WILSON ISLAND, GLADSTONE EDITION 3, 2020 QUEENSLAND ISLANDS Queensland’s more than 900 islands offer a magical holiday destination, packed with culture, adventure and an idyllic escape from the everyday. Cairns Perfect for an outdoor adventure holiday, relaxing tropical break, Great Barrier Reef family vacation or romantic getaway, embrace the stunning Townsville weather and explore our islands’ untouched natural beauty The Whitsundays and surrounds. Mackay Boasting incredible attractions, sun-soaked scenery and fascinating wildlife tours against a backdrop of pristine beaches and nature, Capricorn there’s a Queensland island to suit every type of traveller. Outback Queensland Gladstone We have created this Queensland Island experience guide Bundaberg containing product suggestions, itineraries and resources to Fraser Coast improve your destination and experience knowledge and help you Sunshine Coast Southern Queensland to create the trip of a lifetime for your clients. Brisbane Country Gold Coast For more trade resources, refer to the Queensland Good to Go Trade factsheet here. QUEENSLAND.COM GREAT BARRIER REEF ISLANDS Cairns & Great Barrier Reef Journey from the coast of the Tropical North Green Island Queensland region and you’ll be greeted by a Green Island is a coral cay a 45-minute boat ride or quick collection of idyllic islands waiting to be explored. helicopter transfer from Cairns that boasts unspoilt rainforest, Surrounded by the World Heritage-listed Great incredible scenery and surrounding reef so close you can snorkel Barrier Reef, these incredible spots overflow directly off the beach. Green Island is perfect for day-trippers from Cairns or stay longer at the luxurious Green Island Resort. With with surreally beautiful nature, family-friendly just 46 air-conditioned suites, guests can indulge in rejuvenating attractions, romantic escapes, and opportunities massage treatments, a gourmet picnic hamper on the beach or to make memories that will last for life. revel in snorkelling and scuba diving the magnificent Great Barrier Reef just a few steps away. Haggerstone Island Haggerstone Island is a remote, all-inclusive boutique resort island situated 600km north of Cairns. Guests can enjoy barefoot luxury while experiencing the activities and adventures that make the island unique. Included in the accommodation cost are fishing, snorkelling, spearfishing, beachcombing, gourmet meals and daily ocean safaris, with each day tailored to guest’s wishes. The island is exclusively available for up to 12 guests. Fitzroy Island Just 45 minutes by Fitzroy Flyer from Cairns, Fitzroy Island is a national park island, home to Fitzroy Island Resort. Almost completely surrounded by coral reef, it’s a snorkel-lover’s Bedarra Island paradise, and its most popular spot is Nudey Beach, around one kilometre from the resort. The resort offers affordable 4.5 Bedarra is one of Australia’s most exclusive islands, boasting star accommodation, from suites and studios to cabins and a resort designed to blend in with the beauty of the natural apartments. The island’s Turtle Rehabilitation Centre allows visitors surroundings and accommodating a maximum of 20 to help care for turtles before they are returned to the ocean. guests at a time. When it comes to relaxing in glorious seclusion, Bedarra Island is the perfect retreat. This private island provides many leisure activities that take advantage of the natural setting and is perfectly positioned close to the Great Barrier Reef. Located off the coast between Cairns and Townsville, Bedarra is usually accessed by helicopter from Mission Beach or Cairns Airport. QUEENSLAND.COM GREAT BARRIER REEF ISLANDS Cairns & Great Barrier Reef Learn to dive Many visitors choose diving as an immersive and memorable way to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Warm, clear waters, very little current, and an abundance of marine life make Queensland the perfect place for this underwater activity. Glide among rays, dive through schools of colourful reef fish, and come face to face with a gentle turtle with only the sound of your breath and the swell of the ocean in your ears. This guide helps guests choose where and how to get their PADI dive qualification. Local’s guide to the Torres Strait Islands Bid goodbye to the mainland in Cape York and head north towards Papua New Guinea, where en route you’ll greet a cluster of islands called the Torres Strait. Largely untouched, this collection of islands overflows with as much cultural significance as it does natural beauty. Where to find Queensland’s Great Eight The Great Eight is Queensland’s underwater answer to an African safari’s Big Five. It’s not only a checklist of the reef’s most iconic marine creatures, but a great way to ensure you see all manner of other wonderful fish, coral and sea life along the way. Lizard Island Resort Due to reopen 14 December 2020 If you looked up ‘luxury