About the Whitsundays - Accommodation - Tours and what to do - Transport and car hire - Photos - Map

Airlie Beach/Whitsunday islands

The Whitsunday islands at Airlie Beach are a magnificent place for a holiday !!
This holiday playground of islands and pristine white sand beaches in a turqoise blue sea is in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and located 1125 km north of Brisbane and about 725 km south of Cairns, with a fantastic year round sunny subtropical climate.
The Whitsunday Islands Group consists of 74 islands, the most popular being Brampton Island, Daydream Island, Hamilton Island, Hayman Island, Long Island, South Molle Island and Lindeman Island.
Whitehave Beach has often been named the most beautiful beach in the world.

Airlie Beach is a 23 km. drive east off the coastal Highway and is a colourful holiday town looking out over Pioneer Bay and the perfect mainland base to explore the Whitsunday islands.
You will find a wide range of accommodation here, from budget backpackers hostels to camping and tropical luxury resorts, and also Airlie Lagoon which provides stinger free safe swimming with lifeguards on duty and a pool for the kids.
On Saturday the weekly markets are held where you'll find local arts and crafts, fruit and vegetables etc.
There is a huge choice of restaurants and cafes and a lively bar scene to party the nights away.
Airlie Beach Lagoon in the centre of town provides year round stinger free swimming and cooling off in a large man-made lagoon.
Between June and September, giant humpback whales migrate up the coastline which you will be able to view from one of the many cruises that run from Airlie Beach.
There are attractions on land too; Conway and Dryander National Parks have water falls for a refreshing swim and walking tracks through rainforest.
Or catch a helicopter ride to a deserted island for a champagne picnic, go parasailing, fishing or sky diving, the choices are endless.
.If you're in Airlie Beach and you feel like something different or need to cool down then head for the Conway National Park. Take the Conway Beach Road off Shute Harbour Road to the west of Cannonvale and only a short drive south of Airlie Beach you will find the Cedar Creek Falls surrounded by rainforest in a beautiful and mountainous area on the edge of the Conway National Park. The waterfall drops 12 metres into a stream which is perfect for swimming.

Also some of the bars in Airlie Beach organize cane toad races, you can place your bet on which poisonous South American frog will cross the line first, very entertaining!

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island,Buy at AllPosters.com

The Whitsunday Islands are surrounded by a Marine Park and most of the 74 islands have National Park status. The islands are remnants of a coastal mountain range that was submerged when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.
The beaches of the Whitsunday Islands are simply spectacular, and Whitehaven beach has often been named as the most beautiful beach in the world.
Most of the islands have National Park status, while a 35,000 sq. km marine park stretches from around Sarina in the south to Cape Upstart to the north. Most of them are uninhabited but eight of them have the ten island resorts that made this destination world famous, such as Brampton Island, Daydream Island, Hamilton Island, Hayman Island, Long Island, South Molle Island.

The Whitsunday islands cater for all types of holidays; family holidays, action-packed holidays, sailing, lazing on the beach, romantic getaways, and this is also a popular destination for weddings.
Sailing is a very popular activity here, even a total beginner can rent a sailing boat and with the abundance of islands navigation is a breeze and there are plenty of choice in good sheltered anchorages, or you can take it easy and book on a charter where someone else will do the sailing for you while you relax with a glass of champagne.

Hamilton Island is the largest inhabited island in the Whitsundays and the only island with its own airport catering for direct commercial and charter flights, otherwise you will fly in to Whitsunday Coast Airport at Prosperine, which is only a short drive from Airlie Beach. Lots of activities can be enjoyed on Hamilton Island, including fishing, helicopter rides, scuba diving, parasailing and much more. There is heaps of accommodation on the island and a good choice of restaurants.

Daydream Island is a very small island with a resort orientated to familes named the Daydream Island International Resort. Heaps of activities here too.

Hayman Island is a small island of only 4 square km. and the northernmost of the Whitsunday Island group, it has a very exclusive resort too. Some great views and beautiful scenery is to be found along the walking trails on this island and great snorkelling and scuba diving is found in the little coves and along the coral beaches of this island.

Hook Island is the second largest island of the Whitsunday Island Group, and is filled with spectacular National Park and fabulous beaches. You can stay at the Hook Island Wilderness Resort or at the camping ground on the island.

Lindeman Island is one of the most southern Whitsunday Islands. There is a Club Med Resort and the rest of the island is National park.

Long Island is mostly National Park with bush walking tracks through rainforest. You will find three resorts on this island, Club Crocodile Resort and Long Island Palm Bay Hideaway at the north end of the island and South Long Island Nature Lodge at the south end.

South Molle Island houses the South Molle Island Resort and has some good walks around the island's National Park and of course, like any island here, fantastic beaches.

Whitsunday Island is the biggest of all of the Whitsunday Islands and has fantastic beaches, but the entire island is National Park and there is no accommodation on the island. You can camp at several camp sites on this island with Dugong, Joes, and Sawmill Beaches offering water supplies.

Annual events in Airlie Beach and Whitsundays

If you get to Airlie Beach at the right time of year you may be able to witness, or participate in, some of these annual events:

Whitsunday Fantasea Reef Festival - usually held first half of November, a non-profit community festival that has been held since 2001 and celebrates one of nature's most amazing creations - the Great Barrier Reef! Many activities are held, plenty of food and drinks are available and fireworks on the foreshore close it off.

HOTFM Great Whitsunday Fun Race - usually held early September since 1977, this is a huge weekend for Airlie Beach when 200 yachts of all kinds run in this fun race.

Hahn Premium Race Week - usually held in August at Hamilton Island, this is Australia's largest offshore yachting event. Large numbers of Aussie and international yachts converge on Hamilton Island for a week of sailing and partying.

Airlie Beach Triathlon - usually held in September, superfit competitors from far and wide flock to Airlie Beach. The Whitsunday Triathlon Club was formed in 1999 and ever since has organized this annual event. Activities include a sprint distance, 750 metre swim, 20 kilometre cycle, five kilometre run, beach volleyball and sport expo.

Airlie Beach Food & Wine Festival - in April the restaurants of Airlie Beach get together for a great evening filled with fine food and Australian wines. Proceeds from the event go to the Whitsunday Police Citizens Youth Club.

Airlie Beach weather: from April till October the daytime temperatures vary from 20 to 24 degrees C in the day and from 14 to 18 degrees at night. During the summer from November to March the daytime temperatures run between 24 to 30 degrees with nights from 18 to 26. The ocean waters remain at a constant 20 to 22 degrees throughout the year.

About the Whitsundays - Accommodation - Tours and what to do - Transport and car hire - Photos - Map

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