Airlie Beach
Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and is also a lively little town in itself.
Rammed full of alfresco restaurants and top bars, this is the ideal place to start your trip out to the waters.
The area obviously has a massive boating community and the huge marina is located just a few hundred metres from the main drag.
There’s plenty of accommodation available, ranging from cheap hostels to luxury hotels, and many are kitted-out with pools and hammocks, so you can enjoy the amazing Queensland weather.
There is a very relaxed feel to the town with tourists often outnumbering the locals. Chances are you’ll be spending time in Airlie both before and after your sailing trip, and thankfully there is plenty to do. There are a number of nightclubs and bars, and also the Airlie Beach Lagoon, which is a man-made saltwater swimming area right on the beachfront. There are also plenty of beachside parks with free use of barbeques.
The Whitsunday Islands is an perfect example of the kind of unspoiled paradise that makes Australia the envy of the world.
A trip out on these spectacular waters is an absolute must for anyone wanting to take in the best this magnificent country has to offer.
The Whitsundays run from Bowen in the north to Laguna Whitsundays in the south of Queensland’s central coast, and are made up of 74 stunning and unspoilt islands – of which only eight are inhabited.
The islands themselves play host to some of the world’s most striking scenery, with each boasting its own unique identity. Some fall to the turquoise sea with eroding rock formations, others slope away to sandy beaches while others have sandy inlets that line the coral reef, bays and coves.
To top it off, the islands are surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the amazing Great Barrier Reef, making this a location of incomparable beauty both above and below the sea.
The best way to take in the region is, of course, a trip out in one of the hundreds of boats.
The type of trips on offer vary dramatically. There are day cruises that will take you in and amongst the islands if you’re pushed for time. However, if possible, it’s well worth spending a few nights out at sea.
The most popular trips tend to consist of three days and two nights out at sea. Again, different companies and boats offer different accommodation preferences. Some will take you to a resort on one of the islands while others will allow you to sleep on the boat.
The trips can range dramatically in price depending on which vessel you choose. They can range from a state-of-the-art 67ft catamaran, built for speed, to an old-school traditional sailing boat that might date back more than a century, but there is certainly something to suit every budget.
When you do get out on the Whitsunday Islands there is seemingly endless splendour to take in.
The majority of trips will either involve scuba diving or snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, depending on who you sail with.
Trips can involve anywhere between two and six dives depending on how experienced you are.
When you are not taking in the reef your skipper will be sailing you between – and possibly to – some of the islands.
Each island offers something a little different to the last. The largest island in the region is Whitsunday Island and no trip is complete without a stop off at its amazing block of sand known as Whitehaven Beach. This boasts sand so fine and pure it was actually used by NASA to build the Hubble Space Telescope and has been named as one of the best beaches in the world.
One of the most popular islands is Hamilton Island, which is Australia’s largest island resort, operating more like a small town with shops, restaurants and plenty of accommodation.
Another hugely popular island is South Molle, which offers a range of water sports and even a nine-hole golf course. There are also more than 420 hectares of National Park and countless walking trails leading to the beaches, bays and spectacular mountain lookouts.
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