Off the coast of Townsville in North Queensland lays the little-known paradise of Orpheus Island. I guess I have Covid to thank for forcing us to look in our own back yard for holiday destinations. I have to admit, I had never heard of the island, located in the Great Barrier Reef, before we started searching for holiday ideas close to home.
The Orpheus Island Lodge is a luxury all-inclusive resort, accommodating a maximum of 28 guests, accessible by helicopter.
How to get there
The helicopter transfer to and from the island is from Townsville. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and the chopper was unable to fly on our arrival date. The resort was wonderful though, and put us up at the Townsville casino for the night. All fingers and toes were crossed that the weather would clear enough the next morning to get us to the island. We had a pleasant stay at the casino, evidence of recent adverse weather was on show, but we hoped it was all clearing up.
Early the next morning we got the all clear – Hooray!! Back to the airport and we were relieved to see our bags being loaded onto the chopper. It was still a little drizzly, but flyable. We arrived in style, and I was instantly impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the luxury of the surroundings. The villas were beautiful, without being over the top, still retaining that tropical, relaxed Queensland vibe.
Upon arrival, you are greeted with a refreshing drink and briefed on how everything runs on the island. Basically, you book in for any activities you would like to do during your stay, some are free and some cost extra, but all of the meals and beverages are included. Every day, they also organize some fun activities around the resort, like cocktail making! We booked in for some fishing, snorkeling, hiking on nearby Hinchinbrook Island and a massage for me!
Meals
The food, I have to say was outstanding! Each day the menu tended to have a theme, it was bets on who could guess the menu theme each day. So good! The chefs were generous too and offered to cook up any fish we caught on our days out on the water.
Some food spam for you…..
Activities
Activity number 1 – Half day trip to Hinchinbrook Island was a surprise. The boat dropped us in a little bay and a guide led us on a hike through forest and up past waterfalls to a swimming hole with breathtaking views. We took off the shoes and jumped in for a swim, clothes and all… they soon dried off!
Our second activity was a half day snorkeling and fishing. Our skipper and guide for the day, both women, took us to their favourite reef for a snorkel, amazing! I did see a shark or two, and although assured they were of the harmless variety, I was still glad to get both feet (still attached) back into the boat.
We did fishing twice during our stay, once with our guides on the way back from snorkeling and once in a little tinny offshore by ourselves. I love fishing, even if I don’t catch anything. I find it quite meditative. When you do have something on the line though, the excitement of landing it is wonderful! We caught a huge Trevally each and a smaller delicious fish, which the chef at the resort cooked up for our lunch and dinner – see pics above.
Activities are wonderful, but so is doing absolutely nothing! Hours spent by the pool with a cocktail and book in hand were bliss. A relaxing massage, a walk around the island, a lay in a hammock and watching an amazing sunset all combined to make this holiday destination incredibly memorable.
I will say up front, it is a luxury resort, so you can expect to pay accordingly. It wasn’t cheap, but if you are after something extra special, this place ticks all the boxes. We have also stayed at Bedarra Island, a similar all-inclusive luxury island resort on the Great Barrier Reef. I find it hard to choose my favourite as they are both gorgeous!
We have Covid to thank again! As luck would have it, on the day we were due to fly back home, we received news that our home city had gone back into a snap 3-day lockdown. No longer having to rush back home for commitments, we were free to enjoy the extra night on the island that we were going to miss out on because of the bad weather. I can think of worse places to be stuck in, during a lockdown!
