About the Whitsundays

Even in winter when the southern waters of the continent turn bleak and blustery, the waters washing the Whitsunday Islands and Whitsunday holiday resorts hover between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius. The Whitsunday region comprises mainland Airlie Beach, bustling Shute Harbour, tranquil Conway National Park and a cluster of 74 Whitsunday islands that lie in the clear waters of the Coral Sea.

The beach side coastal village of Airlie Beach is the perfect base from which to explore the mainland national parks and take day trips to the reef and Whitsunday holiday resorts. The atmosphere in Airlie Beach is friendly. People stop to say hello and chat about the weather, which is almost always clear and warm. Airlie Beach is a great family base for a Whitsunday holiday offering safe calm water beaches, inexpensive meals, and a variety of accommodation options ranging from luxury resorts to self-contained villas to backpacker lodges. There’s something to suit every budget… and with the Whitsundays being home to nine Whitsunday Island Resorts, you will not be short on accommodation choices.

The Whitsunday Islands and coast are a very special part of Australia. Centrally located on the Queensland coast and nestled at the centre of the Great Barrier Reef, this Whitsundays collection of 74 islands and fringing coral reefs make up the largest offshore island chain in Australia… situated north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the same latitude as Hawaii… the Whitsundays Australia shares a similar climate to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

The Whitsundays, Australia are located 1,100 km (684 miles) north of Brisbane and 633 km (393 miles) south of Cairns… flights depart most cities daily with direct access to Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays or Whitsunday Coast Airport, 10 km south of Proserpine and 45 minutes from Airlie Beach... to read more on the region visit Whitsunday tourist information.

The yacht charter industry in Queensland focuses on the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef… Ever since Captain Cook breezed through the Whitsundays in 1770 and found the archipelago ‘one continuous safe harbour’... a yacht charter in the Whitsunday Islands has become a cherished Whitsundays tradition in one of the most sheltered waterways in the world… with secluded Whitsunday anchorages seldom more than an hour apart…the best way to ‘sea’ this wonderland is from the deck of a yacht … A huge range of sail and cruise options exists in the Whitsundays and you can select from a wide variety of Whitsunday sailing holidays on a vast array of boats, from maxi racers to catamarans.

The crystal clear waters of the Whitsunday Passage are dotted with islands and the protection they provide ensures safe swimming, snorkelling and diving. Many of the Whitsunday islands are uninhabited providing the perfect escape from civilisation for a day of seclusion. Whitsunday Islands day trips visit resorts, uninhabitated Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef leave from Shute Harbour on the coast. For those wanting a longer sojourn, Whitsunday holiday resorts range from the exclusive Hayman Island Resort to the family geared getaways of Hamilton Island, Daydream Island, South Molle Island, Brampton Island and Long Island and the do-it-yourself camping on Hook Island... to read more about these holiday resorts see Whitsunday Island Resorts

Families are well catered for as many of the Whitsunday holiday resorts provide kids club facilities. Fully supervised activities keep the children entertained while parents get on with the serious business of relaxing. Whether you need time for a massage, a vigorous game of tennis, a dive, snorkel or fishing trip or just time to lie on a beach together and read a book, you can do it safe in the knowledge that the kids are off having a ball... Hamilton Island has a well established Free club for kids

The range of activities in the Whitsundays seems limitless. Every water sport imaginable from windsurfing to para-flying is available. You can learn to dive or snorkel and take a day trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef to see the most vivid coral and fish in the world… Many Whitsunday holiday resorts have fully equipped gyms, tennis courts, and recreational golf courses… Bushwalking, hiking and bird watching are popular. You can take a guided walk or take it at your leisure following the signed tracks... see Whitsunday Islands day trips and cruises

Most holiday resorts in the Whitsundays will bend over backwards to meet special requests. You may wish to take a dinghy and a gourmet picnic lunch to a secluded beach on the island or take an early morning hike to the highest peak to have breakfast while the sun rises, or enjoy an intimate moonlit dinner for two on the beach.

Adventurers can experience the seafaring equivalent to a relaxing self-drive holiday – bareboat yacht charter. Skippering your own bareboat charter yacht in the Whitsundays is one of the most effective and economical ways of seeing the Whitsundays. It is a hassle free getaway – no phones, no schedules and you don’t have to dress for dinner. You can swim, snorkel, fish explore uninhabited islands or lie on the deck with a good book. The biggest decisions will be which fish to barbeque for dinner and which beach to pull into for a swim... for more information about booking Whitsundays yacht charter

There’s nothing like the freedom of skippering your own vessel, but if you really want to sit back and let a trained crew do the work you can. Every crewed sailing yacht in the Whitsunday Islands is fitted with the latest safety and navigational equipment and comprehensive instruction is given to first time sailors… Sailing into the beautiful bay at Whitehaven Beach on the eastern side of Whitsunday Island is surely one of this regions more magical experiences. The Whitsundays however, is more than a sailing or holiday resort-lovers mecca… Amid the magnificent blue seas, fabulous reefs and splendid resorts of the Whitsunday Islands are wonderful wilderness walks for the water-weary who’ve had enough poolside pina coladas.

Most of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays are national parks which boast walking tracks that can be visited on a day trip. There’s Long Island with 20km of walking tracks, where you’ll see wallabies, kangaroos and the famous howling curlews. There are also marked walking tracks on Dent, Lindeman, Hook and Hamilton islands along with 28 wilderness camping areas... see walking trails on Hamilton Island

Much of the 420ha of South Molle Island, well-known for its Whitsunday holiday resort, is delightful wilderness, with the resort nestled in its northernmost bay… and it is a place where you can put on the walking boots, take a water bottle and a picnic and head for the national park. There you can choose between half a dozen different destinations and set off to walk all day or just an hour or two... The 20km of tracks are all graded and well maintained for easy walking, so you can enjoy the changing landscape. All but the smallest children can cope with the path. You can start with a 2km round trip to Paddle Bay for a warm up and a snorkel or flex your muscles a bit more with a 10km return march to Sandy Bay at the other end of the island. There’s also a track to the top of the island on Mt Jeffreys, at 215m, where you get spectacular 360 degree views.

All the Whitsunday islands teem with birds, such as sea eagles, ospreys, egrets, parrots and beach species. Plant life varies from island to island but the trees all have wonderful names like sheoak, walking fig, Burdekin plum and octopus bush. Turtles also hatch on many of the beaches from January to March.