Travel alerts straight to your inbox:

It's Summer Somewhere: Australia's Whitsunday Islands

January 9, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 3 Comments

That first magical dusting of snow was fine in November, but now the road salt is ruining your shoes and you lost your best gloves. Time to head for warmer climes... and we'll help you look with our It's Summer Somewhere series.

Make this the year you visit the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's greatest natural wonders. Staying in Australia's Whitsunday Islands, the reef is just a day cruise away in a glass-bottomed boat or with a snorkel instructor. Captain Cook was the first tourist to visit the islands back in 1770, and ever since these 74 atolls have been drawing beach lovers.

Obviously, kicking it on the sand is a great option. Lodgings like the Hayman Island Resort even offer their own private beaches from which to enjoy the warm Pacific currents. If you want to get active, the Whitsunday Great Walk is a 30 km (19 mile) trail, though you can hike just a portion of it.

Check out the Queensland Tourist Bureau's Whitsunday deals to plan your reef getaway.

Related Stories:
· Whitsundays Tourism [Official Site]
· It's Summer Somewhere coverage [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: miriam63]

Where: Queensland, Australia

: / / / /

Author Photo: egw by egw

3 Comments

Return to » It's Summer Somewhere: Australia's Whitsunday Islands

  1. juliana

    Jaunted Contributing Editor
    January 9, 2008 at 2:04 PM




    off-season there?

    i went to the whitsunday islands and hayman island resort last year. it was kinda bad weather. i think this is their off-season, which we didn't understand because it's summer in australia.

    but there were lots o' storms. we managed to snorkel off the great barrier reef one day but the water was a little murky because of the storms. anyways, it's definitely warm there but just a tad rainy.

  1. Julia Rosien

    Jaunted Member
    January 9, 2008 at 3:13 PM




    Love the picture!

    This picture alone is enough to inspire me to break free from my cubicle farm and head to the land down under.

    Thanks for the mind-break, even if there's no way I can swing a vacation right now....

    Julia Rosien
    Editor, http://gogirlfriend.com

  1. amandak

    Jaunted Member
    February 3, 2008 at 6:55 PM




    Off-season?

    Yeah, could be, because up there is the tropical zone and that's perhaps the wet season/cyclone time. It's not off-season in the main cities of Oz (perfect summer) but the north coast is a bit dodgy in Jan-April I think.

Return to » It's Summer Somewhere: Australia's Whitsunday Islands

Leave a Comment

Not yet a member? Click here to become a member.
Already a member? Login below:

Nickname:

Password:

Send us a tip