Is Airlie Beach A Good Place To Live?
Known commonly as the ‘Heart of the Reef’, Airlie Beach is a little pocket of paradise in North Queensland, famous for its proximity to both the stunning Whitsunday Islands and a particularly beautiful stretch of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef.
The town and surrounding areas are home to locals, migrants and tourists alike; and in this article, I’m going to discuss whether or not Airlie Beach is a good place to live!
Where is Airlie Beach?
Airlie Beach is situated within the Whitsunday Region, which is roughly 1100km north of Brisbane and 600km south of Cairns, and just 150km north of the nearest city of Mackay.
Facing north across Pioneer Bay to the Coral Sea beyond, Airlie Beach is surrounded by other small localities of Cannonvale, Jubilee Pocket, Cannon Valley and just 20km away from nearby country town Proserpine; all of which are connected by Shute Harbour Road.
Just out at sea you’ll find the stunning Whitsunday Islands. One of these 74 islands, Whitsunday Island, is home to the world’s best beach, Whitehaven Beach, and other islands include the world famous Hamilton Island and Hayman Island. This extremely beautiful archipelago is the main reason that Airlie Beach is one of the most desirable holiday locations in the world, and therefore also makes it a very good place to live!
How can I get to Airlie Beach?
Despite its fairly remote location, Airlie Beach is easily accessible thanks to its wealth of public transport links.
There are two airports that serve the area: Whitsunday Coast Airport (in Proserpine) and the airport on Hamilton Island. Both are easily accessible from the town, and operate daily flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and beyond!
There’s also three marinas in the area: Coral Sea Marina, the Port of Airlie and Shute Harbour! Both of which serve as departure points to get out to the Whitsunday Islands (by tours or private yachts), and the Port of Airlie also has the ferry terminal that offers regular transfers over to nearby Hamilton Island.
In the town, there’s a Greyhound stop, where you can catch a bus up and down the East Coast, and also a train station in nearby Prosperpine that will take you all the way from Brisbane to Cairns!
For a fairly small, remote area, it is really quite easy to go to and from here; and it’s that ease of transport that makes Airlie Beach a really good place to live!
What is the weather like in Airlie Beach?
If it’s sunshine you’re after, then Airlie Beach is certainly the place to live! With a sub-tropical climate, Airlie experiences hot, humid (and often wet) summers and cool, dry and sunny winters.
The wet season typically lasts from December until March, however even during this time you’ll only experience a few wet days each month. The dry season lasts from April until November, and while you may get the odd shower here or there, generally you’ll experience nothing but blue skies and stunning sunshine throughout.
Daily temperatures are at their highest during the summer, with highs of 32 degrees celsius during the day and a rather balmy 25 degrees celsius at night, and during the winter months you’ll find much cooler daily highs of 25 degrees celsius and lows of 12-15 degrees celsius, ensuring a very comfortable nights sleep.
Despite the warm temperatures, and thanks in part to the northerly-facing coastal location, there’s always a nice breeze throughout the year, meaning that when it comes to excellent weather, Airlie Beach is certainly a very good place to live!
What amenities are there in Airlie Beach?
Now, for such a small town, you would be forgiven for thinking that you may have to sacrifice a lot when it comes to your usual home comforts and amenities… but that’s not the case when you live in Airlie Beach!
The bustling main street in the town boasts a wide variety of good and reasonably priced shops- from your well known national brands (such as Cotton On, City Beach and Ghanda) in addition to lots of luxury independent boutiques. There is also a weekly market down on the foreshore every Saturday morning, offering an incredible variety of locally made products and locally sourced produce. If you’re wanting a larger selection of shops, a day trip to nearby Mackay or Townsville will satisfy even the most demanding session of retail therapy.
In Airlie Beach itself, you’ll find countless amazing restaurants and cafes meaning that on every single day of the week there’s somewhere exciting to go, with options from most global cuisines to suit every palate. The nightlife in Airlie is also amazing, with many different pubs, bars and nightclubs dotted around the town, meaning that every single night provides a vibey buzz around the town, even when the sun goes down.
