After the Airlie Beach Marathon: Hamilton Island
The Route: Airlie Beach → Hamilton Island → Hamilton Island Airport Logistics: Ferry from Port of Airlie, about an hour. Fly home directly from the island. Marathon Month: July Duration: 1 night
Port of Airlie ──(approx. 1 hr, Cruise Whitsundays ferry)──> Hamilton Island Marina
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Hamilton Island Airport (HTI) ◄──(5 mins by shuttle)┘
The Airlie Beach Marathon ends on the foreshore in mid-July. Hamilton Island is the obvious next move for anyone flying home: an hour across the water, one night, and a flight from the island's own airport the next day, without going back to the mainland.
July on Hamilton Island is dry-season weather at its most dependable: clear mornings, warm afternoons in the low 20s and cool evenings on the water. The island sits among the humpback whales' winter route through the Whitsundays, and ferries and reef boats often see them from about June to September. Sightings are not guaranteed. School holidays make the island busier in July, so book the room and any tours early.
Cruise Whitsundays runs ferries between Port of Airlie and Hamilton Island several times a day, with a crossing of about an hour. Luggage goes on board with you, and the island's free shuttle bus meets the boats. Check the timetable at cruisewhitsundays.com and book ahead in July.
Night One: Hamilton Island
Hamilton is a resort island, but a resort the size of a small town, with its own marina, school, shops and airport. There are almost no private cars. Visitors get around by golf buggy, hired by the hour or the day, or by the free island shuttle, which suits legs that have run 42 km very well.
The recovery walk is the marina front. The boardwalk and paths around the harbour are flat and paved, lined with cafés and yachts, with benches every few metres. Catseye Beach, on the eastern side of the resort, has a gentle curve of sand facing the smaller islands and a flat path behind it. Both can be walked at a shuffle.
The island's high point, Passage Peak, has the best view on Hamilton and a steep, rocky track to reach it. It is a walk for another trip.
For anyone who wants the reef without a second night, Cruise Whitsundays' day trip to Reefworld at Hardy Reef leaves Hamilton Island at 09:00 and returns at 17:00, with about four hours on a pontoon moored at the outer reef. The trip includes a semi-submarine tour and an underwater observatory, so the reef can be seen without swimming, plus snorkelling gear, stinger suits and lunch. Prices start at about A$295 (£157) per adult; check current fares. On a one-night stay this means catching the ferry early on day one and doing the reef on day two before an evening flight.
Where to stay: The Reef View Hotel, the island's largest, sits above Catseye Beach a short shuttle ride from the marina, with rooms facing the water. At the top of the market, qualia, at the northern tip of the island, is an adults-only retreat with pavilions over the Whitsunday Passage, priced accordingly.
Where to eat: The Marina Tavern, on the harbour front, serves pub meals and cold beer a few steps from the ferry landing, which is exactly what the evening after a marathon needs. Several other restaurants line the marina; book in July, because the island's dining fills on school-holiday evenings.
Getting to Hamilton Island Airport
Hamilton Island Airport (HTI) is a few minutes from the marina by the free shuttle, and has direct flights to several Australian cities. Check in times are relaxed by big-airport standards, but allow for the shuttle schedule. For flights from the mainland instead, take the ferry back to Port of Airlie and transfer to Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) near Proserpine, about 35 to 40 minutes by road.