It’s time The Great Barrier Reef’s Orpheus emerged from the shadows of its larger island neighbours in the Whitsundays, particularly after its million dollar luxury makeover, says Phil Hawkes.
There’s been a resort on Orpheus Island in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park for years… since 1931, in fact. It’s flown largely under the radar, perhaps overwhelmed by more developed and aggressively promoted islands in the Whitsundays and around the Cairns and Port Douglas.
But Orpheus, 80km north of Townsville, has a new lease of life, thanks to entrepreneur Chris Morris and his Colonial Leisure Group, with over $20-million invested (including the purchase price, believed to be around $5 million) to create, as he puts it, a special destination of “laid-back luxury".
Seductively small-scale: Orpheus Island, Great Barrier Reef.
So what exactly does Orpheus Island offer? This is what…
1. Heli-va way to get there
The coup de grace is getting to and from Orpheus. It’s a helicopter ride from Townsville or Cairns so the adventure starts when you step into the Nautilus Aviation chopper, swoop low over the reefs and adjoining islands, and land at “Orpheus Island International Heliport". No passport required!
2. Where is everybody?
With only 14 rooms and suites, it’s hardly crowded. In fact, at any given time it seems as if there are more staff than guests; ideal for that “getting away from it all" feeling.
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3. All-inclusive and unpretentious
The accommodation is in unpretentious contemporary villa style with a “minimalist island aesthetic" – including the air-con and flat-screen-TV works, and the fluffy towels and the fittings and bathrooms are spotless. Importantly, all the rooms have private porches where you can contemplate the sea, the sky, the sunsets and your libation of choice.
4. Indonesian tastes, fine Australia drops
The real joy of Orpheus, however, is its food and beverage service. The highly regarded chef, Arie Prabowo, cooks up a storm in the modern kitchen and menus are personalised when you meet with him on arrival, over a glass of bubbly, of course. There’s an emphasis on fresh seafood (often from guests’ fishing trips), prime meats, vegetables and herbs from his garden, and spices from his native Indonesia. The flavours and textures of the fusion cuisine are mouth watering. The wine list, naturally, is formidable with a solid selections of Australian varieties and French Champagnes. Dining With the Tides (a private dinner on a pier over the Coral Sea) is the must-try signature dining experience.
5. Reasons to get off the daybed
The tranquility of Orpheus Island’s infinity pool.
Activities range from doing nothing at all to kayaking, fishing, snorkelling and swimming in the 25-metre horizon pool. There are some great walks across the island or if that’s too strenuous you can take a motorised dinghy to explore the bays, with a picnic lunch on a deserted beach where clothes and inhibitions are superfluous. At the end of the day head to The Gwandalan Day Spa, which uses LI’TYA products, full of feel-good Australian organic ingredients.
Cruise Whitsundays’ famous Reefworld has undergone a complete transformation – here’s why it has become one of Australia’s most extraordinary places to spend the night.
Imagine sleeping under the stars or beneath the sea, snorkelling vibrant coral gardens, and enjoying a dining experience that wouldn’t feel out of place at a top restaurant – all from a pontoon moored on the Great Barrier Reef. In a country that excels at extraordinary, immersive travel experiences, the reimagined Reefworld in Queensland’s Whitsundays has joined the upper echelons.
Cruise Whitsundays has unveiled an extensive transformation of Reefworld, its pontoon permanently moored at Hardy Reef on the outer Great Barrier Reef.
First opened in 2019, Reefworld is home to the famous underwater Reefsuites – Australia’s first underwater hotel – and was originally designed as a dual-purpose pontoon for both day visitors and overnight guests.
Now, it has been transformed into an overnight-only experience, giving guests exclusive access to the pontoon and the reef, with more space, greater comfort and a more immersive way to experience this unique environment.
The transformation forms part of Journey Beyond’s $40 million investment in responsible reef tourism in the region.
Your journey to Reefworld begins with a scenic cruise through the Whitsundays: dark-green islands daubed on an endless expanse of blue. Welcome to Ngaro Sea Country.
Departing Port of Airlie, Daydream Island or Hamilton Island, a high-speed catamaran with priority boarding for Reefworld guests will whisk you across the Coral Sea to the outer reef.
From next year, a new 35-metre catamaran will join the Cruise Whitsundays fleet, featuring an exclusive-use lounge area reserved for Reefworld guests. Snacks and refreshments are available onboard.
Depending on the time of year, migrating humpback whales may pass you on your journey.
2. A sense of arrival
Watch as your home on the reef rolls into view.
Around two hours after leaving Hamilton Island, the Reefworld pontoon shimmers into view on the horizon.
As you sail closer towards Hardy Reef – where the pontoon is permanently moored – your home for the next 27 hours comes into focus, including the plush new beds where Reefsleep guests will spend the night. Anticipation builds for the unique experience to come.
The everyday world slips away as you alight the catamaran and step onto the pontoon. Now exclusively reserved for up to 36 overnight guests at a time, it has undergone an extensive transformation.
The sense of space, peace and quiet is palpable as you’re welcomed with a cold non-alcoholic drink. Dab your brow with a refreshing cold towel and take in the stillness – interrupted only by the sound of flying fish slapping the water’s surface.
