This page provides
information about travel visas, getting
to Daydream Island and where to find further information
about Queensland.
All travellers
to Australia, other than Australian and New Zealand citizens,
are legally required to hold a valid visa or an Electronic
Travel Authority (ETA) to travel to Australia. Please ask
your travel agent or contact the nearest Australian Embassy/
Consulate in your country.
Participants of an event or conference in Australia may need
to apply for a specific visa and delegates should contact
the Embassy/Consulate with any inquiries.
Note also that the Australian Department of Immigration and
Multicultural Affairs recommends that participants of international
events held in Australia should apply for their visas well
in advance of anticipated travel. This particularly applies
to residents of non-ETA countries. For more complete visa
information, you may wish to visit the Australian Department
of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website: www.immi.gov.au/visit
Daydream Island
is located within the Whitsundays Islands group on the north
eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Delegates must
travel by launch to reach the island from the mainland (via
Shute harbour) or Hamilton Island.
See LAUNCH Information below. The ferries' timetable is available on the Fantasea website. Please note that the last ferry to Daydream island departs from Hamilton island at 4:30 pm, and from Shute Harbour - at 5:15 pm
BY AIR:
The Whitsundays are serviced by several domestic airports.
The closest two are the Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton
Island and the Whitsunday Coast Airport on the mainland at
Proserpine.
Direct services operate from Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and
Melbourne, with domestic and international connections via
Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns airports. For airline schedules,
contact your Travel Agent, Qantas,
Virgin Blue or
Jetstar
Flying time
to Hamilton island is approximately:
Alternatively you may fly
to Mackay and then take a bus to Airlie Beach. The bus service
is provided by CON-X-ION , with departures from Mackay Airport at 10:30 and 16:30.
The travel time is around 2 hours one way and costs $80 return
(adults), $40 (child. ie 3-14 yrs; <3yrs - no charge). For
bookings contact CON-X-ION
on (+61) 1300 308 718 or (+61 7) 5556 9888.
From Great Barrier Reef Airport
(Hamilton Island) Fantasea Cruises meet flights for
a comfortable 35 minute catamaran cruise to Daydream Island.
From Whitsunday Coast Airport (Proserpine) regular Whitsunday
Transit Coaches meet all flights for a 30 minute transfer
to Shute Harbour where Fantasea Cruises provide a regular
launch service to Daydream Island (see Launch information
below).
Helicopter services are also
available from Great Barrier Reef Airport and Proserpine.
For enquiries, contact Heli-Reef on (+61 7) 4946 9102 or Aviation
Adventures on (+61 7) 4946 9988.
BY ROAD: The Whitsundays
can be accessed by the Bruce Highway which covers the East
coast of Queensland from Cairns to Brisbane. Dependant on
conditions, driving time to Shute Harbour via Airlie Beach
is approximately 12 hours north from Brisbane and 8 hours
south from Cairns. Regular coach services also operate into
Airlie Beach. Secure Car Parking is available at Shute Harbour
where Fantasea Cruises provide launch service (see Launch
information). For reservations and further information, contact
Secure Car Parking on (+61 7) 4946 9666.
BY RAIL: Regular daily
train services depart from Brisbane, heading North and from
Cairns and Townsville heading South. A Whitsunday Transit
Coach service is available from Proserpine Rail Station with
launch connection from Shute Harbour to Daydream Island (see
Launch information). For train timetables, contact your Travel
Agent or Queensland Rail on (+61 )7 3235 1323.
LAUNCH INFORMATION:
Fantasea Cruises operate regular services from Great Barrier
Reef Airport (Hamilton Island) with a direct travel time by
comfortable high speed catamaran of 35 minutes ($74 return)
and from Shute harbour with a travel time of 15 minutes ($30
return) Prices as of 1 December 2004. Contact Fantasea
for Reservations on (+61 7) 4946 5111.
You may wish to book the ferry from Hamilton Island Airport
when making your accommodation booking with Daydream Island
Resort. The price is $64.00 per person return. Please ask
the reservations department for more information.
For further information on
tours and travel options in Queensland, visit the Queensland
Travel Centre website:
To obtain the above information
in pdf format, please click here
