I have been fascinated by the Great Barrier Reef since we learned about it in geography class in elementary school. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus and closed borders between the Australian states, I had to cancel my trip to Whitsundays several times. But the day when I could visit this beautiful part of Australia finally arrived!

Whitsunday island is the most famous and largest of the 74 islands. It is home to the famous Whitehaven beach, which was named the best beach in the world in 2021 by TripAdvisor.

Whitsunday Island is uninhabited, so the best accommodation options are a small coastal town Airlie beach or Hamilton island.

Hamilton island is famous for its luxury resorts and offers the most entertainment and activity options, but we decided to stay at Airlie beach since most tourist tours and day trips depart from there.

Airlie beach is a small touristy coastal town with a population of approximately a thousand inhabitants, but you can find everything you need there – supermarkets, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and clothing stores.

Since Airlie beach experiences a tropical climate, the average temperature ranges between 24-32 °C degrees all year around. The best time to visit is during winter and spring because summer (from December to March) is the rainy season. We went there in February and were lucky to avoid the rain, but the air was very humid.

As soon as we got off the plane at the local airport, we felt heavy, sultry air. One night I left my beach towel on the balcony to dry, but the next morning the towel was still wet because the air was so humid even though the temperature didn’t go below 26 C degrees all night!

PALM TREES AND SANDY BEACHES

Airlie beach and the Whitsundays are a tropical paradise with beautiful sandy beaches and palm trees. The colour of the ocean is turquoise blue, and the water temperature is very warm. Unfortunately, due to very dangerous jellyfish, it is not advised that you swim in the ocean without a stinger suit, especially during the warmer months, from October to May. The two most dangerous jellyfish in Queensland’s coastal waters are the Box Jellyfish and Irukandji, and they are also one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world! You won’t feel anything at the moment when you get stung by a jellyfish, but the symptoms start about half an hour after. Some of the symptoms are increased heart rate, sweating, nausea and vomiting, severe pain in the body and muscles, breathing problems, loss of consciousness and death. The tour guide told us that she once got stung by Irukandji jellyfish and ended up in a three-day coma in intensive care. It’s definitely not worth going into the ocean without a stinger suit! There are warning signs on the beaches in Australia, so make sure to always read the signs, and if signs warn against going into the water, do not go!

Because it’s often dangerous to swim in the water, there are swimming pools and lagoons on the beaches in Australia. People in Airlie beach can cool down in the lagoon, which is located right next to the beach.

WHITEHAVEN BEACH

The world-famous Whitehaven beach stretches over 7 km on the south side of the Whitsunday island and with its pure white sand and crystal clear turquoise blue water, it truly looks like heaven on earth! Allegedly, even Oprah Winfrey said that the beach looks better than anything she could ever have imagined from any book or magazine. And I agree! This is one of the places that looks even better in person than in images!

The beach can only be visited with an organised tour or private charter. The journey from Airlie beach to Whitsunday island takes between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the boat speed. Tour prices range from 100-200AUD for one-day and half-day tours, but there are also multi-day sailing tours around Whitsundays. We did a one-day tour which included Hill Inlet lookout, Whitehaven beach and snorkelling.

Hill Inlet lookout is the most famous lookout on Whitsunday Island and offers a breathtaking view of Whitehaven beach. I couldn’t stop looking at that amazing turquoise blue water…

After the lookout, we visited Whitehaven beach, where we spent a couple of hours. Seeing the beach in person made me understand why it was named the best beach in the world! The turquoise water is crystal clear and it almost looks like a swimming pool!

The average sea temperature is around 25-26 C throughout the year, while it can rise to 29 C degrees during summer. The sea water is so warm you’ll never want to leave!

Even though we applied 50+ factor sunscreen because of the strong UV Index (11!), my feet got burnt. This proves how strong the Australian sun is, so if you have sensitive skin, it’s best to wear sun-protective clothes!

RICH UNDERWATER WORLD

We spent the afternoon snorkelling in one of the snorkelling spots around the island. It was fascinating to see the underwater world of the Coral Sea, which I had only seen in documentaries on TV! Everywhere around me, I saw corals and colourful fish, from pink to yellow. What really surprised me was that the fish weren’t afraid of the humans at all and you could almost touch them. Perhaps because fishing is prohibited in that area, so they haven’t had negative experiences with human beings? If you are an experienced fisherman and have the answer to the question, let me know!

It was truly wonderful to see the untouched underwater world, and one moment I won’t forget was when I saw a large swimming turtle swimming in front of me. One thing to note is that it’s forbidden to touch corals at any time because our touch can damage the protective layer of the corals and make them sick. It’s known that the Great Barrier Reef has been significantly damaged in the last three decades, although our guide said that’s not true. She said she’s a marine ecologist who works on the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef for the Australian Government and that sample test analysis show that the Great Barrier Reef is not actually dying, but UNESCO claims this because of some political reasons.

Who to believe?

GREAT BARRIER REEF FROM ABOVE

One of the things you absolutely must do if you have the chance to visit the Whitsundays is to fly over the Great Barrier Reef. The panoramic flight usually lasts about an hour and costs between 250-500AUD per person, but you can find discounted offers for 150 per person. It’s not cheap, but it’s definitely an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life!

We took off from the airport in Airlie beach and saw Whitsunday islands from above – the aforementioned Hamilton Island,  Hayman island, which is the most expensive island where stars like Mariah Carey stay, Daydream island, where you can also find resorts to stay, and Whitsunday island known for Whitehaven beach.

The day before, we visited Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven beach and now we had the chance to see it from above. I can’t decide if it looks better from the air or when you’re on the beach!

The flight to the Great Barrier Reef takes about twenty minutes because it is located further from Whitsunday Island, on the open sea. There are tours that offer snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef or even sleeping in the underwater hotel but be prepared to pay 1000AUD per night!

The Great Barrier Reef consists of groups of smaller coral reefs, and each of them has a different name. Heart Reef is an interesting one as it is naturally formed in the shape of a heart and we had the opportunity to see it during our panoramic flight.

Having seen the Great Barrier Reef reminded me of how fascinating and beautiful nature is in every corner of the world and how small we are compared to nature.

Even though I have visited other parts of Australia and each is interesting in its own way, the Whitsundays are definitely something completely different from everything I have seen so far! If you have the opportunity, I’d definitely recommend to everyone to visit this part of Australia!

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