Most Asked Questions By Whitsunday Travellers

Can you stay on the Whitsunday Islands?

Yes! You can stay on the Whitsunday Islands. Out of our 74 Whitsunday Islands, only four of them have operational island resorts located on them. These include Daydream Island, Hayman Island, Long Island and Hamilton Island. Lindeman Island currently has a resort under construction which should be completed by 2021.

In the 1930’s, the Whitsundays slowly changed from a pastoral lifestyle to a recreational lifestyle, when farmers started to build galvanised huts with palm thatched roofs and wash basins throughout the islands. They would then charge customers one pound per day, which included scones and fresh tropical fruit from South Molle Island. These customers soon became the very first day trippers from the mainland to the Whitsunday Islands. Click here to read further into the history of the Whitsundays.

Did you know you can also camp on the Whitsunday Islands? Scamper is a locally owned and operated boat, which can pick you up with your hiking or camping gear and drop you to one of our local islands for you to explore. There are more than ten camping spots spread throughout South Molle Island, Whitsunday Island and Hook Island that you can go to. You have the option of visiting the island for the day, or you can stay the night. You can even get Scamper to drop you to the silica sands of Whitehaven Beach, where you can camp as long as you like! Click here for more information on camping on the Whitsunday Islands.

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How many days do you need in the Whitsundays?

It is always hard to decide how long you and your family should stay at a holiday destination. When you get to the Whitsundays, you will never want to leave. The Whitsundays is a place where travellers will never get bored and will never run out of things to do. We recommend staying in the Whitsundays for at least 7 days, so that you and your family have enough time to explore the region. You will need a full day to explore the Great Barrier Reef. Here you can go snorkelling to see the rainbow colours of the coral under the water, while swimming with the friendly local fish.

While you are in town, you will also need a full day to have lunch on the white silica sand at Whitehaven Beach. There is no other place quite like this on earth and people travel from all over the world to see it. So you will soon find that your holiday schedule will fill up very quickly, as there is much to see and do in the Whitsundays.

We also recommend staying in the Whitsundays over a weekend, so that you get to experience the Airlie Beach night life or the Saturday morning markets along the foreshore. Click here for a list of activities you can book when in the Whitsundays.‍

What is the best time of year to visit the Whitsundays?

The warm tropical climate in the Whitsundays makes it the perfect holiday destination, with an average temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius. Many southerners travel to the Whitsundays during Winter, to escape the cold. Winter temperatures in the Whitsundays range between 18 to 25 degrees Celsius, which is a refreshing change from the 8 degree Winters in Southern Australia.

Holiday homes in the Whitsundays have been designed well to suit the Summer time, with air-conditioning throughout and in-ground pools. So even during the hotter months, you can sit back and watch the kids play in the pool, while you sip on a glass of wine and relax.

September and October is the best time of year to visit the Whitsundays, click here to find out why.

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Where is the Whitsundays located?

The Whitsunday Islands are situated on the North Eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. They are located approx 1,000km North of Brisbane and approx 250km South of Townsville. Airlie Beach is found on the coast of the Whitsundays and is just one of the towns located in this popular tourist destination.

Click here for more information on where the Whitsundays is located and how to get here.‍

What airport do you fly into for Whitsundays?

The main airport in the Whitsundays is the Whitsunday Coast Airport, which is located on the mainland near Proserpine, approx 35km inland from Airlie Beach. Travellers flying into this airport can catch a taxi or bus, or hire a car to get to Airlie Beach. If you book your holiday through whitsundayvacations.com.au we can arrange transport for you from the airport to your accommodation (fees apply).

The second airport in the Whitsundays is on Hamilton Island. If you are flying into Hamilton Island but your accommodation is on the mainland, you will need to book a ferry ride with Cruise Whitsundays from the island to Airlie Beach, which will take around an hour to get to mainland.

Some of our executive holiday homes even have their own private helicopter pads, to provide the ultimate luxurious experience for our guests.

Click here for more information on how to get to the Whitsundays.

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Is it safe to swim in the Whitsundays?

North Queensland has a jellyfish season that runs roughly from November to April. However, there are many swimming enclosures throughout the Whitsundays to provide safe swimming spots for you and your family. You can also wear a stinger suit when you swim in the ocean, which will prevent a jellyfish from touching your skin. All Whitsunday day trips and tours that offer swimming in the ocean will provide their guests with a swimming suit for the day. Click here for more information on the jellyfish season, including locations of swimming enclosures in the Whitsundays.‍

Are there crocodiles in the Whitsundays?

Like most of northern Australia, the Whitsundays is home to the saltwater crocodile and they are found in salt water river systems throughout the coastline. They are hardly ever spotted around the Whitsunday Islands, because they usually don’t like travelling that far away from the mainland. They prefer to live in muddy river systems with banks that receive the midday sun. This prehistoric animal mainly feeds on fish, birds and turtles.

It is extremely rare for a crocodile to attack a human. The last crocodile ‘attack’ in the Whitsundays was when a local tour guide at a Crocodile Farm lost his hand to a 4.5m crocodile, while trying to feed him. So as long as you aren’t trying to feed a crocodile, you are pretty safe in the Whitsundays. The majority of crocodile attacks in the wild throughout the world occur when people swim at night, in rivers that are known to have crocodiles.

Proserpine River is located south of Airlie Beach and is a great fishing destination. This river has the largest population of crocodiles in the Whitsundays. If you would like to get up close and personal with a crocodile, Whitsunday Crocodile Safari offer day tours up the Proserpine River. Click here for more information.

If you have any other questions about booking a holiday in the Whitsundays, we would be happy to hear from you at holiday@whitsundayvacations.com.au

Go to whitsundayvacations.com.au to book your next Whitsunday holiday.