Dunk Island has been quietly coming back for years. Cyclone Yasi flattened the resort in 2011 and for a long stretch the island was somewhere you looked at from Mission Beach rather than went to. That has changed, and the practical detail is now good enough to plan around.
It is four kilometres off the Cassowary Coast, roughly two hours south of Cairns by car, inside both the Family Islands National Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The crossing takes about twenty minutes. It is one of the easiest island trips in Queensland, and it is nowhere near as well known as it should be.
Dunk Island is known as Coonanglebah. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service records the island as shared country between the Bandjin, saltwater people whose sea country reaches down to Hinchinbrook Island, and the Djiru, mainland people from the coast around Mission Beach. Both peoples retain a strong connection to the island and take part in its management, and they ask visitors to help look after the place. Practically that means staying on the tracks and taking your rubbish home with you.
The ferry, with actual times
The ferry leaves from Clump Point Boat Ramp, just south of Mission Beach village, not from the village itself. Worth knowing before you drive to the wrong place.
Published departures:
- 8.45am Mission Beach to Dunk Island
- 10.30am Dunk Island to Mission Beach
- 12.30pm Mission Beach to Dunk Island
- 3.30pm Dunk Island to Mission Beach
So a day trip is either the 8.45 over and the 3.30 back, which gives you a proper day, or the 12.30 over and the 3.30 back, which gives you three hours and is really just lunch and a swim.
Return fares are listed from AUD $66 for adults 16 and over, AUD $51 for pensioners, AUD $41 for children aged 3 to 15, and infants free. Prices and schedules both vary seasonally, so confirm when you book. Book ahead in school holidays and peak season, seats are limited.
The shuttle is included, and it solves the parking problem
This is the part most people miss. A shuttle bus run by Mission Link Bus Services collects from accommodation along the Mission Beach strip and is included in the ferry fare, not charged separately.
Pick-up times, for the morning and midday services:
- 8.00am / 11.45am South Mission Beach, Tasman Holiday Park, 122 to 132 Kennedy Esplanade
- 8.10am / 11.55am Wongaling Beach, Bali Hai Holiday Park, 1 Wongaling Beach Road
- 8.15am / 12.00pm Wongaling Beach, Tropical Hibiscus Caravan Park, 2008 Tully Mission Beach Road
- 8.20am / 12.05pm Mission Beach, Club Wyndham Resort, 2 Pacific Parade
- 8.25am / 12.10pm Mission Beach CBD, bus stop opposite Australia Post, 32 Porter Promenade
- 8.27am / 12.12pm Mission Beach CBD, Hideaway Holiday Village, 58 to 60 Porter Promenade
It returns you to your pick-up point from Clump Point afterwards. Take it. Parking at Clump Point is limited and the operator openly advises against relying on it in peak season. Most of those pick-up points have free parking nearby, and Hideaway Holiday Village offers secure overnight parking for eco tent guests at AUD $10 a night.
Staying the night
Two options, and they are genuinely different.
Beachfront eco tents are pre-set, so there is no gear to haul or pitch, available in twin share or king. They run Wednesday to Sunday only, which is the detail that will catch out anyone planning a Monday night.
Bayside camping is open year round, seven days, with six beachfront sites taking up to six people each. Bring your own tent. There are toilets, showers, barbecues and picnic tables, and it sits close to the walking tracks and a short walk from the restaurant.
The restaurant does relaxed beachfront dining and takes walk-ins, which matters because facilities on the island are otherwise limited.
What to actually do once you are there
Mount Kootaloo is the walk worth doing, with views back over Mission Beach, the Family Islands and the coastline. Muggy Muggy is the beach people rate most.
On swimming, be sensible rather than optimistic. The operator points to the non-stinger months of May to October, and that is the honest window. Our swimming safety guide for the region covers stinger season properly, and it applies just as much down here as it does at Cairns.
Facilities are limited, so bring water, food, sunscreen, a hat and walking shoes. This is not a resort island any more, which is most of its charm.
Worth the detour from Cairns?
Two hours each way is a real drive, so we would not send you down and back in a day from Cairns just for this. Where it works is as part of a run south, or as an overnight, or if you are already staying at Mission Beach. If you are weighing that up, Mission Beach itself is worth more than a fuel stop, and the Cairns south hub has the rest of that coast.
One useful bit of context: the Tully visitor centre lost its accreditation in August 2026, but the Mission Beach visitor centre is still open, so there is still somewhere to ask a human.
Source: Dunk Island ferry guide and accommodation pages, accessed 09/09/2026. Times, fares and schedules change seasonally, so confirm before travelling.
Header photo: Emilie Ristevski. Courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.
