The Whitsundays - the heart of the Barrier Reef

" This is one of the best tropical paradises in the world. Turquoise waters in a marine park, white sands, exotic island resorts & endless pristine beaches make this an adventure wonderland"

The Barrier Reef is one of the best known World Heritage Areas covering 348,000 sq kilometres and is regarded as one of the most remarkable places on earth. 99% of the World Heritage Area is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

There are 74 islands in the Whitsundays being the largest collection of islands in Australia.

Our purpose with this post is to give you just enough insight to spark your curiosity and enable you to plan your own expedition of discovery. Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.

Our base camp for this expedition was Airlie Beach. It had been 30 years since our last visit and the change to this hot spot was amazing. Arlie Beach, the gateway to the Whitsundays, is a highly sought after destination in its own right. Palm fringed beaches, marine parks and waterfront al fresco restaurants make this an all year round hive of activity.

One of several marinas in Airlie Beach being a mecca for boating & cruising

There are many waterside eating places in Airlie Beach all with idyllic views

View from 'Northerlies' being our favourite beach side restaurant in Airlie Beach

Many of these boats moored here are cruising the Whitsundays

We took the Sealink 'Whitehaven Beach Big Island Day Tour'. This tour circumnavigates Whitsunday Island on the Whitsunday Ngaro Sea Trail, taking you past the stunning South Molle Island and Hook Island.

There is plethora of tours of the Whitsundays available which start from Airlie Beach or nearby Shute Harbour.

Voted best beach in the world in 2021, Whitehaven Beach stretches 7 km long on Whitsunday Island being the largest of the 74 islands making up the Whitsunday group. The sand is 98% silica being extremely fine like talcum powder. If this sand was used for glass making no processing of the sand would be required

Whitehaven Beach - on an overcast day

Iconic Hill Inlet at Whitsunday Island is a jewel of the Whitsundays and one of the most instagrammed locations

Hill Inlet was also a site chosen for the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean

The flora & fauna on Whitsunday island is magnificent including this huge Golden Orb spider

Tranquil Hideaway Bay - an easy drive from Airlie Beach

There is now a huge amount of accommodation at Airlie Beach to cater for his tourist hot spot.

At the time of writing this post, the island resorts still operating in the Whitsundays include Hayman, Hamilton & Daydream. South Molle Island remains closed after Cyclone Debbie in 2017, Brampton Island was closed in 2010 and Lindeman Island was closed after Cyclone Yasi in 2011. 19 of 35 island resorts across Qld are currently now operating.

Our purpose with this post is to give you just enough insight to spark your curiosity and enable you to plan your own expedition of discovery. Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.

David & Rosemary Allan – the faces behind:

May adventure & discovery be your constant companions.

Reflection:

For me, a trip is memorable when I am enriched by a deeper sense of connection to a place which triggers an emotional or spiritual response. This comes from feelings of Awe when I feel part of something bigger. Such as, seeing dramatic landscapes, being caught up in the history and sensing the passion of the human spirit.

A memorable experience will cause me to day dream about the next trip even more than the last trip.

Remember: Your adventure begins the moment you decide to go.