What could inspire a seasoned navigator to name a group of islands after a sacred day of celebration? Lee Atkinson was lucky enough to get the answer.

Australia has no shortage of stunning beaches, and those who live near the coast can usually find a picture-perfect stretch of white sand and blue sea without trying too hard. So when I arrived in Airlie Beach – midway between Mackay and Townsville – and heard about a beach of pure white silica sands and crystal-clear waters, I have to admit I was sceptical. But Whitehaven Beach really is as gorgeous as the brochures say and it deserves its status as one of the world’s top 10.

Most people come to the Whitsundays to explore the 74 islands clustered off the coast of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s postcard stuff: think swaying palm trees, white sandy beaches, uninhabited islands and warm azure waters teeming with tropical fish and coral.

Discovered by Captain Cook on Whit Sunday in 1770, the waters around the islands, which are essentially the volcanic peaks of a submerged range, are paradise for seasoned sailors, novices or deck candy (those that just lie around with a drink in hand while someone else does all the work). Being of the latter persuasion, we joined 78 other deck candy types aboard the Camira, an 85-foot, bright purple sailing catamaran, where between lolling on the bow nets and snorkelling over the coral at Hook Island, you can enjoy a three-course lunch, morning and afternoon tea, an endless supply of snacks and an open bar. It didn’t take long to get into the rhythm of doing not much as we sped across the water to the undisputed jewel in the Whitsundays’ crown – beautiful Whitehaven Beach on the uninhabited Whitsunday Island, around four hours fast sail from Airlie Beach.

We spent a lazy hour or so floating in the calm water and exploring the perfect beach, which is more than 6km long, before heading back aboard to sail into the sunset.
Next day, we decided to explore a different type of aqua nirvana, this time in the crystal clear cool water below Cedar Creek Falls at the edge of Conway National Park, where a 12m waterfall cascades into a beautiful plunge pool. Long-necked turtles poked their heads above the surface to check us out as they floated by. 

Day three we spent croc hunting, with a two-hour cruise on the Proserpine River. There aren’t many places in northern Australia where you can get this close to a wild crocodile, and the full-day safari tour through the mangroves lets you get so close you feel as if you could reach out and touch their leathery snouts. Not that you’d want to – these guys are top of the food chain and aren’t fussy about what they eat. Our tour guide, Steve Watson, is full of stories – most are taller than true I suspect. There’s the one about a local who had a pet saltie for years. Charlie, the croc, used to sleep under his owner’s bed and go for rides in his car, once all the way to Adelaide – that was until one day at a party he bit his owner’s arm off. Just goes to show you can take the croc out of the wild but you can’t take the wild out of the croc.

We followed the cruise with a barbecue lunch and an open air, elevated-wagon tour through wetlands and natural waterholes, watching birds and wallabies while consuming traditional damper and billy tea.

One of the best things about Airlie Beach is that despite the plethora of tours on offer you don’t have to go far, or spend any money, to get wet in style. The main street backs onto a beautiful palm-fringed beach, flanked by grassy parkland with lots of free electric barbecues and picnic tables under the shade of rainforest trees. You can swim here, but during summer there are stingers in the water, so the good town planners have built a massive man-made lagoon where you can swim all year round. It’s just like having your own five-star resort pool except it’s free and even includes some cute lifesavers on duty during daylight hours.

You can also stretch your legs on the 3km bicentennial walkway that skirts the coast from the lagoon to neighbouring Cannonvale Beach, while away an hour or two in a beachfront café, or update your swimwear in one of the many boutiques. There are sea kayaking tours, scenic aerobatic flights in a vintage tiger moth, tandem skydiving over the beach, ocean rafting thrill trips and more sailing tours than you can poke a stick at. At night, there’s a host of restaurants and late-night bars to choose from.

Captain Cook got it right when he named the beautiful Whitsunday Islands after a holiday. But here, it’s not just one day a year.

Open Road e-zine October 2008

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