Port of Airlie Marina Airlie Beach in a nutshell...
We arrived at Port of Airlie late August 2020 but just before we arrived, we ran into another yachty who told us that it had no facilities at all. We still proceeded with our booking and when we arrived, we found out that Port of Airlie has undergone some changes in the last couple of years. This has included adding in two new Arms (C & D), moving the Marina office and adding in some facilities. All of these things are brand new.
PROS
- Cheaper than the other Marina in Airlie Beach.
- Restaurants nearby and in abundance
- Close to the town centre and Saturday markets
- Washing machines and dryers that use payWave (no need for coins)
- Clean, new and well looked after
- Brand new bathroom facilities with combined private toilet/shower space
- Woollies in walking distance
- Courtesy Toyota Kluger at no charge
- Really good bumper bars on the marina berths (almost don’t need fenders)
- Great area to exercise your doggo if you have one.
- Electricity is unmetered, so no hidden extras
- Arms C and D, brand new and very wide.
CONS
- Whilst the facilities are brand new, there are only 2 toilet/shower combined bathrooms. So probably not enough for this size Marina. They are also open from 6am to 11pm, so outside those hours you need to use the public toilets. Those public toilets are quite nice and well maintained but it is kind of odd.
- From C arm, its a long walk to the office and toilet
- Only one washing machine and dryer, not enough for size of Marina.
- Whilst there are rubbish bins, you have to take your recycling to the office and there is no way of disposing of anything other than normal rubbish
- Pretty expensive, but the cheapest in Airlie
- Fuel dock is not very accessible
Review
Location
Port of Airlie is located at Airlie Beach and is the most southern of the 2 marinas there. You find yourself at the entrance of the Whitsundays about 12 nm west of Whitsunday Island.
The Marina Office is at Shop 7 of the Port of Airlie building, basically it is in the middle of the shops on the bottom floor of the building, near the entrance to the Mantra apartments. It is very close to town, Woollies and a heap of restaurants. The closest restaurant was La Marina, great Italian food. Cannonvale is where you will find a small shopping centre and all of the major retailers including Bunnings, BCF (where you can get your gas refilled), Anaconda, banks, post office etc. There is a chandler which is just south of the marina called Marlin Marine (Jubilee Pocket) which has most things you might need.
First Impression
Access to Port of Airlie Marina is good with a short channel which is well marked both during the day and night. A sharp right will get you in with ample room to manoeuvre your boat. Port of Airlie Marina is populated with a lot of expensive boats that are moored there for wénd use. The live-a-board community is very small which is evidenced by the fact that the facilities are great but sparse with only 2 toilets and showers and 1 washer/dryer.
The marina looks almost new and seems well maintained. You find yourself 5 minutes walk from the town centre, the Saturday market and an array of pubs and restaurants. Walking through town, you can feel that COVID has hit this town hard with multiple restaurants closed permanently and lots of “For Lease” signs in windows.
Facilities
The facilities are new and are based within the office area. They opted for toilet/shower combos which is nice if you go there as a couple as they give you the privacy you need. The waterfall showers are great but there is also a conventional shower head. The water pressure is great. The downside of the facilities is simple. There are only 2 toilets/showers. On several occasions, we made the trip to the facilities only to find them occupied. There is just not enough.
There is a comfortable TV lounge where you can wait and hang out but it would be better to double the number of toilets. Saying this, there are public toilets nearby which are new and clean. The marina facilities are closed from 11.00 pm to 6.00 am so during those hours you have to use the public facilities.
The courtesy car at no extra charge is a real bonus here. Its a Toyota Klugar, comfortable to drive and large enough to collect whatever you need. You can book it for 2 hours at a time.
There are courtesy carts to carry your load from the car, but you cannot get the carts to the basement car park, so you will have to carry it up the stairs first.
There is fuel available behind Port of Airlie Marina within a commercial marina where most of the tourist boats are moored. You need to make a booking to get fuel.
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