The
Great Barrier Reef
Which lies only a few miles from the Whitsunday Islands,
can be battered by savage weather conditions. However, it is
a rare occasion when a reef trip has to be cancelled due to
weather because the reef is essentially a calm place. Issues
such as insurance cover and safety of life have to be taken
into account by boat skippers. If you choose The Whitsundays
as your scuba diving destination, the Island dive sites can always
be offered as an alternative because of the protection that
they offer from bad weather. Although this is an unlikely occurrence,
you should be aware of this fact. Other dive locations on the
Queensland coast cannot offer this back-up solution. (See the
section on Whitsunday Island Dive Sites under 'Dive
Sites'.
The Whitsundays
This term refers to the 74 islands of the
Cumberland Group of islands, known more commonly these days
as The Whitsunday Islands group. The islands are actually two
submerged mountain ranges, cut off from the mainland by geological
occurrences thousands of years ago. Situated at approximately
20 degrees south latitude and 148 degrees east longitude and
in the same latitude as Tahiti, New Caledonia, Mauritius and
Rio de Janeiro, the Whitsundays have, in recent years, become
one of the world's best destinations for diving and sailing. Airlie
Beach is, for all intents and purposes, the capital of the
Whitsundays. It is the mainland coastal town that provides
access to:
-
Many land based tourist activities.
Daily
and extended cruises to the outer Great Barrier Reef.
-
Daily and extended cruises to the Whitsunday Islands Holiday
resorts situated on Hayman, South Molle, Daydream, Hamilton,
Hook and Long Islands by air and sea.
-
A wide range of hotel and motel accommodation from five
star to backpacker.
-
Camping, caravans, holiday apartments and mainland resorts.
-
Shops, restaurants, clubs, golf courses and community
services.
Airlie Beach and Shute
Harbour are the home of the Whitsundays Bareboat Charter
fleet and to a flotilla of fully crewed Charter yachts. A
small but dynamic tourism based town offering all the amenities
that an International traveller could require, Airlie
Beach is the heart of the Whitsundays.
July
is the coolest month with daily average maximum temperature
of 23 degrees and a daily average minimum around 16 degrees.
The winter minimum can fall considerably only a few kilometres
inland from the coast.