When it comes to groceries, you’ll be well stocked too! There’s a Woolworths in the centre of town, and also a Coles and another Woolies in the two shopping centres in Cannonvale. In addition to this, there are many good butchers, grocers and fish markets in the local area all offering a delectable selection of local produce.
The town and surrounding areas have a variety of options of doctors surgeries, opticians and dentists, and there is a hospital just down the road in nearby Proserpine.
There are multiple hair salons, nail studios, massage parlors, tattoo studios and spas in the area too, so you don’t have to forego your beloved TLC days when living somewhere like Airlie Beach! Just off the main street, there’s a fantastic public lagoon that’s open every single day, and there are multiple gyms, yoga studios, and sports clubs in the area too, so the options for remaining fit and active in Airlie Beach are abundant, making this beautiful little town a great place to live!
What is there to do in Airlie Beach?
Being a very touristy town, the options of exciting things to do in Airlie Beach are endless!
There are countless day or overnight trips that go out to the Whitsunday Islands, where you can visit the world’s best beaches, and naturally being known as the heart of the reef, a trip to go and snorkel or scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef is a very popular option in the town.
For adrenaline junkies, you can skydive, take a scenic flight, jetski, scuba dive, jetboat, and hang out with crocodiles. For hikers, there’s many amazing hikes in the area in the vast expanse of the Conway National Park that surrounds this beautiful area (such as the Honeyeater Lookout and Mt Rooper), as well as on many of the Whitsunday Islands, and further afield at Finch Hatton Gorge and Eungella National Park. Just 30 minutes by car from Airlie Beach you’ll find Cedar Creek Waterfall, a secluded rainforest paradise that looks slightly different whenever you visit throughout the year.
Fishing is a huge part of the culture here, and there are many places on land that are perfect to spend an afternoon fishing, as well as day trips that go out to the islands and outer reef.
There are pristine beaches everywhere in and around Airlie Beach, such as Boathaven (just a 5 minute walk from the main street), Whitehaven Beach and Langford Island in the Whitsundays Islands, Cape Gloucesterr and Bowen within an hour drive away.
The sheer number of things to do around here in itself is a huge reason as to why Airlie Beach is a great place to live!
Is Airlie Beach a safe place to live?
Safety is so important in determining whether somewhere is good to live, so it’ll settle your mind knowing that Airlie Beach is extremely safe!
A true melting pot of people from many different cultures from all around the world, it’s fair to say that Airlie Beach is indeed a safe place to live. With there being an eclectic mix of locals, tourists, backpackers and non-local Australians, Airlie Beach still manages to retain a strong community sense in the area.
Crime levels are extremely low here (thanks in part to a strong police presence), and everyone generally seems to look out for one another. Due to its relatively small size, most days you’ll be able to walk down the street and have a “how ya going?” with many familiar faces.
The safe nature of the area is just another reason as to why Airlie Beach is such a good place to live!
Is Airlie Beach an affordable place to live?
Affordability is such an important factor in helping people choose where to live, and when you consider just how much of an idyllic paradise this area is, it’s quite a surprise that Airlie Beach and the surrounding areas are affordable places to live with any budget!
Housing is very reasonably priced (especially compared to the rest of the country), and you’d be looking at spending anywhere from $120-$180pw for a bedroom in a private rental property.
House prices vary quite a lot depending on which area you live in, and have gone up quite a lot in recent years, but generally you should be able to find a decent 4 bedroom house in a good location for around $500,000.
The variety of jobs available in the area tend to pay similar amounts to what they do in the rest of the country, and main employment industries around here include boating, tourism, mining, agriculture, hospitality, construction and education.
With a perfect balance of good income and affordability, it’s hard to argue that this is yet another reason why Airlie Beach is a good place to live!
So why move to Airlie Beach?
To put it simply: yes, Airlie Beach is a fantastic place to live.
It has the perfect balance of everything, from affordability to fun activities too; as well as all of the essential amenities one could need!
Whether you’re just looking for a happy, chilled out existence in the sunshine, or wanting to be out every day doing fun and exciting things, Airlie Beach has it all neatly wrapped in a beautiful, safe, affordable paradise-themed package!
So what are you waiting for? Speak to one of our local travel experts today to discover more about this amazing area!
