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Sailing the Whitsundays, Aussie-style Nirvana

Named by Captain James Cook in 1770, the Whitsunday Islands are some of the most beautiful and well known islands on Australia’s Queensland coast.

Named by Captain James Cook in 1770, the Whitsunday Islands are some of the most beautiful and well known islands on Australia’s Queensland coast. They offer fine white sandy beaches, abundant scuba diving, national parks, hiking, camping and world-class luxury resorts. The best way to visit this awe-inspiring part of the world is by hopping on one of many multi-day sailing adventures.

Keen to hit the water, I arrived in the small resort town of Airlie Beach, which offers the best access to these scenic Islands. Ironically the town itself doesn’t have a beach and the closest thing is the free public pool located next to the ocean. Airlie is a town almost completely driven by tourism and many use it as their base for both sailing adventures and diving excursions. While waiting for the sailing charter to depart, evenings were spent taking in some of Airlie’s lively and occasionally rowdy nightlife.

Airlie is home to several sailing companies with a wide variety of vessels to choose from. With an abundance of competition there is something for travelers on any budget or schedule. Most trips are inclusive of accommodation on land or on the boat, meals, activities and an intro to scuba diving with the option of extra dives.

Once loaded up with food, scuba gear and everyone’s packs, our group of five crew and 20 travelers from various backgrounds set out in search of the perfect beach, with the journey being half the adventure. Our simple yet essential rules of the trip would be to keep our heads up, listen to any instructions from the captain and crew, and have a good time. One extra rule, however, was a punishable offence. Any items dropped overboard required a penalty of consuming one heaping spoon of Vegemite; a salty yeast based concoction Aussies spread sparingly over their morning toast.

With free roam of the yacht and open seas ahead it was time to get up on the bow and enjoy the final rays of yet another cloudless and worry-free day. After a few hours of sunshine and water lapping at the hull, we neared the island we would call base camp. As the sun slowly retired the day ended with a flourish: a vibrant sky featuring silhouettes of sailboats and some of the islands we would explore in the following days.

Over a simple, tasteful dinner the ice was finally broken and everyone began exchanging conversation. The rest of the evening would be spent by the beach meeting and socializing with fellow travelers. Some of us would spend the evening on shore while the other half would catch their beauty sleep out on the boat.

Gently woken by the sound of the ocean calmly lapping ashore the next morning was the beginning of another picture-perfect day. After a filling breakfast we sailed out to explore our surroundings, with our destination being the immaculate Whitehaven beach and Whitsunday National Park. The sand on Whitehaven is so bright that from a distance it almost has a snow-like appearance.

As our group waded ashore through the crystal clear water everyone was surprised how fine and soothing the sand felt beneath their feet. Walking on the beach was therapeutic and thoughts of life stranded on this island drifted enticingly through sun-burnt minds. We would have the majority of this day free to laze around on the beach, swim or discover a bit of Whitsunday National Park.

Deciding to get our work out of the way first, the majority of us took a short hike up to a viewpoint in the park that offered phenomenal views of the pristine beach and calm blue waters below. From this height a sharp eye could catch several rays and small harmless sharks slowly swimming around in the warm shallow water lining the seemingly endless white beaches. On the return hike we paused momentarily to observe a large spotted goanna ignore us as it slowly crossed the path into the lush woods.

With the “work” part of the day over, we could now focus entirely on relaxation. Although Whitehaven is on the majority of tour operators’ lists there seemed to be few people around and ample space for everyone. Between laying on the sand, having a dip in the calm warm waters and taking it all in, the day slowly drifted away and in just a few hours another electric sunset would be upon us.

We hesitantly headed back to the boat, which on the way back to base camp would be cruising past the famous Hayman Island. Hayman is a private island that is home to the luxurious Hayman Resort, which in the past was voted the best resort in the world. The captain informed us that if we felt like splurging, we could spend the night — starting around a mere $600.

Our next day was spent exploring another world, diving amongst the thousands of species of fish, plants and coral that make up one of the largest natural feature on earth: the Great Barrier Reef. For some it was an introduction to scuba, while for certified divers it was a chance to go off and explore, guided by a dive master. The underwater world is like night and day and has to be experienced to be explained. Our hosts, both large and small, seemed just as curious about us as we observed them in their own setting.

The end of our dive also signaled the beginning of the end of our trip. Raising anchor and hoisting sail, the wind pushed us back to the real world. While the captain and crew sailed, many of us spent the rest of the day taking turns being washed about in the semi-submerged boom net at the bow of our catamaran.

Our group would head out together that night to take in one last session of the nightlife before going our separate ways, wondering if we hadn’t already found Nirvana.