The Whitsundays

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Overview

Scattered like emeralds on aquamarine velvet, the Whitsunday Islands are one of Australia's loveliest destinations, an unmatched playground for boaters, divers, campers, fishers and resort-loungers. Sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef, these warm, rarely ruffled waters are particularly perfect for sailing, as exploited by the 100-plus yachts that gather here each August for Airlie Beach Race Week. Traditional home of the Ngaro people, these 74 islands also shelter some of the oldest archaeological sites on Australia's east coast. Five of them have resorts, but most are uninhabited, and several offer back-to-nature beach camping and bushwalking. Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island is acknowledged as the finest beach in the Whitsundays (some say the world), while mainland hub Airlie Beach, the major gateway to the islands, offers a wealth of tours and activities, plenty of eating and sleeping choices, and a hard-partying backpacker scene.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Whitehaven Beach

The Whitsundays

One of of Australia's most photogenic and hyped beaches, Whitehaven is a pristine 4.3 mile-long (7km) stretch of blinding sand (at 98% pure silica, some…

Conway National Park

Airlie Beach

This serene national park encompasses the Conway Peninsula, once the hunting grounds of the Giru Dala and still home to large swaths of lowland tropical…

Whitsunday Island

The Whitsundays

The largest of the paradisaical group to which it gives its name, Whitsunday Island is ruggedly forested, and surrounded by clear teal waters and coral…

Hook Island

The Whitsundays

The 53-sq-km Hook Island, the second-largest island in the Whitsunday group, is predominantly national-park territory, its highest point being Hook Peak …

Lindeman Island

The Whitsundays

The best known of the 13 coral-fringed specks in the Lindeman Islands National Park, this island is traditionally owned by the Ngaro, an Aboriginal…

South Molle Island

The Whitsundays

The largest of the Molle Islands group, South Molle is virtually joined to its reef-fringed siblings, Mid and North Molle Islands. The island is mostly…

Daydream Island

The Whitsundays

The rainforest-cloaked, reef-fringed Daydream Island is only 1km long and 200m wide, and very popular with day visitors due to its accessibility. Much of…

Gloucester Island

The Whitsundays

Part of the northern Whitsundays, tree-swaddled Gloucester is so close to the Queensland mainland at Hideaway Bay that Captain Cook declared it 'Cape…

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