Whitsunday Islands Things to Do

We were collected from the ship early in the morning and taken to a platform on the Great Barrier Reef. What I saw when we arrived simply astonished me - a full fledged diving platform, with submarine, undersea window, dive and snorkelling centre, even a helicopter platform near by.
Professionalism from the dive master who took me down to the reef and the entire overall experience made this stop a fantastic one - and one I love to repeat again some day!
Fantasea operates day cruises to the reef simply have a look on their web page.

AVATAR is not only built for speed but also presents her-self as a spacious, comfortable vessel both above and below the decks.

This impressive racing thoroughbred will carry her passengers leisurely around the Whitsunday's whilst in holiday mode, however she is kept in full racing trim to compete in at least two major yacht races annually.

AVATAR is one of the fastest, most high tech racing yachts ever to be offered for charter in Australia, so if your taste is for the extreme, then this is the boat to be aboard.

There are some excellent opportunities for snorkelling on the fringing reefs that surround the Whitsunday islands. The dive masters on board claimed these reefs as part as the Great Barrier Reef and I guess they could make a case but in reality I believe they are a bit too far west. The best spot for snorkelling is Blue Pearl Bay at Hayman Island, don't miss the opportunity to visit the afformentioned Elvis who is a Giant Napolean Wrasse. He is quite inquisitive and will come rihgt up to you to check you out. Don't be afraid he's like a big dog, give him a bet and have a play! In addition t elvis there are all sorts of other fish (parrot fish, butterfly fish, batfish etc.) and we even saw a turtle!

There are dozens of boats to choose from covering all levels of adventure and all cost brackets from shoestring to big spender. I choose to spoil myself and do some 'real sailing' aboard the "British Defender" an 83 foot maxi racing yacht originally built for an around the World race in the 1980's. It isone of the boats from the Southern Cross fleet. Let me tell you it was worth every penny.

Our boat was ecently crowned the fastest boat in the Whitsunday during the most recent Whitsunday fun race. Unlike some of the so-called 'party boat' on board The Defender we did some serious sailing and had to work for it too! We hauled across the straight at 18 knots (we had great conditions) and even raced another maxi yacht, which we promptly flogged!

In my opinion given the option I would choose the Maxi class yachts any day unless of course all you want to do is sit on the deck, sun tan and drink (nothing wrong with that!)

We booked our trip through Peter Pan in Sydney and paid an extra $100 bucks on top of our package cost to get on board The Defender. If you book in Airlie I think it's about $350 AUD. You get a free t-shirt too!

Found on the largest island (Whitsunday Isalnd itself) of the Whitsunday archipelago you could easily change the name of this immaculate spot to "White Heaven Beach". It is likely the most physically stunning stretch of sand I have ever laid eyes on in my life. From the squeaky white sand from which the beach draws its name to the protected woods that surround the beach to the myriad of marine life that swim in its shallow surounds waters there is truly something for everyone here.

We stopped here on day 2 of our trip and I don't think 3 hours have ever gone by faster in my life. Just taking alone pictures of this extremely photogenic beach from the lookout will be an hour! The beach looks fantastic from every angle and be it low tide or high tide there is just something about the beach you just can't take your eyes off of!

Stonehaven (Hook Island) was our fourth nights anchorage while on the boat. We arrived early in the morning from Cid Harbour and spent the day snorkelling, fishing and relaxing. It was very calm and sunny while we were there - just perfect!!!! :) It was nice to have not many other boats around.

Stonehaven has protection from north-east to south winds. There are plenty of morings and anchor space too. Stonehaven has good snorkelling and fishing conditions. Ther are also some beaches in the bay and a camping ground at Baird Point.

The sand is almost a pure white and is complemented by the clear blue ocean. This is a must see. We had to take a sailboat and then a raft to get to the island. Remember you can not take the sand with you. We were told to use a wetsuit since there were jellyfish or some type or stinging fish at that time. None of us used a suit and we were not stung, I guess we didn't go to the deeper water.

We spent our seventh night on the boat at Hamilton Island in the marina. We spent some time down at the resort pool drinking cocktails and relaxing then had dinner at a nice restaurant.

Hamilton Island was our first real brush with civilisation since getting on our boat. The sleep wasn't too good since the nightclub is right next to the marina and the music played till the early hours of the morning...but the water was calm and our ear plugs worked well. ;)

The marina at Hamilton Island gives great protection in very strong winds from all directions. It is a bit difficult to drive into a marina berth if you're a beginner, anchoring at another island will be easier if you're worried about this.