The Whitsunday Skyway will offer a world-class opportunity to showcase the Whitsunday Islands and the Conway National Park. The project will promote the forest landscape, natural environment and cultural heritage values of the National Park.
“Every person that travels to the Summit of the Whitsunday Skyway will return a better world citizen.“

Experiences

Whitsunday Skyway is an all-weather 1km cable car ride ascending to a summit 430m above sea level in the Conway National Park, overlooking Airlie Beach. The Skyway will offer a unique 360° vantage point of the Whitsunday Islands, mainland Whitsundays, and the Coral Sea, known as “The Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.”

Whitsunday Skyway will offer a range of experiences, stunning but currently inaccessible views over the Whitsundays, entertainment, educational activities, food and beverage services, cultural heritage activities & education, downhill luge, mountain bike trails, junior ropes courses, access to existing bushwalking trails, and a souvenir and booking centre to promote other regional tourism activities.

sunset 4 location labels
Whitsunday Skyway Location

Location

The Whitsunday Skyway is located in the heart of Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia, known as the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Located within short walking distance from the main pedestrian areas, it is also close to both Coral Sea and Port of Airlie Marinas. The Project is easily accessible from local public transport, the transit centre, and numerous restaurants, cafes, and bars in central Airlie Beach.

Flight Times

Brisbane
Sydney
Melbourne
Adelaide

1.5 hr Flight
2.25 hr Flight
2.55 hr Flight
2.50 hr Flight

Drive Times

Proserpine Airport
Proserpine
Mackay
Bowen
Hamilton Island
Collinsville
Ayr
Townsville
Cairns
Rockhampton

32 min
22 min
1hr 49 min
1hr 3 min
1hr 10 min
1hr 54 min
2hr 16 min
3hr 18 min
7hrs
5hr 15min

Whitsundays Islands Arial

Project Developer

Whitsunday Skyway is being developed by Australian Adventure Tourism Group (AATG) which is listed on the NSX. 

AATG has over 30 years of experience as tourism operators and developers, contributing significantly to regional growth.

aatg logo with text
Australian Adventure Tourism group website
magnums unique logo
magnums unique accommodation airlie beach website

The Project’s infrastructure includes a Base station and Summit station for the cable car ride, car parking, a bus turnaround, a small retail precinct, and luge cart rides on freehold land owned by AATG. The Summit Station building and mountain bike trails will be located on National Park land, with a land tenure arrangement currently being negotiated with the State.

AATG is in the detailed assessment stage under the Queensland Government’s Exclusive Transactions Framework, having signed a process deed with the State outlining specific conditions for land tenure approval.

The project is required to meet statutory requirements environmental and development approvals.

The Whitsunday Skyway aims to appeal to all adventure and leisure seekers visiting the region, offering activities for individuals and groups interested in education and entertainment ranging from casual 2-hour visits to multi-day adventures.

The Whitsunday Skyway project has strong support from the community and regional stakeholders, including the Whitsunday Regional Council and tourism operators. The project will provide a land-based attraction to complement traditional water-based activities. Skyway will be a catalyst for significant new interest and growth in both the domestic and international tourist market. Skyway will offer much needed land-based infrastructure for tourists, regional residents, school groups, cruise ship, coach tours, and other market segments.

AATG and the Gia and Ngaro People are currently negotiating the native title approvals and cultural heritage management plan.

The Whitsunday Skyway will be the first and only mainland infrastructure capable of hosting over 500 tourists undercover and accommodating more than 1,000 visitors per day during peak season. It is projected the project will attract over 250,000 visitors annually, encouraging longer stays in the Whitsundays by offering land-based activities such as mountain biking and ropes courses.

The Skyway could potentially increase the region’s visitation by 0.25 to 1 additional bed night per visitor.

The project is expected to create approximately 400 full-time jobs during construction. An economic study conducted in 2018 estimated an economic impact of $38.4 million in new spending per annum, with an annual net impact of $27.6 million after three years. Long-term impacts could reach up to $56 million per annum, creating 140 direct jobs and 591 indirect jobs (full-time and part-time).

The project gained momentum post-cyclone Debbie in 2017. The Hon Minister for Tourism at the time, Kate Jones, suggested advancing the project to address the region’s reliance on marine tourism. The cyclone underscored the need for land-based attractions, which was strongly supported by the tourism sector and regional stakeholders.

Pending approvals, the Whitsunday Skyway project is expected to have an 18-24 month construction period.

Both the current ALP State Government and the LNP Opposition strongly support the project.

Both parties are committed to continue to support the project post the coming election regardless of the outcome.

Testimonials

The Whitsunday Skyway Project, which encompasses a cableway and adventure sport facility from Airlie Beach to the summit of the Conway Range, has the potential to deliver and catalyse new land-based tourism experiences in the region, unlocking the potential for additional visitation, increased economic output and a significant number of new jobs for the local tourism industry.
Ry Collins
Mayor – Whitsunday Regional Council
The Whitsunday Skyway proposal has the potential to provide much needed new land-based activities for the Whitsunday region
Michael Healy MP
Minister for Tourism and Sport
Tourism Whitsundays is pleased to write this letter supporting the Whitsunday Skyway Project. The Whitsundays is one of Australia’s most popular tourism destinations; Airlie Beach is the mainland access point to the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. An opportunity has been proposed which will diversify our product offering by way of the Whitsunday Skyway Project (WSP).
CEO
Tourism Whitsundays
The Whitsundays and Airlie Beach, are of one of Australia’s most iconic tourism destinations, being a major access point to the Great Barrier Reef with strong growth in the tourism sector. We believe the Skyway has the potential to increase guest visitation and length of stay to Airlie Beach.
Pete Brulisauer
Hamilton Island Enterprises
We believe that the Whitsunday Skyway has the potential to create significant economic benefits for the region, in addition to the aforementioned increased visitor numbers, we believe there will be increased employment opportunities and expenditure for all businesses across the region.
CEO
Cruise Whitsundays
The Whitsunday Skyway Project has been discussed and proposed for many years and is the ideal solution to the above deficiency and would bring enormous economic benefit to the entire region. It would act as an economic catalayst for the region bringing further projects and complimentary attractions
Allan Milostic
Whitsunday Coast Chamber of Commerce
Whitsunday Skyway Project wil contribute ot economic resilience by providing jobs to the local community ni the initial construction and on-site employment. This Project ensures that communities like Airlie Beach can utilise and sustainably share North Queensland’s natural landscape and meet the new developments ni the eco-tourism market that larger regional towns can readily access.
Andrew Willcox MP
Federal Member for Dawson
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a re-elected Labor government would contribute $1 million in matched funding towards the project for the purchase of additional land for Conway National Park. The Premier said Australian Adventure Tourism Group’s Whitsundays Skyway cableway and ecotourism adventure proposal had the potential to support hundreds of jobs and create a brand new tourism experience for the Whitsundays.
Annastacia Palaszczuk
Queensland Labor government
The Australian Adventure Tourism Group Limited’s continued advocacy and support for new and diverse tourism experiences in the Whitsunday region is acknowledged, noting the Project has the potential to provide a premier tourism experience for the community, while supporting Queensland’s strong visitor economy.
Jim Murphy
Premier of Queensland Minister for the Olympics