EVENTS AND ATTRACTIONS WHITSUNDAYS

The Hangover, located off Airlie Beach on the Great Barrier Reef, is a wall dive with exciting terrain to be negotiated by the diver. Larger marine life such as Giant Trevally, Barramundi, Cod and Mackeral to be found in this pelagic area. No previous history of this site, so surface and tell them what you saw!

Located at the northern end of Daydream Island, the Rejuvenation Spa is an award winning facility that combines an extensive array of health and beauty treatments with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and pool to pamper and reinvigorate the mind, body and soul. The Spa provides a holistic approach to wellbeing, offering the time-tested health benefits of naturopathy, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and massage, along with beauty therapies using products including Pevonia Botanica and Eles Mineral Make up. Facilities include 16 individual treatment rooms, vichy showers, thermal tables, hydrotherapy tubs, steam effusion showers, dual treatment rooms, dual spa baths and private relaxation areas. Unique to the Spa is one of Australia's most advanced naturopathic testing and treatment clinics, offering clients a complete and comprehensive analysis of entire body systems, from full blood analysis to monitoring and measuring fat and muscle mass. A number of the signature treatments combine all three relaxation tools, aromatherapy, massage and hydrotherapy. The facility's exclusive hydrotherapy equipment includes massaging jet streams of the vichy showers, hydrotherapy baths or the unique hydro-storm steam affusion shower. Aromatherapy is used with oils extracted from aromatic plants as a balm to enhance beauty, harmonise moods, lift spirits and balance body energies.

Langford Island, near Hayman Island in the northern Whitsundays is a popular spot with sailors, divers and snorkellers. Many of the bareboats and crewed sailing boats will anchor near Langford Island. Langford Island is relatively small, but features a long sand spit that all but disappears at high tide. This is an excellent spot for a picnic, sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling. The best diving is found on the north-western end of the beach where scattered bommies offer an interesting maze to explore and there are a few shallow walls at the eastern end of the island. The majority of fish life is small, but abundant. Expect reasonable protection from all but the strongest wind conditions and moderate tidal currents at all but slack tides. Snorkellers will enjoy the ability to snorkel straight off the length of the beach, with the best areas to explore being closest to the island.

The Ngaro people have walked this land for over 9,000 years. Protected from the elements in a once-hidden cave, Ngaro artwork adorns the fragile rock surface. The track begins deep inside Nara Inlet on Hook Island — an excellent overnight anchorage. Short and initially steep, the stepped track leads up the side of the inlet to a viewing platform at the cave’s entrance. Allow at least an hour to immerse yourself in the Ngaro cultural stories of the site.

Whitehaven Beach is a pristine, award winning beach on Whitsunday Island, the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Whitehaven Beach stretches over seven kilometres and boasts brilliant white silica sand that is among the purest in the world. Sink your feet into the sand and wade into the warm waves that gently lap the shore and you'll soon realise why people come here from all over the world. At the northern end of Whitehaven Beach is Hill Inlet, a stunning inlet where the tide shifts the sand and water to create a beautiful fusion of colours. Many people claim Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach are the most beautiful places they've ever seen. The lookout at Tongue Point is the best spot from which to view the swirling sands of Hill Inlet, so if you don't mind a short bushwalk, book your Whitehaven tour with an operator that visits the lookout. Whitehaven Beach can be experienced in several ways. If you're interested in a day trip there are ferries, yachts, power boats and luxury cruising yachts that depart from Airlie Beach. A variety of sailing companies also offer multi-day charters that include a memorable visit to Whitehaven Beach.

Bait Reef, in the Whitsundays area of the Great Barrier Reef, is situated to the west of Hook and Hardy Reefs, and is one of the best known and most spectacular locations on the Great Barrier Reef. Gary's Lagoon is well protected, making it a great site for snorkellers and beginner divers. The coral cover is excellent and the lagoon makes for easy diving before venturing into deeper water just outside the entrance. The lagoon is home to all sorts of tropical marine life including large soft corals, reef fish, turtles, wobbegongs and the occasional manta ray. Visibility: 10 - 20 metres Diving depth: 4 - 18 metres Bottom: Walls forming inlets are solid coral, bottom is sand with scattered, low coral bommies. Other sites on Bait Reef are the Manta Ray Drop Off, the Stepping Stones and the Southern Face. All rank very highly amongst experience divers and all offer very different diving experiences down to a depth of 36 metres.

Situated on the Great Barrier Reef, Fairey Reef has a number of excellent dive sites popular with local dive operators. Sites such as Henry's Bommie, Little Fairey Inlet, The Shoals and Tina's Arm are all at Fairey Reef. Henry's Bommie: On the north-western flank of the reef, Henry's Bommie is considered a premier attraction reaching from a depth of 12 metres to near the surface. A narrow gap opens into a cave which is worth exploring but beware the small opening. Inside you may find a huge clam and a resident turtle that is often spotted at night. Circumnavigation of the bommie is the best way to see it all and there is good coral cover and clouds of small tropical fish. Visibility: 10 - 20 metres Diving depth: 5 - 15 metres. Little Fairey Inlet: On the central western side of the reef, this is a classic dive starting at a wall along the entrance to the inlet at a depth of 16 metres. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and fish life is abundant with brightly coloured angelfish, cod, trout and sweetlip often seen. Visibility: 10 - 20 metres Diving depth: 10 - 18 metres.

