Fitzroy Island is just one of the many islands you can visit on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland. We loved our time here so much we thought it needed its very own blog.
We originally planned on just visiting for the day, but after finding a great deal (it was off-peak season) we couldn't pass up the offer. It was still pricy, but so worth staying the extra days as there is so much to do here. Here is everything we got up to, where we ate and how we spent our 3 days.
The Summit Walk
This one was a bit of a challenge, especially because we started the hike in complete darkness to be able to reach the top lookout for sunrise. It was 100% worth the effort as it was an incredible view. The track is a grade 4 (moderate) and is 3.6kms in total. The walk up is pretty steep, but a clear and managed path. It will take you approx. 1.5 hours to complete the full circuit.
Once you have reached the top, the hard work is all done and it's a easy and leisurely walk back down (especially with full light) it's also a great chance to see the rest of the island views including the lighthouse and the crystal clear, blue water inviting you for a swim.
Nudey Beach
Unlike the name, this is not a nude beach - so make sure you bring your bathers.
The walk here is pretty easy - an easy 15 minute hike from the main area of the island, which takes you through the tropical rainforest before opening up to the crystal clear coral beach. While it's easy, it does involve some stairs and a little rock scrambling, but we promise it's well worth the effort.
While this beach is not generally recommended for snorkelling, we still suggest you bring your goggles and fins as we were greeted with a few turtles right on the shoreline.
Something that surprised us about this beach was that is was mostly coral (with only a small amount of sand right on the shoreline) so if you have sensitive feet like me, bring some reef shoes or some thick thongs.
If you're into droning like us, head there super early in the morning to beat the crowds as it gets very busy and makes for some fabulous photography.
Snorkelling & Beach Things
Snorkelling off the main beach is a no brainer when visiting Fitzroy Island. The coral and marine life were out in full force and we were lucky enough to swim with multiple turtles. This is also the perfect spot to relax on the beach and enjoy a leisurely walk.
There is a small water sports hire shop (FISH) which you can easily find outside the main reception. They have everything for hire such as stand up paddle boards, kayaks, all your snorkel gear and more if your looking to do something a little more adventurous.
Watch the sun go down from Foxy's Bar
This is the ultimate place to watch the sunset while you sink a cocktail or two from the outdoor dining area. The cocktails were the usual price around the $15-18 mark, made even cheaper by visiting at happy hour. My personal favourite was the passionfruit mojito which went down a little too easy, so much so we got ourselves a jug.
Head here early to secure the best seats as it gets busy at sunset!
The food is good too if your planning on staying for dinner. More on that below.
The Resort / Rooms
We stayed in the "Resort Studio Room" which was possibly the cheapest room available - its was nice, but nothing fancy. It cost us $899 for the 3 night package which included ferry transfers, breakfast, snorkel hire and a glass bottom boat (due to bad weather the boat was unfortunately canceled which was a shame) so overall it was great value considering the room itself if usually $260 per night + $89 each for ferry transfers, so we saved a bit of money.
Our only critique was the lighting, our small window looked out to a wall so we didn’t have any natural light coming into the room. I wish we didn’t book the package and just choose our room so we could of enjoyed it more. If I could do it again I would book a room with a kitchen so we could make our own meals to save some money.
Where To Eat
Because we didn't book a room with a kitchenette, we had to purchase every meal which got EXPENSIVE after 3 nights. There are 2 main resultants / bars on the island - Zephyr Restaurant and Foxy's bar.
We ate dinner at Zephyr restaurant twice, and I have to say, it was some of the best food we have eaten on the whole trip. I had the prawn linguini on the first night, and the green curry on the third. Both were amazing. While the mains were fabulous, the dessert was really disappointing, I had the mud cake that was $19 and it was the size of a small cupcake, which was a pretty sad dessert to split between 2, so I would not recommend the deserts.
Foxy’s bar is the only place open for lunch that you can have a sit down meal, as well as dinner. It has the usual suspects - burgers, fish and chips and salads. Overall it was pretty decent food. Expensive as expected by what you can expect from an island pub.
Another lunch alternative is pizza from the pool bar. This is the only food on offer and is take away only. A pizza will set you back about $20 depending on the flavour.
Breakfast at Zephyr's was included in our package, but was a limited menu - still good and offered your basics: bread, cereal or bacon and eggs. Anything extra came at a price (I do recommend the lime hollandaise for your eggs, $3 extra - it's worth it). If you are eating there outside of the package, the breakfast offering was pretty good and had the usual good stuff like eggs benedict, waffles and pancakes.
If you can, I would recommend bringing food to make lunches such as sandwiches to break up the spending. There are BBQs on the island and places to sit down and bring a packed lunch.
Overall we loved our time on the island and would go there again and again. We would do things a little differently as said, but overall the place was beautiful and a great spot to relax and enjoy the Great Barrier Reef.
Any questions?, hit us up in the comments below!
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