Australia September 2013 - Qantas Airways 1851 Economy Class (CNS → AYQ)

***This post is part 17 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

On the day prior to leaving Cairns, I reserved a seat for the FNQ Airport Shuttle through Travellers Oasis. While the discounted pickup service from the airport was only $5 AUD, the return journey was the standard $12 AUD. With my flight scheduled to depart at 7:30 am, I was asked to wait at the front of the hostel by 5:30 am to ensure we had plenty of cushion.

Typically, shuttles make their rounds throughout the city, picking up passengers from multiple hotels and hostels before heading to the airport. However, just like the pickup service four days earlier, I ended up being the sole passenger. In the end, it took less than 15 minutes to get from the hostel to the Domestic Terminal check-in counters. Needless to say, I had more than enough time to spare.

Cairns Airport

It was still dark outside and not yet 6:00 am, so I wasn't terribly surprised to see the entire check-in area deserted. After printing out my boarding pass at a self-service kiosk, I carried my large backpack over to one of the agents manning the bag drop stations, where it was tagged to Ayers Rock and sent on its way. I then made my way over to the security checkpoint, where a short line and friendly (or perhaps sleepy) officers allowed me to get through in less than five minutes.

Self-service check-in kiosks

Bag drop and service counters

Empty hall

Security checkpoint

Once airside, I was greeted with a more lively atmosphere. There were plenty of souvenir shops, quick-service restaurants, and people milling about. I picked up some gifts, and then bought myself a greasy breakfast from Hungry Jacks (the Australian Burger King).

With so much time to spare, I was hoping there would be complimentary WiFi throughout the terminal, like almost all the other airports I had visited so far in Australia. That was not the case, however, and I soon found myself pulling out a credit card to pay $3.65 AUD for an hour of wireless internet access.

Australia September 2013 - Travellers Oasis Backpackers Hostel & Exploring Cairns & Kuranda

***This post is part 15 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Travellers Oasis Backpackers Hostel has out-of-this-world TripAdvisor reviews. Rarely do you ever see such universal praise for any property, let alone a hostel with shared dorms and bathrooms. I was skeptical, but I went ahead and booked a bed in a triple share dorm on their website for only $27 AUD plus a $2 credit card service fee.

I was dropped off by the FNQ airport shuttle just before noon, which was a good thing since the reception shuts down for a siesta between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00 pm. A super friendly front desk attendant by the name of Helen greeted me and apologized as there were two other guests ahead of me. Luckily there was free WiFi and a number of computers for guest use in the lobby while I waited.

Travellers Oasis Backpackers Hostel

Reception entrance

Many guests book local tours directly with the hostel since they don't tack on any surcharges, and the front desk attendants are just so damn nice and helpful. In fact, I would say out of all the hotels, hostels, and lodges I stayed at throughout Australia, the staff here were hands down the friendliest.

When it was my turn to check in, Helen guided me through the features of the hostel, and then proceeded to answer all my questions regarding several tours I was interested in, despite the fact that she should have been on her noon break already. She even took me on a quick tour of the property and showed me to my room afterwards.

A couple of things about the hostel: There is a $10 key deposit. Every Monday is barbecue night and Thursday is pizza night. Both events are held at Tropic Days Backpackers Hostel, a sister property several blocks away. Travellers Oasis runs a free shuttle to drop off and pick up guests. I would strongly recommend the barbecue, where for $12 AUD, you can try all the kangaroo, emu, and alligator your stomach can handle (the emu was especially delicious). Plus, it's a fun and lively atmosphere to meet other travelers from all over the world.

Free shuttle

Stairs up to my room

One of the great things about Travellers Oasis is the lack of bunk beds in most dorm rooms. To me, this makes a huge difference in comfort when staying at a hostel. There is nothing worse than getting woken up in the middle of the night when your bunkmate returns to the room in a drunken stupor, stumbling into bed while shaking the frame like an earthquake.

When I entered, the two other beds were already occupied, so I settled into the third. The room was super clean for a hostel and the sheets looked positively pristine. There were individual safes for guests under each bed, which was a very thoughtful feature. While there was an air conditioning unit (Cairns is quite hot and humid), it was coin-operated and cost $1 AUD for 3 hours.

Triple share dorm

My bed

Room #6

Australia September 2013 - Qantas Airways 2504 Economy Class (HTI → CNS)

***This post is part 14 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Although I arrived in Airlie Beach via the Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) near Prosperpine, I was forced to depart via the Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI) on Hamilton Island. The reason for this was simple: there were no flights operating the Prosperpine → Cairns route. The only way I could get to Cairns non-stop was through Hamilton Island, on the sole daily flight operated by QantasLink.

I previously wrote about how expensive the 1 hour 25 minute hop is due to the monopoly that Qantas has on this unusual route. Thankfully, I was able to put my stash of British Airways Avios to great use here, and I redeemed an award ticket for only 4,500 miles one-way.

One major disadvantage of taking this flight, however, was the inconvenience of getting to Hamilton Island. Cruise Whitsundays operates a Resort Connections ferry service that transports passengers from the mainland to several different islands in the region, in addition to a direct drop-off at the Great Barrier Reef Airport on Hamilton Island.

Unfortunately, ferry tickets are not cheap. The cost of a one-way journey to the airport is $48 AUD. If you are visiting Hamilton Island or staying at one of the resorts there, you'll need to be dropped off at the Hamilton Island Marina instead, which costs a whopping $56 AUD despite being virtually adjacent to the airport. Here is the full Resort Connections schedule, as well as how much it costs to get to each island.

Cruise Whitsundays serves arriving and departing passengers of every single scheduled flight to and from the Great Barrier Reef Airport. If you are taking the ferry from the mainland, make sure you confirm the departure point (either Abel Point Marina or Shute Harbour). Note that in September 2014, ferry facilities at Abel Point Marina will be relocated to the brand new Port of Airlie Marina.

My QantasLink flight was scheduled for 9:55 am, so I decided to catch the first ferry departing Shute Harbour at 7:50 am. It is highly recommended that you pre-purchase tickets online so you have a guaranteed spot. On the day of departure, I checked out of Base Airlie Beach early and walked to the qconnect public bus stop along Shute Harbour Road.

Qconnect links Proserpine, Airlie Beach, and Shute Harbour, and charges for tickets according to the number of zones transited. The trip from central Airlie Beach to Shute Harbour crosses one zone, so the total price was $3.60 AUD one-way. You can download a PDF of the zone descriptions and full schedule.

Qconnect bus stop on Shute Harbour Road

Qconnect timetable for Stop 29

Upon arriving at Shute Harbour, there was an amazing sunrise over the water, so I stopped for a brief moment to take in the view before walking over to the ferry terminal. There, my ticket to the Great Barrier Reef Airport was reconfirmed, and I was told to wait in the outdoor holding area until boarding was called.

Qconnect arrival at Shute Harbour

Sunrise over Shute Harbour