Famous as the yachting home of the Whitsunday Islands in Tropical North Queensland, its turquoise water, pure white beaches and its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays has been on our bucket list for many years and we’re finally here. It is everything we believed it to be and much, much more.

Why so Blue?

The water around the Whitsundays is the most beautiful shade of blue bordering on turquoise and glistens in the intense sun. Although stunning it’s not, as you would expect, crystal clear. In fact it’s positively murky. It is by no coincidence that the sea here is the same shade of blue as a glacial lake and for the very same reason. Glacial water owes its colour to the crushed, powdery rock particles suspended in the water and reflects the light that falls upon it in all directions. In the case of the Whitsundays it is near pure silica that sits suspended giving it a milky look but which has even greater reflective properties.

A little error in history

Captain James Cook sailed through the Whitsunday Islands in 1770 naming the route between the islands as the Whitsunday Passage and one of the islands in the group Pentecost Island. His journey through the islands was made during the feast of Pentecost, which is traditionally the seventh Sunday (50th day) after Easter. The passage was named after Whit Sunday, meaning ‘White Sunday’ referring to the white gowns worn during the feast of Pentecost. However… on the day Cook named the passage he mistakenly believed it was the Sunday known in the Christian calendar as Whit Sunday when it was in fact a Monday. The Mondays or the Monday Islands just wouldn’t have quite the same ring to it.

Activity Central

Once a small timber, sugar cane and fishing town, Airlie Beach soon became popular as a major Queensland tourist destination. Sugar cane is still a major crop in the region and grown all year round, but Airlie is now the centre for the many active leisure pursuits available to visitors whether on land, sea or in the air. Bushwalking, sailing, kayaking, jet skiing, small boat cruising, body boarding, wind surfing, skydiving and scenic flights are all available for the adventurous. And for those that prefer to soak up the sun the stunning Whitehaven Beach is just a boat ride away.

Day Trippin’

We pre-booked three trips knowing we would be at the mercy of the weather but being peak season we wanted to make sure we got a place on each adventure. First off was a Sunset Cruise on the twin masted, timber hulled ‘Gentleman’s Ketch’ the Lady Enid. Built in 1961 she has competed in five Sydney to Hobart races as well as fifteen Brisbane to Gladstone challenges and was first across the line in the inaugural Sydney to Brisbane Race in 1964.

High winds had delayed the Lady Enid’s return from its daytime cruise, which meant our sunset cruise was late setting sail. It was worth the wait, though, and not just for the included cocktail and antipasto platter as we cruised in near silence with just a single sail set. It wasn’t long, though, before the cool sea breeze sent a reminder that a warm, windproof jacket is very much recommended.

The sunset didn’t disappoint, though, as it passed behind the mountains while creating some beautiful golden reflections on the rippling water. Due to the late departure our return to the harbour was completed in darkness but our skipper did a great job of navigating around the moored boats in the outer harbour and performed a perfect ‘reverse park’ back at the marina.

Lady Enid runs four different tours in and around the Whitsundays and is also available for charter hire. More information and booking details available here: IconicWhitsunday.com.au

Tomorrow we take to the skies and head out to the Great Barrier Reef.