From the moment you arrive in the late morning, the whole place is yours to enjoy. Reefworld has been redeveloped with considered spaces designed to help you make the most of your downtime.
On the lower deck, you’ll find a bar serving tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, alongside comfy lounge areas where you can sit back and take in mesmerising reef views.
Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxed in the knowledge that you don’t have to leave again until tomorrow afternoon.
3. Elevated food and beverage (including quality coffee!)
Indulge in an elevated food and beverage offering onboard.
Elevated food and drink is central to the new Reefworld experience. The all-inclusive offering focuses on high-quality regional dining.
A seafood buffet lunch might include Hervey Bay scallops grilled in shell with garlic and herb butter or line-caught reef fish baked with lemon thyme oil.
A signature three-course dinner paired with premium Australian wines might dish up an entrée of Whitsunday blue swimmer crab wontons with smoked salmon caviar in a butter sauce, a main of Queensland grass-fed beef-eye fillet, and a tropical coconut and pineapple confection for dessert. Dietary requirements are catered for (notify team at time of booking).
A hot breakfast buffet offers a selection of cooked favourites, smoked salmon, cheeses, and yoghurts, fresh fruit, toast and cereals.
All-inclusive beverages include bottled beer and cider, soft drinks and Australian wine including sparkling. Or choose from a range of premium spirits and cocktails such as the 74 Islands Limoncello Spritz, made with a liqueur crafted right here in the Whitsundays.
Perhaps the biggest boon of all? Barista-made coffee, available from 6.30 am. Only in Australia could you order an oat flat white in the middle of a coral reef.
4. Snorkel one of the GBR’s most diverse reefs
Dive into the Great Barrier Reef.
Reefworld sits above Hardy Reef, one of the most biologically diverse outer reef systems in the Great Barrier Reef. Exploring it is a simple matter of popping on a mask, snorkel and flippers and slipping into the water straight from the pontoon.
Being in the outer reef means the water is clear, and marine life is abundant: here you could spot giant trevally, Māori wrasse, clownfish, parrotfish, nudibranch and giant clams, as well as vibrant coral gardens.
Snorkel at your leisure over two days. Prefer to stay above the water level? Head to the underwater observatory or join an optional semi-submersible guided tour, and you might still spot the resident two-metre-long Queensland grouper, George, doing the rounds. Or Crush, one of 12 resident green sea turtles.
5. A luxurious sleep under the stars
Spend the night in one of 16 spacious, four-poster beds.
At the heart of the reimagined Reefworld is its elevated Reefsleep experience. On the upper deck are 16 spacious, four-poster beds, replacing the earlier swag-inspired accommodation and giving up to 32 guests the chance to sleep under the stars with increased privacy and added comfort.
With names like Parrot Fish and Spotted Ray, each Reefbed is of its place and has everything you need: not least a queen-size bed with premium linens, decked out in coastal shades befitting the location. USB charging ports, reading lights and fans provide extra convenience and comfort. The beds are set up as daybeds in the afternoon, then turned down in time for sleep.
Double-layer canvas and mesh flaps allow you to customise your experience and exposure to the elements: zip up for maximum privacy and shelter or leave wide open to stargaze as you drift off to sleep.
Come morning, enjoy the luxury of watching the sun rise over the reef from the comfort of the covers (if facing east).
6. Refreshed underwater Reefsuites
Let the locals form your bedroom view.
Reefsuites is Australia’s first underwater hotel and remains among the most unique stays in the country – if not the world. Its two suites have had a glow-up as part of Reefworld’s transformation, but the floor-to-ceiling underwater views of the Great Barrier Reef remain unchanged.
Choose between king double or twin single sleeping configurations, with premium bedding and a glass-walled en suite in each suite. This is your front-row seat to the marine life of the reef in all its nocturnal glory.
7. A sensational sunset and canapés session
Wait for sunset at Australia’s best bar.
There’s even a designated new spot for sunset canapés. Could this be Australia’s best bar? That’s what you will be asking come evening, as you gather on the upper deck for a Sunset Canapés session.
Reefworld’s refreshed design includes a designated space for this very ritual. Grab a drink at the bar – bubbles, perhaps, or a G&T with locally produced gin – and pull up a stool to settle in for one of the most spectacular sunsets you’ll ever see.
Nibble on a chef’s selection of light bites as the sun puddles into the molten Coral Sea, bathing the entire pontoon in a glorious glow. It doesn’t get more golden hour than this.
8. Extras: the adventure continues
Choose from a range of extra activities to help you keep exploring.
And that’s not where the adventure ends. Your Reefworld stay also includes access to the underwater observatory and a guided semi-submarine tour, plus a complimentary guided snorkel safari led by expert reef guides. For those looking to do even more, add-ons include scuba diving and scenic flights over Heart Reef, available at an additional cost.
As part of Cruise Whitsundays’ investment in reef tourism, nearby permanent Heart Pontoon has also undergone a significant refurbishment, further enhancing the visitor experience.
The details
Reefworld is open now as an overnight‑only pontoon, exclusively for Reefsleep and Reefsuite guests. Stays start from $895 per person for Reefsleep and $1495 per person for a Reefsuite, based on double occupancy.
