Whitsundays

Needing to be seen to be believed, the Whitsunday Islands stretch out in eye-watering beauty from the northeast coast of Queensland. Mostly uninhabited, the 74 islands offer dense rainforest, hiking trails and blindingly white sand beaches to stunned travellers.

Accessed through the region’s main hub of Airlie Beach (known to locals as ‘Airlie No Beach’, as there is, um, no beach), the Whitsundays is in itself a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. From island hopping on racing yachts or old pirate ships, snorkelling with rainbow-coloured fish, to sinking your toes into Whitehaven beach, considered by many to be the most beautiful beach on earth, the Whitsundays offers the perfect tonic to our usual hectic lifestyles.

Whether you choose to see them from 15,000 feet above in a tandem-skydive, or beneath them with scuba-gear, experiencing the clear waters of the Whitsundays is a memory you’ll never forget.