Green Island vs Fitzroy Island is one of the most common questions travellers ask before a Cairns reef trip. Green Island makes the easier day trip if you want sandy beaches, short flat walks and a way to see the reef without swimming. Fitzroy Island gives you rainforest tracks, coral beaches and more ground to explore. Both islands are about 45 minutes by ferry from Cairns, and day trips to either one currently start from around A$105–110 per adult for a basic ferry transfer.
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Green Island sits about 27 kilometres offshore from Cairns. It is a small coral cay made from sand and coral rubble, with the jetty, beach, visitor facilities and rainforest boardwalk all close together.
You can walk through the rainforest, return to the main beach and still have plenty of time for a swim or glass-bottom-boat trip. Nothing is far away, which is handy when you are carrying towels, masks, a pram or a day’s worth of family gear.
Fitzroy Island lies about 25 kilometres east of Cairns. It is a high continental island rather than a coral cay, with granite outcrops, rainforest, open woodland, mangroves and coral beaches. Welcome Bay sits beside the jetty, while the national-park tracks lead further into the island and up towards the lighthouse and summit.
A short rainforest walk still leaves time for swimming and snorkelling. The lighthouse or summit route takes up a much larger part of the day, so Fitzroy can feel as much like a hiking trip as a beach trip.
Green Island is easy to enjoy without much organising once you arrive.
Queensland Parks lists three easy walks on Green Island. The 780-metre jetty walk takes about 15 minutes. Allow around 30 to 50 minutes for the 1.3-kilometre rainforest boardwalk, depending on how often you stop at the signs. The 1.5-kilometre beach circuit takes about 45 minutes and should not be attempted at high tide.
The sandy shoreline is one of Green Island’s biggest practical advantages. It is comfortable for sitting, paddling and walking into the shallows, and the main facilities are close enough for an easy lunch or change of activity.
A glass-bottom boat lets a non-swimmer share the reef part of the day. One person can snorkel while another stays dry and sees coral and marine life from the boat, without sending the group on two separate outings.
Green Island is also easier when a wheelchair or pram is part of the plan. Queensland Parks lists the jetty, boardwalk and resort-area paths as accessible to wheelchairs and strollers, although assistance may be needed. Accessible toilets are available in the day-use area. A pram is less useful on the sand, so keep most of the day around the paths and main visitor area.
A half day gives you time for one easy walk, the beach and one reef activity. With a full day, you can add the glass-bottom boat, take a longer swim and still sit down for lunch without rushing between bookings.
For a group with mixed swimming confidence, the Green Island snorkelling-or-glass-bottom-boat day keeps the reef at the centre while letting each person stay comfortable. A full-day cruise gives you more time for the beach, an easy walk and reef viewing; a half day keeps the island visit compact.
Fitzroy Island feels more spread out as soon as you leave Welcome Bay. The short tracks pass through rainforest and around granite boulders; the longer routes climb well above the coast. Coral sits underfoot on the beaches, and sturdy shoes matter once you head beyond the resort area.
The main walks cover very different amounts of the day:
Nudey Beach was named Australia’s best beach in 2018, but do not expect powdery sand. The shore is coral sand and rubble, and reef shoes make walking and entering the water more comfortable.
Secret Garden or Nudey Beach still leaves a good part of the day for Welcome Bay. The lighthouse and summit routes need a full day, plenty of water and proper walking shoes. In warm, humid weather, start the climb early and leave time for a rest when you come back down.
Fitzroy Island’s national-park tracks are not wheelchair accessible. There are limited sealed paths near the resort and Welcome Bay, but other island paths and coral beaches can be uneven, sandy or steep.
A full-day return ferry gives you time for Nudey Beach or a longer track, followed by a swim at Welcome Bay. Packages with snorkel gear or glass-bottom-boat viewing are useful when you want one reef activity organised before you arrive.
