Why do cruise ships stop at Willis Island?
Cruise ships stop at Willis Island on Queensland cruises so they can sell duty free alcohol and other goods. Willis Island is the only inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands territory. Stop there, and it’s technically an international cruise.
Willis Island features on a surprisingly large number of cruise ship itineraries, given that no-one really wants to go there.
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Book a Queensland cruise, and there’s a strong chance you’ll end up at Willis Island as part of the journey. P&O’s Pacific Explorer and Pacific Encounter go to this obscure Australian island, as does Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess. The Carnival Splendor drops by Willis Island on cruises from Sydney, and APT’s Caledonian Sky pays a visit, too.
Queensland cruise islands
Now, there are hundreds of stunning islands in Queensland. Vlasoff Cay, Wilson Island and Daydream Island would seem like much more logical choices. And that’s before you get to the much better-known Fraser Island, Hamilton Island and Magnetic Island.
So why are P&O, Princess Cruises, Carnival and APT so eager to visit this particular Queensland island?
Tick off 9 Australian bucket list experiences
- Take Blue Mountains day tour from Sydney – with kangaroo-feeding at a wildlife park, Scenic World tickets and a Parramatta River cruise.
- Snorkel or dive on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.
- Do Australia’s most spectacular drive on a Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne.
- Drive along the beach on a 4WD day tour of Fraser Island, the world’s biggest sand island.
- Have a dune-top barbecue dinner and stargazing session in the shadow of Uluru.
- See penguins on Phillip Island – and more native wildlife at the Moonlit Sanctuary – on a day trip from Melbourne.
- Go snorkelling, sandboarding and kayaking on Moreton Island from Brisbane.
- Meet gloriously cute quokkas on Rottnest Island near Perth with a ferry and bike hire package.
- Kayak with dolphins in Byron Bay.
Where is Willis Island?
Well, the key is that Willis Island is not in Queensland. It is 450km east of Cairns, way beyond the Great Barrier Reef.
It is the only inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands Territory, which is one of Australia’s tiny overseas territories.
How many people live on Willis Island?
Willis Island has an official population of four. All of these are meteorologists, working at the Willis Island weather station. The station is crucial for monitoring weather patterns coming in over the Coral Sea.
Given this tiny population, not focused on tourism, it’s a little surprising that Willis Island is a cruise ship port.
In truth, it isn’t a cruise ship port. If the descriptions of it on Queensland cruise itineraries seem a bit vague, that’s because the ships don’t actually stop there. No-one gets off the ship, and the whole visit is basically a slow glide past with half-hearted commentary about turtles.
The reason that cruise ships visit Willis Island
But the ships aren’t there for the turtles. Or the weather station. They’re there because, by visiting Willis Island, they technically leave Australia.
By leaving Australia, these Queensland cruises become international cruises rather than domestic cruises. And this means they can offer duty free shopping.
Duty free on Queensland cruises
The reason that cruise ships visit Willis Island is that it allows them to sell duty free alcohol and other duty free goods on board.
There’s no interest in Willis Island otherwise. It is added to the cruise itinerary because it is the closest spot to the places people actually want to visit in Queensland that isn’t in Australia.
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