You can’t go wrong with the Whitsunday Islands! These QLD islands are enchanting and offer plenty of activities for all travelers. We’re sharing just 10 hand-picked observations about these incredible Australian gems—observations that will intrigue and inform you. Perhaps these tidbits will help you decide that it
The Ngaro people likely lived on the Whitsunday Islands 8,000 years ago.
These cave paintings in the Whitsundays have been dated to 2500 years ago and provide evidence of their existence.
Captain Cook and his crew were the first Europeans to set sights on what are now known as the Whitsundays, in 1770.
Cook was not the first European to land in Australia, but Willem Janszoon of Holland is often recognized as the first European to arrive.
It was recorded that he arrived at what would later become today’s Australia as a navigator for an expedition led by Dirk Hartog and Abel Tasman.
The Whitsundays was possibly mis-named
The “Whitsunday Passage” was christened by Cook who believed the date to be the calendar day of Whit Sunday, which is June 3rd.Interestingly, he missed by one day when it comes to his “special date” and was sailing on June 4th instead-a Monday. His small error changed the course of naming history.
The Whitsundays are one of Australia’s leading tourist destinations, with 3.5 million visitor nights spent annually.
This may be surprising, but it shouldn’t be. The Whitsunday Islands are a popular destination for international visitors in Queensland, providing top spots for both domestic and international visitors.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef. It runs for over 2600km, comprises 2900 individual reefs and can be seen from outer space.
Whitehaven Beach is consistently rated as the number one beach in Australia and the world’s fifth best.
The colorful swirls of turquoise waters on top of pure white silica sand make this Aussie beach one of the most photographed beaches in the world.
You may see giant clams when diving in the Whitsundays.
The 73 islands and waters surrounding them boast some very unusual, but one of the most extraordinary is the giant clam.While these travel adventures typically involve a life below the surface, you might just get lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of these fascinating mollusks.
The Whitsundays Islands are Australia’s most cherished region, and 70% is designated as national park.
Indeed, there are many entities commit to the protection and conservation of these incredible islands as well as the barrier reef that belong to them.
Expectations of an estimated 1500 people a year get married on the Whitsunday Islands.
The popularity of the Whitsundays as a wedding and honeymoon destination cannot be disputed. These islands offer a romantic and serene setting.
Geologists are uncertain what makes Whitehaven Beach so unique.
Whitehaven Beach is notable for its unusual white sand, which has a unique composition that makes it unlike any other type of sand found on the islands. Moreover, this beach holds a sense of mystery as one theory suggests that years ago and generations before an event brought the sand to the beach and it’s still there today.