Green Island is usually easier with younger children. The walking is short, the sandy beach is close to the facilities, and a glass-bottom boat gives a child a reef activity without requiring them to snorkel. A simple day can be one short walk, one beach session and one booked reef activity.
Fitzroy Island has plenty for children who are comfortable walking, but the track should match the slowest person in the family. The route to Nudey Beach includes steps and boulders, and the coral shore is harder on bare feet than Green Island’s sand.
Both islands can be booked with glass-bottom-boat viewing on selected packages. Green Island is the simpler day for a non-swimmer because the boardwalk, sandy beach and main facilities stay close together.
For limited mobility, Green Island’s accessible jetty, boardwalk, resort-area paths and toilets cover more of the day. Fitzroy Island’s national-park tracks are not wheelchair accessible, and even the flatter areas can include uneven paths or coral underfoot.
For a packaged, low-friction reef day, Green Island’s jetty snorkelling and glass-bottom-boat combination is hard to beat, especially for beginners. Fitzroy suits snorkellers who want to pair the water with walking. Queensland Parks marks Welcome Bay and the waters off Nudey Beach as the designated shore-snorkelling areas, so stick to these rather than the open shoreline, where currents can be stronger.
This is where Fitzroy has a clear edge. Four graded tracks, ranging from a 25-minute rainforest loop to a three-hour summit hike, let you build the day around one walking goal, with the water as a finish rather than another item to fit in. Green Island’s walks are all easy and short by comparison, making them better suited to a gentle stroll than a hike.
Whichever island you choose, enter the water only in designated areas, follow crew and park signage, and wear a protective suit if marine-stinger precautions are in place. Coral is easily damaged by touching, kicking or standing on it, so rest only on sand.
Green Island has the easier beach for sitting, paddling and getting into the water. Its sandy shoreline is comfortable underfoot, with plenty of room to spread out a towel or sit with children near the shallows.
Welcome Bay and Nudey Beach on Fitzroy Island are made up largely of coral sand and rubble rather than soft sand. Reef shoes are worth packing, as they make walking along the shore and getting in and out of the water much more comfortable.
Fitzroy Island has the edge for shore snorkelling and relative underwater visibility, particularly for confident swimmers. Fringing reef lies close to shore around Welcome Bay and Nudey Beach, while the island’s south-western side generally provides the calmer water for snorkelling.
Green Island is easier for a first snorkel or a group with mixed swimming confidence. The flagged swimming area, lifeguard service, snorkel hire and flotation vests are all close together. Glass-bottom boat and semi-submersible tours also let non-swimmers see the reef without getting into the water.
Because Green Island sits on a shallow inner reef, its water can be more affected by falling tides and sediment stirred up by wind and swimmers. Very low tides can also leave less depth over parts of the reef. Visibility still changes from day to day at Fitzroy Island, and neither island offers the consistently clear water associated with an outer-reef trip.
On either island, stand only over sand if you need to stop. Never stand on, touch or kick the coral.
Green Island is easier for short walks, prams and visitors with limited mobility. The jetty, boardwalk and resort-area paths are close together. Wheelchairs and prams can use these areas, although some visitors may still need assistance.
Fitzroy Island offers the better walking day if you want a proper hike. The Lighthouse and Summit tracks take about two to three hours and include steep, uneven sections, so leave enough time to cool down and make the return ferry. The island’s national-park tracks are not step-free.
Fast ferries take about 45 minutes from Cairns to either island. Some Green Island full-day services use a larger catamaran and take just over an hour, so the departure you book matters more than the small difference in distance from the mainland. If you are driving, allow for parking and check-in time as well as the ferry schedule. Our guide to parking near Reef Fleet Terminal covers the nearby car parks for an island departure.
For a mixed group with no strong preference, Green Island is the safer recommendation because the sandy beach, nearby facilities, easy walks and dry reef viewing all sit close together. Fitzroy Island is the more active day, with coral beaches and rainforest tracks that can fill several hours.
