Whitsundays and Airlie Beach
Whitsundays and Airlie Beach
Discovering The Whitsunday Islands
There are many ways to enjoy the wonders of the Whitsundays but from the deck of a yacht is hard to beat. You don't have to own or rent a boat to lay out on a sundrenched deck sipping a Pina Colada, heading for a palm fringed island. There are many different boat trips out to the islands and beyond to the Barrier Reef as there are different boats. Most leave from Shute Harbour, a short run down the coast from Airlie Beach or from the Abel Point Marina at Airlie.
First there are the straightforward explore-the-islands cruises. This is the way to taste individual islands - a walk on the beach, a barbecue lunch, a snorkel and if it is a resort island, time to sample the pool, a cool drink at the bar or an island luncheonYou can cruise around tasting several islands in one day or choose to stay one or more nights at a resort. There are special excursion tours which head out for the day at Whitehaven Beach or the Hook Island underwater observatory.
Many cruise boats head out for one, two, three or more days, cruising from island, beach, cove, reef, choosing the best spot to anchor for the night. As this is a tropical lotus-land, there are several nowhere-in-particular trips. A picnic lunch on board, a chilled box of cold drinks and these yachts look for the sweetest breeze and the secluded beaches. These are dreamtime days and the ones holiday memories are made of.
A day is never enough in the Whitsundays, as many visitors have discovered. Most of the people who sail the Whitsunday islands, were once visitors who took one look and didn't bother to repack their bags. They know the secret spots the secluded coves, the best fishing and snorkelling and they share these joys with their guest crews.
There are several ways to experience the magic of the Whitsundays in one fell swoop. By air, parachute or helicopter. Aerial tours take in the magic of all the islands and the Great Barrier Reef. The ultimate luxury is a helicopter flight which lands on an uninhabited sand island for a champagne lunch. From the air the view is inspiring and a visual reminder that this collection of aquatic jewels is one of the rarest and finest clusters of islands in the world.
