Best for... islands
WHEN YOU DAYDREAM about taking a short break on an idyllic tropical island, chances are you will be picturing somewhere in Queensland. It’s only natural considering that you can take your pick from 900 of the 1955 islands sprinkled like confetti along 7000 kilometres of coastline in the Sunshine State. But with so many islands to choose from, how do you decide on which stretch of silky soft sand to lay your head? One solution is to close your eyes and put a pin in the map, because anywhere it lands is guaranteed to be idyllic, or maybe you can match an island to your must-have checklist as there definitely is something to suit all tastes in those emerald-blue waters.
For an island short break en famille, both and in the HAMILTON DAYDREAM ISLANDS
are a perfect choice, with a WHITSUNDAYS family-friendly approach to everything from accommodation to activities. In the case of Daydream Island, that includes the Living Reef, a free-form lagoon filled with fish, sharks, rays and coral, which wraps around the main building of the island’s resort and can be viewed from an underwater observatory. (1, 2) is HINCHINBROOK ISLAND also great for families: pitch a tent in one of the island’s many camping areas and spend your days walking, fishing, swimming and spotting green turtles.
The likes of ISLAND, with its LIZARD luxurious five-star resort, and the blissfully removed (3) provide couples ORPHEUS ISLAND with the opportunity to do as much or as little as they like on the Great Barrier Reef.
Guests on Orpheus Island can take part in a number of citizen science projects, studying and collecting data on everything from the landscape to marine life that will be used to assist the conservation of this slice of paradise. (4) also LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND conducts a reef-keeper program, with data collected aiding efforts to maintain and protect the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and UNESCO World Heritage area it sits in.
And if your idea of an island escape is to really get away from it all, both (5) WILSON and do castaway chic oh so BEDARRA ISLANDS well; only 18 guests can stay in Wilson Island’s Reef Safari Tents at a time while Bedarra’s Treehouse Villa is the definition of heaven.