Whitsunday Islands (and Airlie Beach)

Places of Interest - Australia

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introduction

Airlie Beach is known as a very popular party resort town and is an important tourist destination. There are many backpackers but also people who moor their (expenisve) boats here. It is located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and together with the nearby Shute Harbor it forms a starting point for cruises to both the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

You can also make trips in search of whales off the coast. Airlie Beach and the nearby Whitsunday Islands have a tropical climate and lifestyle.

highlights

Airlie Beach:

Airlie Beach has a small beach where from November to May many sea jellyfish are which makes it unattractive for swimming unfortunately.

To give the tourists and locals a place to swim, the municipality has created an artificial lake on the coast - the "lagoon". You can also visit the Wildlife park and Great White Shark and Whale expo.

Whitsunday islands:

The Whitsunday is an island archipelago consisting of 74 islands and lies off the coast just before Airlie Beach and near the Great Barrier Reef. It was on June 3, 1770 that James Cook sailed through the Whitsunday Passage before setting foot on the mainland of Australia. He discovered the islands at Pentecost on Whitsunday that's why he called the archipelago it liked that.

But at that time the international date limit was not yet used, which runs east of Australia. Cook did not know that it was actually already Monday, so the name is actually incorrect.

The best known and largest island is Whitsunday Island, where there are many turtles but also reef sharks. Other islands are Daydream, Hamilton, Hayman, and Long. Most islands are mountainous with lots of forest and especially the passages between the islands are impressive. A number of islands are populated by many expensive resorts, but most are uninhabited and part of the national park.

You can make forest walks and/or camp here. The archipelago is popular with tourists: between March 2008 and March 2009, some 700,000 people visited the islands.

tips & advice (2003)

Whitsunday Island has its own small airport; larger airports are located at Prosperine and on Hamilton Island. There is not really a bus station in Airlie Beach; most intercity buses stop at the Esplanade in the harbor.

Airlie Beach - Hervey Bay: there is a night bus to Brisbane that stops at Hervey Bay. Departure at 20:00 and arrival the next morning at 09:15.

Name: Beaches backpackers

Address: 362 Shute Harbor Road

Price: 17 AUS $ (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 4946 6244

Website: www.beaches.com.au

Content:

This party hoste is located on the busy and popular Shute Harbor Road near the Lagoon and the harbor. It is big, pretty impersonal but if you want to build a party anonymously and do not want to deviate too far, this is the perfect place to do it. The hostel has a large bar, swimming pool and restaurant. The dorms have 6 beds per room, but doubles are also available.

Tour to the Whitsunday islands:

There are many tour operators (also from Airlie Beach) that offer boat trips to the Whitsunday Islands so think of what you want and ask what you get included;

Questions / remarks can be:

How many people are on the boat?
What kind of boat is it?
What is included (snorkel equipment, food, drinks, transport etc.)
How many nights / days?
Where are you going to sleep? Private cabin?
Is transport from and to the port included?
What are you going to do? Diving, snorkeling, hiking?
What is the route?
Are there references and if so where?
Will it be a party boat or how look the people on the boat?

I myself made a tour of 3 days (2 nights) on the boat Whitehaven all-in. There were 25 people on the boat and the tour would be a mix of fun, but also of snorkeling, sailing and a walk on one of the islands (including Whitsunday beach). Sleep on the boat in shared cabins. Costs were 250 AUS $.

DAY 1:

12:00 picked up at hostel and taken to the port (Shute port);
13:00 start of sailing trip (acquaintance with group);
Sailing trip to Hook island;
Snorkeling there, eat and slept there (on the boat).

DAY 2:

Breakfast aboard at Hook island;
Sailing trip to Whitehaven;
Walking around on the beach;
Sailing around Whitehaven;
Snorkeling there, eating and sleeping (aboard).

DAY 3:

Snorkeling and breakfast;
Sailing back to Shute harbor;
13:00 back in Airlie Beach (brought back to hostel).

Whitsunday Islands (and Airlie Beach)

Places of Interest - Australia

introduction

highlights

tips & advice (2003)

see also:

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