Whitsunday Islands

Whitsunday Islands

The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of no less than seventy four stereotypical tropical islands located in the area of Great Barrier Reef known as the Whitsunday Passage, some of the most popular and safe sailing waters to be found in Australia, if not the world.




The mainland center closest to the Whitsundays is Airlie Beach and is approximately 650 kilometers to the south of Cairns - a good day's driving or just an hour's flight from Cairns International Airport.

For many, the Whitsunday Islands and the Airlie Beach / Shute Harbour areas offer the best base for exploring the Reef - there isn't the hustle and bustle of Cairns or Townsville to the north and all the islands of the Whitsunday group are very accessible by boat and close to the mainland.
Virtually every island has fringing reefs coming up to the beach, making snorkelling a very easy and rewarding activity, and of course all the major island resorts offer dive trips further out to the deeper waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Most of the Whitsunday Islands are National Parks and covered in forest, but unlike the lush rainforest islands further to the north, for example Dunk Island, the Whitsunday forests are much drier with pine and eucalyptus trees making up the bulk of the forest areas.
They still boast a rich variety of wildlife though, and there are plenty of opportunities to take either guided or non-guided walks to experience the island's wildlife firsthand.

The idyllic Whitehaven Beach

The beaches of the Whitsundays are nothing short of spectacular - fine, white, sun bleached sand that makes the clear waters appear an intense turquoise colour.
The most famous beach is the picture-postcard Whitehaven Beach, famed for the purity of its sand which is almost pure quartz ground down to micro-size particles.

This unique sand draws thousands of visitors to Whitehaven and makes it one of Australia's top tropical natural attractions.


Whitsunday Island resorts

Out of the 74 islands that make up the Whitsunday Group, the majority are forested National Parks and many of those are virtually untouched tropical paradises.

It's naturally the larger islands that have become popular resorts, with the smaller ones being popular destinations for day trips out from either their bigger cousins or the mainland centers of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour.

The most popular resort islands amongst the Whitsundays are:



As with all major island resorts up and down the Great Barrier Reef, just about every conceivable activity and sport is available from somewhere; snorkelling, diving, catamarans, jet skis, water ski-ing, hiking, biking, golfing, skydiving..... to name just a few!

Without doubt, the Whitsunday Islands are some of the most popular destination points for anyone looking to explore the Great Barrier Reef and all that is has to offer.
You could very easily spend all your holiday time on and around the Whitsundays without having to venture further north, and be kept very busy during your time.
Whether you want an ultra-relaxing beach holiday or an activity-packed action one, The Whitsundays certainly have absolutely everything to offer!

Pete Carpenter



Whitsunday Islands web site.

More islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

 

Location of the Whitsundays