Your Guide to Whitsunday Towns
The Whitsunday’s is centrally located on the Queensland Coast, in the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. A geographical area comprising only 100 magic miles (220km), the Whitsundays stretches from the golf greens of Laguna Whitsundays in the south, northeast to Conway National Park and the coastal town of Airlie Beach as well as north to beautiful Bowen. To the east are the 74 Islands of the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. It’s sheltered turquoise waters, pristine beaches, lush forests and breathtaking beauty make the Whitsundays the perfect location to exchange your wedding vows or relax on your honeymoon.
The 74 Islands of the Whitsundays form the largest offshore island chain on Australia’s coastline. With ten resorts on eight islands there is something for every visitor. Whether it is eco style, family friendly, all inclusive, activity based food and wine focused or pure luxury, there is a resort experience to suit everyone.
Airlie Beach is the mainland gateway to the Whitsundays for holiday action and relaxation. Colourful, cosmopolitan and inviting, Airlie Beach is situated in a picturesque peninsula that reaches out to the Whitsunday Passage. The vibrant town is located on the shores of a palm-fringed coastline and overlooks the calm waters and yachts of Pioneer Bay.
Abell Point Marina provides facilities for the many day sailing, over night sailing and scuba diving tours that use Airlie Beach as their base. Regular daily ferry services also operate from Abel Point marina between island resorts and the Whitsunday coast.
Port of Airlie is one of Australia’s most contemporary and exclusive marinas. Home to the Cruise Whitsundays ferry terminal, luxury hotel accommodation and a number of restaurants and retail outlets it is destined to be a location you and your guests visit during your wedding week.
Proserpine is 26 kilometres inland from Airlie Beach on the Bruce Highway and is much more than the administrative hub for the Whitsundays Shire, being voted Australia’s friendliest town in 2007. The historic town has the key infrastructure for the surrounding areas in the Whitsundays, including a rail station, mainland airport, high school and hospital. Quaint churches dot the main street providing a picturesque appeal to a traditional wedding. Proserpine offers a delightful change of scenery and pace with the chance to taste the charm of regional Australia and add some variety to your Whitsunday holiday.
Bowen just 40 minutes drive northwest of Airlie Beach is situated in the northern region of the Whitsundays, on the shores of Edgecumbe Bay. The oldest town in the State, north of Rockhampton, Bowen is still one of the undiscovered treats of Queensland, and an ideal location to experience a laid back beach holiday. Bowen is engulfed by hills to the west and islands to the east and boasts 7 beautiful sandy beaches.
Hydeaway Bay, Cape Gloucester & Dingo Beach a beach-comber’s paradise, is located approximately 30 kilometres north of Proserpine in a secluded peninsula of the Whitsundays. Boasting the beauty of the sunrise in Hydeaway Bay with the unique Cape Gloucester (5 kms North) providing the ideal location to view the sun as it dips below the watery horizon. This picturesque peninsula can be accessed by land or sea. By car, head north from Proserpine on the Bruce Highway past North Gregory to Dingo Beach Road. Follow the directions to Hydeaway Bay and Dingo Beach. By boat, the town of Bowen (visible in the distance) is just across the water.
Shute Harbour, around 10 kilometres east past Airlie Beach is one of the boarding points for ferries to the island resorts and many charter operations. The large sheltered inlet, sprinkled with boats and flanked by steep, wooded banks, is a hive of marine activity. So much so that it is the second busiest commuter port in Australia after Sydney’s Circular Quay.
