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Latest Whitsunday Islands hotel reviews
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As I suffered from seasickness during this trip to Australia, I decided against a three day sailing tour and chose a daytrip to the Whitsundays, from Airlie Beach. It was the day after New Year's Day and I had not thought about booking in advance (well, that was my very first trip overseas ;-) ), so it was hard to get a tour, but the owners of my accomodation managed to get me on a tour with Whitehaven Xpress. And it was such a good tour! I can highly recommend it for people who only want to do a daytrip, may it be because of lack of time or because of seasickness.
The tour features Hill Inlet Lookout including a short bushwalk, Whitehaven Beach and snorkelling at Mantaray Bay at Hook Island. Just see the following tips :-)
We were a group of about twenty people and went on a small boat which was still big enough to be convenient and not to feel crowded. The crew was very friendly and committed, relaxed, but yet serious about their job. It was a pleasant atmosphere and easy to meet new people. The lunch was simple, but good (sausages, sandwiches and salads), and there was a cheese platter and juice on the way back to Airlie Beach in the late afternoon.
The commentary provided by the crew was also very interesting and proved a good knowledge of the area.
The trip cost is 150 AUD for an adult and 75AUD for children with children under four going for free. The boat leaves at Abel Point Marina, but you can arrange a pickup with the company.
Updated Sep 22, 2011
Phone: (07) 4946 1585
Website: www.whitehavenxpress.com.au
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Whitsunday Island is the largest island of the Whitsundays, it's 109sq.km. large. Hill Inlet Lookout is located here, it can only be reached via a bushwalk, but that walk is really nice and rather short. As I like rainforest, I enjoyed it very much. I saw some birds (although I don't know what they were called) and I liked it a lot to also see something of the inland of the islands and of their vegetation, not only the beaches and the ocean.
This area also belongs to the Whitsunday Islands National Park.
We were taken to a little beach by a very small boat and the walk started from here.
Updated Sep 22, 2011
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The bushwalk led us to a lookout where we could see the blue ocean and the surrounding islands, all the way to Whitehaven Beach. And wow... All I could think was "I have never seen something as beautiful as this!!!" It was truly breathtaking.
I have to say that the lookout was crowded with people, it was very full and somewhat hectic, so don't be surprised by that. But I managed to get away a little from the crowd and take the view in as much as I could. It really was unimaginable and I could not believe that I really was there and saw it.
I have included more pictures in the travelogues, if you feel like seeing more.
Updated Sep 22, 2011
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Besides Bondi Beach, Whitehaven Beach is probably the most famous beach of Australia. I have to say, I like a lot of others more than this one, because for me there were too many tourists, and yes, it is very white and very long, but I found others much more beautiful. But this is not to say that this beach is not great - of course it is! And when I first saw it, I was astounded at how white the beach really was. In the sunshine, it really is pure white and it even hurt my eyes to look at it without sunglasses.
It is 6km long, so you can walk there for ages, and the water is just beautiful. Once you get away from the tourist crowds disembarking from the boats, it is indeed a beautiful and pristine place and absolutely gorgeous.
We also had a picnic style lunch here and it was great to sit in the sand, having a sandwich and looking at the crystal clear and blue water. So relaxing :-)
I have included more pictures in my travelogues if you are curious to see more :-)
Updated Sep 22, 2011
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Hook Island is located north of Whitsunday Island and is 53squ.km. large. Most of it belongs to the national park. We stopped here in a secluded bay (Mantaray Bay) to do some snorkelling. Unfortunately I could not snorkel because of an operation, but I did a tour on a glass bottom boat together with other members of the group who did not want to snorkel. It was very nice because the guide explained a lot and was very knowledgeable, so we learned a lot about the eco-system of the Great Barrier Reef.
The best thing was that the water was so clear and shallow that we were able to see many corals just from the boat, without needing the glass. So snorkelling was not even necessary, you could see everything! It was fantastic.
Updated Sep 22, 2011
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As the water was so clear, it was also possible to see many different kinds of colourful fish. The guide gave us some pellets so we could feed them. It was very funny how they all came to the boat to get some pellets. There was a very big fish (unfortunately I don't know the name of the species), and when you took a pellet and held your hand into the water, he sucked at your fingers, which was really funny :-)
I loved to see them all swimming around in their beautiful colours.
I think the pictures look a little like impressionist paintings ;-)
Updated Sep 22, 2011
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It's obvious why we are smiling but Whitehaven Beach will bring a grin to the face of anyone, cool white sand, clear blue sea....a perfect location.
The boat behind us hove gently into view, when we finished the ceremony & kissed a great cheer came from the crew, a nice touch.
Updated Dec 2, 2010
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Get a taxi from Airlie Beach to the local airfield, it`s only a few dollars, while you are there say Hi to Ivan Conway the Celebrant who married us on Whitehaven Beach, he lives next to the airfield....You will not get a better view of the islands.
Updated Dec 2, 2010
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The Whitsunday Express took us to Tongue Bay for a spot of snorkeling, these are bat fish, about 2 feet across and very friendly, there is a reef there that you can swim over but no one is allowed ashore as the turtles must not be disturbed.
The crew dropped a few pellets of fish food into the water to encourage them, this ensures they they are always there for the tourists...like me.
Updated Dec 2, 2010
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Just off Black Island you will spot the very distinctive Yellow Submarine which gives non-snorkellers a fantastic underwater view of the reefs surrounding the island.
Even for snorkellers it is still well worth the trip in this semi-submersible ship just to see the huge colourful coral bombs and all multitude of magnificent marine creatures.
Updated May 7, 2008
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84 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Whitsunday Islands attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Whitsunday Islands sightseeing.
Just off Black Island you will spot the very distinctive Yellow Submarine which gives non-snorkellers a fantastic underwater view of the reefs surrounding the...
3 members live in Whitsunday Islands
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A: You don't say where you or friends are from - July in the Whitsundays is mild and prople swim all year round. Nights may be cool - again it depends on what you are used...
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1
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