island’ in the dictionary, it’s as if you would find Lizard Island (AKA one of National Geographic‘s Unique Lodges of the World). As one of the most northernmost island resorts on the Great Barrier Reef. Accessed exclusively by private charter from Cairns, you’ve got one of the seven natural wonders of the world right at your doorstep and 24 powdery-white beaches. With only one resort on the island hosting 40 rooms, it’s the tranquillity and natural beauty of the island that will first greet you. QUEENSLAND.COM GREAT BARRIER REEF ISLANDS Townsville North Queensland Townsville is Australia’s largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, and located off shore Magnetic Island are more Great Barrier Reef Islands to explore. Grab a snorkel and explore the kaleidoscopic Just a 20-minute ferry ride from Townsville, Magnetic Island has everything a visitor would want from an island getaway, with all colours of the Reef, alongside the bounty of accessibility needs covered. The island is home to more than national park reserves, hidden beaches, and palm 2,500 residents with its own postcode, a thriving Townsville trees that call these islands home. suburb. This handy convenience factor makes it the perfect spot for spontaneous weekend getaways or a cheeky mid-week sojourn, where guests are greeted by Magnetic Island’s natural unspoilt beauty and 23 golden beaches. From watersports to wildlife, including a resident population of koalas, Magnetic Island offers a magnificent Queensland island experience. Orpheus Island Uncover a secluded Great Barrier Reef oasis that offers immaculate coastlines and a tranquil tropical escape at Orpheus Island. Located just off the coast of Ingham in North Queensland, Orpheus Island is renowned for its seclusion, beauty and spectacular fringing reefs. With luxurious accommodation options and access via helicopter or private charter, guests are transported to tropical indulgence complete with gourmet dining in some of the most spectacular settings imaginable. Relax in comfort, or let the staff arrange a full day of activities, such as the exclusive tour to the Museum of Underwater Art, spa treatments, or a visit to Orpheus Island Research Station. Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island Hinchinbrook Island has garnered a reputation for its walking trails and is home to one of the world’s best. The The best luxury islands in Queensland most recognised is one of the Great Walks of Australia, you need to visit the Thorsborne Trail, which runs a 32-kilometre stretch through forests varying from milky pine to palm figs. Hinchinbrook is In Queensland, it’s a case of paradise lost not to visit our luxury uninhabited and no accommodation is provided – just pitch islands. And with so many to choose from, it can be hard to know your own tent along the trail. The walk is rated as one of the which one (or two) to visit. Whether you want to wake up in a villa top ten walks on the planet and offers iconic visuals of what on the Great Barrier Reef or a billionaire’s home, we’ve saved you a makes Hinchinbrook Island so special – vast tropical lands, spot on the sand at the best luxury islands in Queensland. mountains shrouded in mist, thick rainforests, waterfalls and the east coast’s white sandy beaches. QUEENSLAND.COM GREAT BARRIER REEF ISLANDS The Whitsundays The Whitsunday Islands reside in the very Hamilton Island centre of the Great Barrier Reef. Get up close Hamilton Island is the largest inhabited island in The Whitsundays and personal with this natural wonder, flippers region, easily accessible by direct flights to the island’s airport or in hand, snorkelling and diving the coral-laden by boat transfer from Airlie Beach. From Reef View Hotel to Beach stretch, or avoid getting wet altogether, taking Club to qualia, the island offers a range of accommodation styles a seaplane to catch a glimpse of the natural to suit budgets and traveller types. Families are catered for with beauty from the sky. With a bounty of beautiful bungalow-style or hotel rooms, couples have access to adults-only sandy stretches to choose from here, there’s an areas, and friends travelling together have plenty of options as well. With its dining and shopping options, plus outer reef tours and island for everyone. exclusive access to Heart Island, it’s easy to see why Hamilton is such a popular Queensland island. qualia Ahh, qualia… the word itself is synonymous with Australian island luxury, bagging more awards than you can count on all fingers and toes - including regularly being named the best resort in the world. Located on Hamilton Island, qualia is just one offering on the island in terms of accommodation. There’s the jaw- dropping Whitsundays location on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, private pavilions with some serious bathtub game, and signature experiences like hot stone massages using 300-million- year-old stones.