Whitsundays and Airlie Beach
Whitsundays and Airlie Beach
The Whitsundays Region
The Whitsunday Island group is one of nature's remarkable gifts. They form the greatest density of islands found anywhwere on the eastern coast of Australia. They also lie between one of the world's great wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and the mainland. As an added bonus is a deep, blue water harbour on the mainland for easy access. Shute Harbour, just 10kms from the village of Airlie Beach is the perfect gateway to the islands.
For visitors, the Whitsundays is the place to discard shirts, ties and lace-up shoes. This is sarong and floppy hat land. It is perpetual paradise in this pristine paradise, never too hot or too cold. The crystal-clear emerald waters of the Whitsundays remain a constant 25 degrees throughout the year. Perfect for snorkelling, scuba diving (there is no better place in the world to learn to dive), wind surfing, skiing, sailing, fishing, parasailing, sea kayaking or just lying under a palm tree with a book in your hand watching the waves lap on the beach. While the 74 islands which line the Whitsunday Passage are essentially drowned mountains with peaks rising clear of the sea, many have fine fringing reef systems and beautiful corals. Each has a special identity. Some fall to the sea as a rocky outcrop, others slope away to long, sandy tidal flats and others have tiny coves and sandy inlets. Popular with boaties is the safe haven of Nara Inlet on Hook Island with its majestic and steep fjord-like shores.
And many have soft, sandy beaches including the world famous Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, the longest unbroken beach and largest island in the group. The natural barrier created by the Great Barrier Reef (a comfortable boat ride from all the islands), creates the unusually calm waters. The fact was noted by one of the first of many famous visitors to the region, Captain James Cook, who mapped and named the Whitsundays in 1770 recording '... everywhere good anchorage. Indeed the whole passage is one continued safe harbour.
Most of the islands are national parks, while the magical underwater world is also a marine park stretching from Sarina in the south to Cape Upstart in the north. The untouched beauty of the area doesn't start at the shoreline. The rich mangrove forests and seagrass pastures growing in the shallows of the mainland, are an important nursery area for many sea creatures, including prawns and crabs.
Needless to say the fishing in the Whitsundays is nothing short of spectacular and those who throw in a line tend to dine that evening on either coral trout, red emperor, sweetlip or cod. Those who go further out toward the Barrier Reef for the big fish can expect Spanish mackerel averaging around 40kg. The big game fishermen look for tuna, queenfish, wahoo, barracuda and black marlin. On the mainland, Conway National Park and four State Forests, conserve 50,000 hectares of tropical rainforest, mangroves and open eucalypt forests along the rugged coastline ranges.
The Whitsunday islands also provide a chance to indulge in what many believe to be the ultimate camping experience - sleeping under the stars on a south sea isle. Camping is permitted on most of the islands and, as most are uninhabited, this is wilderness camping at its best. All you need is a permit from the Queensland Department of the Environment and Heritage (National Parks and Wildlife), available from Airlie Beach. The rangers help out with advice and maps.
On the island there are developed sites with fireplaces and recommended sites for wilderness campers. Cruise boats or water taxis drop off and collect campers. Only a handful of islands contain resorts and even on those, the greater part of the landmass remains untouched bushland. For nature lovers, the islands are a rich lode of flora and fauna. Some are noted for their butterflies, others for their lush rainforest, while some boast vine forests. A distinctive feature of the islands are the hoop pine forests. All are a bird watchers paradise.
