© ZigZag Whitsundays Official Website
Temporary Fuel Surcharge 2026
A Message From Nicole & Ben
We want to be upfront with you about something we never wanted to have to do.
From 2 April 2026, we’ve introduced a temporary fuel surcharge of $20 per adult and child ticket on all ZigZag Whitsundays tours. We owe you an honest explanation as to why.
Like many Australians, you’ll have seen what’s happening with fuel prices across the country. For a boat tour operator like us, fuel isn’t a small part of the budget – it’s one of our biggest costs, and there’s no way around it. In the last six weeks alone, our fuel costs have increased by $1,100 per day as of 2 April 2026 (and we expect this to rise further in the coming weeks). That’s over $33,000 a month that simply wasn’t there when we set this year’s pricing.
We’ve spent weeks looking at every option to avoid passing this on. We’ve cut costs where we can, tightened everything up behind the scenes, and we’re absorbing a significant portion of the increase ourselves. But the reality is, we can’t absorb all of it and still keep operating the way our guests and our crew deserve.
And that’s really what this comes down to – our crew. We have a team of passionate locals who love what they do and rely on this work. Keeping them employed and keeping our tours running at the standard you expect is our number one priority. We’d rather add a surcharge and keep every crew member working than cut corners on your experience.
This surcharge is temporary and will be reviewed on 30 September 2026, or sooner if fuel prices come back to earth. We’re hopeful they will.
We know $20 adds to the cost of your day out, and we genuinely wish it didn’t have to. But we’d rather be honest with you about where we’re at than quietly reduce what we offer. That’s not who we are.
Thank you for understanding, and thank you for choosing to book direct with a local, family-owned Whitsundays operator. It means more than you know – especially right now.
See you on the water,
Nicole & Ben
ZigZag Whitsundays