WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS

Slip into blissful island time in Australia’s Whitsundays.

Australia’s Whitsunday Islands are an unimaginable destination. As many screensavers or wanderlust-worthy documentaries as you may come across of the 74 continental islands off the central coast of Queensland, located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, none of them quite do this site justice. That may seem unlikely given the location’s perfectly azure waters punctuated by 1,430 miles of reefs, but as someone who’s visited firsthand, I can vouch none of my carefully snapped photos of Heart Reef from a helicopter tour above the chain of coral systems can compare to the image imprinted in my mind when I put down the camera and simply absorbed the panorama through my own eyes.

Perhaps this is the reason for the Great Barrier Reef ’s listing as one of the seven natural wonders of the world; the destination cannot be oversold, and it’s

one of my few trips that exceeded expectations.

The ocean inarguably boosts the beauty of this region — after all, 2,900 coral systems surround it — but it’s not simply a beach destination. The Whitsundays showcase the locale with a plethora of ocean activities, discoverable both above and below the surface, including not only the obvious beach lounging or afternoon yacht excursion but also floating dive centers and tours way above the surface in helicopters and seaplanes. Of course, you can scuba dive and snorkel to experience the vast marine life here — UNESCO records 400 types of coral; 1,500 species of fish; and 4,000 types of mollusks — and hike on the individual islands to witness soaring views in case flying high above the reefs seems unnerving. (I promise, it’s worth it, though.)

Due to a unique topography, there are no bad views, even at sea level. In fact, you can view the swirls of powdery sand stirred up in the aqua waters like a detailed watercolor from the snow-colored beaches. This is why picnics and day excursions to Whitehaven Island, consistently

recognized as Australia’s most beautiful beach year after year, remain so popular, with the possibility to make the day leisurely or adventurous.

As revered as the destination is, during my time in the Whitsundays it never felt overcrowded, perhaps because most resorts inhabit their own island, which adds an extra step to an already lengthy travel day (if you’re coming from the United States) but also adds to the luxury castaway feel: your own secluded slice of heaven. When I wasn’t out adventuring, I tucked into a beachfront suite at Hayman Island, toying between a dip in the plunge pool and a long soak in the salty ocean. Luckily, being on island time, I had hours for both.

The Whitsundays’ isolation means you’ll likely eat on property most of the time, but with the marine bounty in its backyard, ingredients are fresh, innovative and representative of the regions’ flavors (think wild-caught fish like coral trout or snapper and Moreton Bay bugs, a species of slipper lobsters commonly found in northern Australian waters).

All this is to say if you’re planning a trip to Australia, the Whitsunday Islands undoubtedly merit a necessary extension. However, as someone who traveled exclusively there from the U.S. East Coast, I can certainly say it’s a destination worthy of its own trip.