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Slideshow

Whitsunday Islands

 

POPULAR

(must-sees for the 5-days-tourist)

There are any number of ways to book hotels and any number of 'expert' sites who provide reviews or get travellers to write a bit of nonsense about where they have been. To book an hotel in Whitsunday Islands - as it was such a long way away - I wanted to do a lot of comparing so I used Expedia and came up with seven hotels. I immediately narrowed the selection down to three immediately - they had pictures. Eventually I chose Long Island hotel because it was only 2 and a half miles from Shute Harbour.
Long Island is a resort hotel and has everything you need - so if you were mad you could never leave the complex and that is a little stifling really. A bit like a Microsoft word processor software, which wants to connect you to the internet, process pictures and so much more when all it is a word processor. I actually booked the hotel direct (http://www.islandstay.com.au) in the end because I couldn't get the dates at Expedia and it would only show me the price of a hotel I didn't want to stay at?
The Beach Front King Room was $380.00 AUS per night and included 3 meals daily (told you they wanted you to be at the resort hotel all the time) and the first child was free - shame I didn't have one to hand.
It was a great place and I recommend it thought the walk to Shute was a bit hot now and then and taxis are few and far between.

Day One

I always like to get a good look at a place I have spend long hours travelling to by plane, let's face it unless you are a high roller and can travel in the comfort of Club or Business Class air travel is cramped and not a little barbarically claustrophobic and so I want to get the best look at where my aching limbs end up! Aviation Adventures offer a number of 'fly overs' of the 74 islands that make up Whitsunday Islands and it almost goes without saying that most of the flights you take with Aviation Adventures will take you over the Great Barrier Reef, which has to be the single biggest reason you would come to this tropical paradise of uninhabited islands, which I have to say are just heaven on Earth.
You fly in a 'bubble' Helicopter so that you can see everything around you from the dark blue sky down and through the clear blue water.

The Great Barrier reef is just ... well even I cannot describe it properly it is just such an experience, but what I can do is tell you that your 'bubble' Helicopter will take only you across the northern Whitsunday Islands, Heart Reef and touch down so that you can go snorkelling on Landford reef where you will see so many corals, fish and other amazing marine life. Then on the way back you will fly over the Whitsunday Passage.
This is the best way to see all of the Whitsunday Islands and a small portion of one of the largest natural wonders of the world and is incredible.
The cost of this aerial adventure ranges from $289.00 AUS for a 2 hour flight to Langford Reef to $629.00 AUS for around 4 hours that includes the Great Barrier Reef. It is a must have and just forget about the cost, this is a once in a life time experience. You can get more information here - http://www.av8.com.au. Day two Having see everything from the air it is great to do it at sea level and that means a boat and Mantaray Charters do boats. Well, Mantaray Charters do more than boats their boats are little ships.
The cost for a family of two adults and two children is $390.00 inclusive of all taxes and for that you will get to explore Whitehaven beach and then snorkel in Mantaray Bay. The ship is comfortable and have everything you need - lunch is served on the journey from Whitehaven Beach to Mantaray Bay though it is wise to bring your own snack food and extra drinks.
All in all the cruise will last around 5 hours and is a lot of fun and good value for money. http://www.mantaraycharters.com

Day three

Time to get wet if you hold a diving certificate, there are so many places to dive that it would be impossible to describe any in sufficient detail, enough to say that there are any number of dive shops ready to hire you any or all of the equipment you need and also ready to take you to their own particular piece of heaven.
If you don't or are the 'widow' or 'orphans' of a diver then just stroll down to the beach and enjoy pure white water and clear blue seas, then do a little shopping in the heat of the day because no matter where you are you are almost always surrounded by the most beautiful tropical landscape.

Day four

My family like shopping and I have to confess on the quite you understand that I do too. Happily Shute Road Whitsunday while not setting the pulse racing too much doesn't disappoint the happy shopper. There are the usual mall style affairs but it was the small surfer type shops that were best of all. Not exactly handy crafts but neither were they selling useless souvenirs. I love it.

Day five

If you are feeling energetic and fancy a bit of a walk, or indeed the whole 30 kilometers Whitsunday has the perfect thing for you the Whitsunday Great Walk. The walk itself though through a wild tropical forest is well signposted and there is a great map so it is almost impossible to get lost.
You enter the Conway State Forest to give the forest its proper name at Brandy creek and probably won't manage to complete the 15 or so miles at Airlie Beach.

We did about five kilometers and really enjoyed it although if you want to get a permit and go camping along the trail, it is really rather civilized with toilets and other facilities along the way, this is my idea of travelling though a tropical rainforest.

NATURE & GEOLOGY

Most of the Whitsunday Island are located inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and of course the Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage Site, it is also the largest Coral Reef system in the world comprising around 2,900 individual reefs and over 900 islands and stretches for over 1.600 miles (2,600 Kms).

Though submerged the Great Barrier Reef like the Great Wall of China can be seen from space and is by far the largest living structure on the planet.
It is likely that the predecessors to the Great Barrier Reef began to form around 24 million years ago when Australia (or to be more precise Queensland) moved into Tropical Waters. The entire continent is moving northwards at the rate of 2.8 inches a year. Evidence suggests that the Great Barrier reef is about 600,000 years old.

HISTORY

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority believe that the reef currently alive today is living on top of a much older structure and is about 20,000 years old. The first inhabitants of the area were the Ngaro Aboriginals, in 1770 the area was discovered and explored by Captain James Cook and on Whit Sunday he said through and named the passage, the Whitsunday Islands.
Slowly the area became populated by farmers though it was not until the 20th Century when the area became more accessible that people settled the area and tourism took off.

CULTURE

The Whitsunday Islands and the people who live there are like most people who live in a place so close to paradise, they are happy. The life is easy and the climate warm to hot which allows for most entertainments to be enjoyed outside. No matter whether it is a barbeque or a music festival it all happens under the glorious sun.

DOS & DON'TS

Always dive with a local diver and make sure that they have the appropriate qualifications. Wear water proof sun screen, the sun is murderous here and you will burn if you don't protect your family's and you own skin carefully and let's face it you have come to far to spoil your holiday. If you do take the great Whitsunday Walk for your own safety try to do it between April and September when it isn't too wet or indeed too dry.

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