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Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a natural wonder on the central coast of Queensland, just north of Mackay.
Why the Whitsundays?
The islands formed after the last ice age, when rising sea levels separated a coastal mountain range into 74 islands, making them the largest offshore island chain in Australia. Before the ice age the area was extremely volcanic, and evidence of that past can still be seen in the bedrock around the islands.
The islands also have a rich Indigenous history. They were the home of the Ngaro Sea people for around 9,000 years before European settlement.
The Whitsundays today
Today the Whitsundays are a world-renowned holiday destination, welcoming around 600,000 visitors a year. The most famous attraction is Whitehaven Beach: 7 km of 98% pure silica sand, the purest silica found naturally on Earth. The islands also have secluded, calm bays, fringing coral reef straight off the beaches and an extremely biodiverse underwater world.
Queensland National Parks manage around 96% of the 300,000 hectares of wooded hills, rocky headlands and shingle beaches. There are many well-maintained walking trails, with plenty of places for wildlife and bird watching. The surrounding waters are protected within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which has had World Heritage status since 1981 and is home to around 4,000 species of fish.
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