WHITSUNDAY COAST © Lonelyplanetpublications and Criesof‘Can Icometoo?’.You’Ve Chosenwisely

WHITSUNDAY COAST © LonelyPlanetPublications and criesof‘Can Icometoo?’.You’ve chosenwisely. isruggedandlargelyand Cape Hillsborough untamed. Valley andEungella NationalPark offer coolrespite, stunningsceneryandcute platypuses; more? a pulse. Andyet,thearea isnotallabouttheWhitsundayIslandsthemselves. What,there’s at AirlieBeach. warms youonatropicalisland.Anticipate thethrobbingnightlife andinternational cuisine reefs amongcountless tropicalfish.Feel thecoolbreeze danceover asthesun yourskin the dazzlingwhite sandofWhitehaven Beach.Think amidpristinecoral aboutsnorkelling Go on,sayitoutloud.Don’tbeembarrassed.Whitsundays. Feels gooddoesn’tit? Just thevery wordWhitsundays conjures holiday. imagesofeveryone’s ideaoftheperfect Coast Whitsunday 396 Tell someoneyou’re headingtotheWhitsundayCoastandprepare forajealousresponse isathrivingregionalMackay andplentyofsoul;thePioneer citywithareal heartbeat The Whitsundays isnotatalloverhyped. Ifyoucan’tenjoy yourselfhere, youdon’thave Now closeyoureyesandimagine yourselfislandhoppingaboard aluxuryyacht.Picture

HIGHLIGHTS

TELEPHONECODE: 07 Hooking up withothertravellers andplan- Hooking Sharingthe beachatduskwiththelocal Waitingpatientlyforaglimpseofshy Glidingontopofthebright-blue oceanon Beingdazzledbythebright-white silicon Airlie Beach ning acruisetripover abeeratfunlovin’ Hillsborough NationalPark atruggedlybeautiful kangaroos at inthemistyrainforestplatypus andwalking the spotona cruisetosecludedsnorkelling sand atstunning Eungella NationalPark Great Barrier Reef (p410) Whitehaven Beach ( p407) www. queenslandholidays.com.au /whitsundays/index.cfm (p404) ( p406) Cape Cape (p420) Eungella National Park Beach Airlie www.whitsunday.com Cape Hillsborough

National Park Whitehaven Beach

e tB at

r i

e rR

e ef WHITSUNDAY COAST 397 and 50 km have 30 miles Knight Island has serv- Island Island Calder Scawfell S E A Island C O R A L Prudhoe Marine Park ὄ ὄὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄ ὄὄ ὄ ὄὄ ὄὄ ὄὄ Great Barrier Reef (Whitsunday Group) Island St Bees Cape Palmerston National Park Cockermouth Is Sarina Beach Hay Point Island Keswick A1 Brampton Island See Mackay Map (p399) To 0 0 Tinsmith Island (www.traveltrain.com.au)

Slade Point Bruce Hwy (240km) Blacks Beach

Linne Island Eimeo Island 13 14 99; www.greyhound.com.au) Carlisle Rockhampton Bucasia 13 34 10; www.premierms.com.au) Thomas Island Ὀ Ὀ ὄὄ ὄ ὈὈ Sarina %

( Mackay Creek Cape Hillsborough National Park Shaw Island % Blacksmith Island

(

Island Funnel Valley

Goldsmith Pioneer Homebush Hook Island Newry Island Island Walkerston Whitsunday Eton Yakapari

Marian Island

highway from Proserpine to Airlie Beach. For and cities. details see towns the relevant TRAIN Queensland Rail ices between Brisbane and Townsville/Cairns BOAT BOAT are Airlie Beach Harbour and Shute pads for boat trips to the the launching for Whitsundays; seeindividual islands details. BUS Greyhound Premier towns. They detour off the stops at the major coach servicescoach Bruce Hwy with along the Rabbit A1

Conway National Park Repulse Island

Seaforth Sarina Rd Shute Harbour Hwy

Marlborough- See Whitsunday Islands Map (p415) See Whitsunday Islands Kuttabul Downs Double Cone Island Mirani

Point

Laguna Midge Ὀ ὈὈὈὈὈὈ Peak Ὀ ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ Nebo

Whitsundays Creek Mt Ossa Airlie 70 Beach Calen Park Armit Island Finch

Nebo (www Conway Gorge Hatton

Dipperu Grassy Is National Finch Cedar Hatton

Creek Falls Island Proserpine Olden Island Saddleback Cannonvale Park 13 15 38; www airport National Eungella Dingo Beach Earlando Cameron's Pocket % Bloomsbury ( Eungella 03-9335 3033; www

Cape ὈὈ ὈὈὈ Ὀ ὈὈὈ ὈὈ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ A1 Bay Stone Is Gloucester River % 13 13 13; www.qantas.com ( Gloucester Is Hydeaway Jetstar

Elphinstone 13 67 89; www.virginblue.com

River % ( Broken

Bowen %

Bowen Glenden ( (125km) 77 Hwy , and flies to Mackay from from flies to Mackay To Clermont •• Getting & Away COAST There WHITSUNDAY

Bruce Hwy

Qantas

the , Abbot Point Delamo

Tiger Airways Tiger

Peter Crocodiles inhabit rivers and lakes in tropical areas; swimming is not recommended. Newlands

Coal Mine

Virgin Blue

al Rd al

Collinsville ment Develop

have regular flights to/from the major flights to/from the major regular have and

Mt Aberdeen

National Park Jetstar and Qantas have frequent flights to frequent and Qantas have Jetstar WHITSUNDAY COAST WHITSUNDAY Bowen To Ayr (59km); Townsville (148km)

AIR AIR Getting There & Away Getting There & Away air transfers to the other islands. All three to the other islands. All three air transfers fly into Proserpine Whitsunday Coast) (aka a you can take on the mainland; from there flight islands or a bus to Airlie to the charter Harbour. Shute Beach or nearby Melbourne. boat/ are there Island, from where Hamilton centres. centres. .au) .au) .mackayairport.com.au) Mackay has a major domestic has a major Mackay lonelyplanet.com .tigerairways.com.au)

.jetstar.com.au)

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