How to explore the other 'heart' of Australia
Despite stormy weather doing its best to scupper a tightly-packed Whitsundays itinerary, our writer still finds plenty of ways to uncover its wonders
Does anyone know why it was so hard to see giant clam out on the reef today? They were clam-o-flaged…” With material like that, Peter Farrell, Reefworld’s resident master reef guide, is clearly wasted in tourism but it’s to my gain as he guides my Great Barrier Reef snorkel safari, pointing out everything from giant trevally to parrot fish. More sightings follow on my underwater observatory visit and guided intro dive, perfect for non-certified divers, descending five metres below the water surface.
Centred on Hardy Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef, my Reefworld experience begins at Airlie Beach, mainland Queensland, joining the day trippers sampling Reefworld’s roster of activities. Boarding a boat transfer operated by sister company Cruise Whitsundays, my destination soon looms out of the water like a James Bond baddie’s lair.
Come afternoon, most boat back to the mainland or Hamilton Island. A lucky few stay on, with more arriving by chopper. The prize?
An overnight in one of the Reefbeds clustered on deck. Pretty appealing in itself but there’s an even more exclusive option for those who have endured the long wait list – a night in the two glass-fronted, underwater Reefsuites, Australia’s first underwater accommodation offering fish-eye perspectives of the Reef.
SAILING MECCA
Alas, no overnight for me – I had been due for a reef sleep a couple of nights earlier but the weather had made it impossible for us to get there, and there’s not much flexibility in our tight itinerary. However, a 45-minute “flightseeing” chopper transfer to Airlie’s Coral Beach Marina with Hamilton Island Air proves ample consolation, chalking off sights such as Whitehaven Beach and heart-shaped Heart Reef.
Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef may stretch a mind-boggling 1,400 miles but the Whitsundays claims its heart, local tourism bods pointing to the presence of Heart Reef to bolster their assertion. Backed by all manner of topflight excursions and 74 dreamy islands clustered in the Coral Sea’s crystalline waters, this sailing hotspot is unabashedly romance central. Yet, with no single way to whet your Whitsundays whistle it suits a wide range of clients and budgets besides.
To get there, I take a two-hour Qantas flight from Sydney, making landfall on Hamilton Island. Minutes later I commandeer one of the omnipresent golf buggies, getting the scoop on this popular, trade-friendly bolthole, home to great beaches and aspirational accommodations. This before a Cruise Whitsundays ferry spirits me onwards to Airlie Beach.
RISING AIRLIE
True to its backpacker roots, Airlie sports a lively centre. Home to many excursion operators and great-value accommodation, including centrally located Magnums Airlie Beach, it’s super-convenient, too.
Freedom Shores Resort, my base for three nights, proves a happy compromise, a quiet sheltered spot outside of town yet a short shuttle service when I fancy Airlie action, including a seafood blowout at Fish D’vine. Cute and bijou, Freedom’s maritime theme extends to its Boat Bungalows with an outdoor deck at the bow of the “boat”.
Based in Airlie Beach, Whitsundays Private Charters’ offerings cover sunset sailings to full-day cruises. Upping the ante, you could also suggest luxury sports yachts such as Phoenix One and La Mar. The Salty Dog sea kayaking is top notch, too.
Once more my itinerary is impacted when the stormy weather of late April/early May scuppers plans to experience the Ngaro Indigenous Cultural Tour (see box, below) but an excursion with Ocean Rafting offers solace, its sturdy boats going out in pretty much any conditions. With the caffeinated crew pumping the music and carving up the choppy water with splash-inducing turns, this fast, brash romp is far from a serene sailing experience but it’s fun and family-friendly and gets me out on the water.
Plus, after making landfall at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, a short uphill hike reveals spectacular views. Moreover, it transpires, my captain, James Unsworth is, like Peter earlier, a graduate of the excellent, recently launched Master Reef Guide programme, and the mastermind behind Reef Seeker, Ocean Rafting’s Citizen Science initiative.
LAND AHOY
There’s much to admire away from the water, too. Walking trails and Segway tours rub shoulders in Conway National Park, while Skydive Airlie Beach attracts the more adventurous. Other recent additions include a Whitsunday Crocodile Safari, coffee plantation tours with Whitsunday Gold and a Falls to Paradise tour centred on Cedar Falls, offered by Red Cat Adventures.
Duration-wise, recommend clients allocate at least four to five nights in the area for a mix of active options and relaxation. But as I have found, it pays to build some flexibility into an itinerary if they have their hearts set on a particular Whitsundays experience, because the weather may have other ideas…the Whitsunday seasons are wet (January-March) which is also the hottest part of summer; blustery (March-May) and the driest months are August-October, technically the wintertime.
Thinking outside the box, you could include at least one day’s car hire, as having a motor opens up nearby coastal hotspots such as coastal hamlet Hydeaway Bay and Cape Gloucester Resort. Strike inland and clients can explore Collinsville, an historic mining town, in what some locals call “The Whitsundays Outback”, further proof there’s more to this Aussie hotspot than sun, sea and sails.
Book it: AAT Kings’ 12-day East Coast Beaches & Reef guided tour, travelling from Cairns to Sydney, showcases the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef alongside other highlights such as K’gari (formerly Fraser Island). From £4,390pp twin share for departure on 14 February 2025 out of Cairns; aatkings.com
Spotlight on the Whitsundays
Smarter: With two local airports, Hamilton Island and Proserpine (on the mainland), open jaw trips make great sense, many visiting the Whitsundays as part of wider, onward itineraries. Advise against visiting in the hot, humid months of July and August. tourismwhitsundays.com.au
Better: Hamilton Island Air’s helicopter tours deliver a sense of the Great Barrier Reef’s scale and majesty. And if you can’t bag clients an underwater berth on Reefworld, don’t despair as – elsewhere on the reef – Lady Musgrave Island’s floating pontoon features an underwater observatory that transforms into a bank of 10 bunk beds. ladymusgraveexperience.com.au
Fairer: Devised by local operator Whitsunday Paradise Explorer, the full-day Ngaro Indigenous Cultural Tour is the Whitsundays’ first Indigenous-led, Indigenous-focused tour. It’s led by Indigenous crew and features elements of the stories of the three main local Indigenous groups, its launch following lengthy consultation with local elders.
While short-term objectives include increasing awareness of local Indigenous culture, looking ahead, owner John Henderson hopes to establish an Indigenous information centre and encourage more local Indigenous people to return while addressing the historic issue of many lacking titles to ancestral lands.
“The best way to get things rolling is through tourism, I think,” he says, adding the launch was in part down to consumer demand. “That’s how the tour came about – people just wanted to know.”
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