was close to the beach and we could easily go there whenever we wanted to. The beach is made out of coral, so make sure you take crocs or good walking shoes. The Lighthouse Track and Summit Walk are hard, but worth it for the views. The food was nice – we had the chicken tenders for lunch at Foxys and they were really good. The pool has a spa, which was awesome. All up, it was a great experience.
Fitzroy Island is a 45 minute boat ride from Cairns. You can stay at the Fitzroy Island Resort and will need to book boat transfers, which are in addition to the room rate. There’s a range of rooms and accommodation types at the resort, including suites and apartments, a penthouse, beachfront cabins and beachside bungalows. There’s 2 restaurants, a bar and a swimming pool. All accommodation is air conditioned for your convenience. This is a beautiful island with lots to see and do, so make a plan and book your stay today.
Fitzroy Island ticks all the boxes. Rainforest mountains, coral beaches, fringing reefs with turtles and fish, tropical resort, cocktails by the sea, hiking, snorkelling, kayaking and relaxing. You can do all this and so much more – read the list, book the trip - it's just a 45 minute boat ride to paradise.
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Imagine arriving at a tropical island, surrounded by bright blue water, with rich green mountains and sandy, coral beaches. Well imagine no more and welcome to Fitzroy Island, where you can snorkel off the beach, under the jetty or on a snorkel safari tour – or do them all, for the ultimate Fitzroy Island snorkeling adventure.
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A walk with massive WOW factor when it comes to views, is Fitzroy Island’s Lighthouse and Summit Walk. This 4km return circuit has a total elevation of 285m, taking you to and from the island’s camping area to the lighthouse and the summit. Epic scenery, worth the climb!
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