Overview

Lying just off the Queensland coast and sheltered by the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays are Australia's answer to the cruising grounds of the Caribbean, and home to the island continent's largest fleet of charter yachts. The 74 islands - most of them in pristine national parks - offer a lifetime's worth of quiet anchorages and empty white-sand beaches fanned by steady breezes virtually every day of the year.

Whether you're out for a daysail, on a crewed yacht, or bareboating on your own, traveling by boat also opens the way to the great snorkeling and fishing found in these warm tropical waters. Dolphins, manta rays, and sea turtles are common here, and migrating humpback whales visit from July through September. On shore, you can explore nature trails or just settle into a secluded cove for long days of sunbathing and snorkeling

Accommodations found on eight of the islands run the gamut: Hamilton is a resort island with a jet airport, a hotel, shops, and a marina; Hayman is a world-class luxury getaway; and Hook Island has remote cabins for backpackers. And the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef are easy to reach via a short sail or a quick trip by high-speed catamaran.

 Plan Your Trip

BEACHES

Stroll the squeaky silica sand of Whitsunday Island's Whitehaven Beach, which has made more than one list of the world's top-10 beaches. A four-mile-long strand on the eastern side of the island, its snorkel-perfect shallow waters are home to giant manta rays, sea turtles, and schools of dolphins. And because it's part of the national park, this white-sand wonder will remain unchanged.

DIVING

In aquarium-like Manta Ray Bay, off the northern end of Hook Island, underwater valleys, caves, and swim-throughs lead all the way to the seafloor, about 60 feet below the surface. The sponges and corals are a perfect backdrop for extremely tame fish that, in a bit of a roll-reversal are likely to follow you around.

SAILING

Set off from the region's charter center, Airlie Beach, on the nearby Queensland coast, and cross the Whitsunday Passage to sheltered Nara Inlet, on Hook Island - it's one of more than 120 main anchorages in the archipelago. Spend the next week or so cruising south to Cid Harbour (a sheltered anchorage nearly surrounded by islets), Whitsunday Island, Hamilton Island, and South Molle, where you can explore the beaches of pristine Molle Islands National Park, then relax in a casual resort atmosphere.

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