Bait Reef, sitting behind the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, is home to the spectacular Manta Ray Drop Off - this dive site boasts stunning underwater cliffs, as well as a plunging wall that drops to 75 metres. The wall is covered with gorgonians, soft corals, sponges and sea whips, all full of resident reef fish and invertebrate species. Manta Ray Drop Off has lots to offer both snorkellers and divers alike, with shallower reefs leading to the steep underwater cliffs. Best known for the soaring manta rays found cruising up and down the wall in Australia's winter months, the Manta Ray Drop Off is also home to reef sharks, turtles, Maori wrasse and schools of pelagics all year round. With exposure to southerly winds, the dive site is highly prone to strong currents, so is best dived during slack water and neap tides.

Stepping Stones, a dive site at Bait Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, can be found off the coast of Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. The Stepping Stones are a series of more than 18 flat-topped coral pinnacles, looking much like their namesake from above, and offering a myriad of interesting channels and caves to explore. Each pinnacle is decorated with wonderful corals, including lovely gorgonians, sea whips and soft corals. Stepping Stones is a great place to encounter batfish, gropers, sweetlips, giant Maori wrasse, trevally, coral trout, turtles, reef sharks, moray eels, and an abundant variety of tropical fish darting between each pinnacle. Snorkelling across the tops of the pinnacles is stunning, as each is topped by pretty hard coral gardens.

Caves and Canyons, located on Hook Reef in the Great Barrier Reef, is a 60 metre wall with a 20 metre shelf. This shelf is dotted with scores of bommies which are yet to be discovered and mapped. A great exploration dive as you never know what may cruise on by. Beautiful coral gardens with exceptional overhangs providing photographers with fantastic gorgonian fan opportunities. Keep watch for mackerel, tuna and Indian Steephead Parrot fish. Also, whales have been seen at this site!

Said to be the world's largest living structure and the only one visible from outer space, the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world. The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 2,000 kilometres and is home to tens of thousands of species of brilliantly coloured fish, coral and other marine life including whales, dolphins and turtles. If diving is your passion, then this is your paradise. The Great Barrier Reef is a divers Mecca, and the Whitsundays has companies catering for every skill level from student to novice to dive master. If snorkelling is more your style, then the warm shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays provide some of the most colourful fish and coral formations anywhere in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There are ample opportunities for beginner divers, inexperienced and experienced divers to experience the wonders of the underwater world in the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays is recognised as having some of the best fishing in Queensland. Charter vessels operating out of Shute Harbour, Airlie Beach and the resort islands offer a variety of trips to the rich waters of the outer Great Barrier Reef.

Hardy Reef, on the Great Barrier Reef off Airlie Beach, is home to the Reefworld Pontoon. There is spectacular fish life with Trevally, Coral Trout, Snapper and a host of smaller marine life as well as Giant Maori Wrasse and a two metre long Giant Queensland Groper that usually congregate for a free feed. Snorkelling is excellent, as is diving off nearby drop-offs where you'll find turtles, reef sharks and barracuda amongst a myriad of other intriguing reef species.

Seaflight Bommie Dive Site is a majestic coral decorated bommie that sits in the Knuckle Reef Lagoon on Airlie Beach. This site offers you an incredible diversity of corals and marine life to explore including numerous species of clams, hard and soft corals. It also offers excellent underwater landscapes that are great for micro photography.

Bait Reef, sitting behind the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, is home to the spectacular Manta Ray Drop Off - this dive site boasts stunning underwater cliffs, as well as a plunging wall that drops to 75 metres. The wall is covered with gorgonians, soft corals, sponges and sea whips, all full of resident reef fish and invertebrate species. Manta Ray Drop Off has lots to offer both snorkellers and divers alike, with shallower reefs leading to the steep underwater cliffs. Best known for the soaring manta rays found cruising up and down the wall in Australia's winter months, the Manta Ray Drop Off is also home to reef sharks, turtles, Maori wrasse and schools of pelagics all year round. With exposure to southerly winds, the dive site is highly prone to strong currents, so is best dived during slack water and neap tides....

The Whitsunday Peak track is located on Whitsunday Island, within Whitsunday Islands National Park. Dotting the scenic aquamarine waters, these hilly islands were formed when changing sea levels drowned a mainland mountain range. The Whitsunday reefs have outstanding coral cover and variety. Whitsunday Island supports a population of unadorned rock-wallabies. From May to September the Whitsundays are an important calving ground for migrating humpback whales. Accessed from Sawmill Beach in Cid Harbour, the five kilometre return Whitsunday Peak track offers a great getaway from the busy beaches. Climb through diverse vegetation, from rainforest gullies to windblown heaths, and be rewarded with spectacular vistas on the 'roof of the Whitsundays'. Walk safely: this track is steep and physically demanding-please consider your fitness and walking experience carefully before setting out. Allow four hours to complete this track of a difficult grade. ...