Our tour guide, Steve Whitton, has an alter ego. On Saturday nights, when he belts out Elvis and Elton songs at the Breeze Bar in Airlie Beach, he's known as Stevie J.
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By day, he runs Just Tuk'n Around, a tuktuk tour company. He picks me up in a black-and-white three-wheeler at Airlie cruise terminal for a spin around the area.
Of course, when I find out Steve can sing, I request a tune. So there we go, zipping along the boardwalk that borders the neon-blue Coral Sea, as Steve croons a good rendition of Can't Help Falling in Love. More than a few heads turn.
Steve and his wife, Julia, have been working the business since last July, putting down roots in a community they love. They met in the Whitsundays, 30 years ago.
It's a scorching hot Queensland day and I'm grateful for the shade of the vehicle's canopy and for Steve's energetic pedal power. I'm in town for just one day as part of a Princess Cruises voyage up the coast, and it's much more comfortable to sit back and see the sights from a tuktuk than to schlep around under the blazing sun.
With up to five big ships a week docking at the Cruise Whitsundays terminal, many people have the same idea and the tuktuk business is brisk.
We swing by the community markets and past Millionaires' Row (a tech entrepreneur recently built a weekender there for a rumoured $30 million), then out to reclaimed Beacons Beach.
The sweat is pouring off me and the water looks so inviting, but it's stinger season and swimming in the sea is not advised. Instead, Steve pedals over to the Airlie Beach Lagoon, a man-made swimming spot in the centre of town where I cool off and splash around. Back in the tuktuk, we wheel past the marina, lined with leisure fishing boats and sightseeing vessels that are heading out to famous Whitehaven Beach. There are helicopters taking off for scenic flightseeing tours and jet skis zooming around the gorgeous harbour.
Steve points in the direction of the multimillion-dollar superyachts. The highly bingeable reality TV series, Below Deck Down Under, is filmed in these waters.
We swing by the community markets and past Millionaires' Row, then out to reclaimed Beacons Beach.
With an appetite worked up, our final stop is Coral Sea Resort. Modern and brimming with coastal chic, the resort has a gorgeous pool and stellar sea views. I make a mental note to come back soon and check in for a few days.
For now, I'm very content to chow down on the three-tiered seafood platter placed in front of me. Fresh king prawns, salt-and-pepper squid, Moreton Bay bugs, whole fried barramundi, scallop ceviche and crispy hot chips taste like sunshine and Vitamin Sea.
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What: Just Tuk'n Around, Airlie Beach, Queensland
How much: Tour prices start from $30 for a 30-minute tour for one person. Book at justtuknaround.com.au
Explore more: airliebeachtourism.com.au; coralsearesort.com
The writer was a guest of Tourism and Events Queensland.
Pictures: Kristie Kellahan; supplied
