Embrace The Big Blue

The Age

Saturday January 13, 2007

KAY O'SULLIVAN

By land, by island or by sea, you are spoilt for choice in the Whitsundays. The tricky part is deciding what's best for you. Kay O'Sullivan casts her eye over the options.

THE big catamaran slid gracefully into the Long Island jetty. A mob of loud schoolies were saying their farewells. Their declarations were of friendships that would transcend time. Or to use the vernacular of one particularly sturdy and sunburnt girl: "I'm gunna love youse forever." Which she followed up with loud hoi and a "Cop a look at these!", whipping up her T-shirt.

Yes, it pays to do some advance work when it comes to holidaying in the Whitsundays. It's all about location, location, location. And - dare I add - your age and stage, as to how and where you should stay here. The following is a guide for finding a holiday that is unforgettable for all the right reasons.

By land

The times they are a changing in Airlie Beach. Over the past five years Airlie has acquired a veneer of sophistication that has broadened its appeal beyond backpackers.

While it is still recognisable as a coastal Queensland town (a boisterous mishmash of activity, accents, cheap grub, pubs, loud music, T-shirt shops and discount travel agents), you will also find restaurants with big-city ambitions, designer swimwear boutiques, gourmet food produce and a seriously cool bar or two.

The Verandah overlooking the Airlie Marine site has upped the ante here, with restaurants such as On Aqua and Armada Lounge and Bar.

The Azure Sea Grand Mercure, the first of a number of five-star properties planned for the area, opened this year.

Airlie will never have the cachet of a sailing or island holiday; what it does offer is value and variety, two commodities in short supply elsewhere on this coast.

The opening of a vast seawater lagoon in 2001 largely rectified Airlie's lack of a seriously good beach.

But if you tire of the water or if the weather turns, the ubiquitous travel agents offer a range of land adventure trips such as horse riding, quad bikes and even ballooning.

Airlie Beach might be changing but it is still a magnet for backpackers and serious partying. The developers are widening its appeal to offer value and variety to all kinds of travellers. With lots of self-contained apartments opening, it represents a good bet for families.

By island

First rule for enjoying the Whitsundays? Disabuse yourself of the idea that you will find tropical paradise.

Sure, there's the odd palm tree, the water is a colour that defies description, the sand is soft and in some places blindingly white but these islands are drowned mountains. They are all sharp peaks, jutting rocks, coarse vegetation. In short, nothing like the Hollywood-fuelled notion of what an island should be.

There are 74 islands in the Whitsunday Passage but only eight are developed. In the main, the resorts are pitched at the middle market but that, too, is changing.

Campers can pitch their tent on 17 of the islands in the group but you need a permit from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Hook Island Wilderness Resort will appeal to those who like it simple and basic but prefer a bed to the ground.

For many, Hamilton Island is where the Whitsundays begin and end because of its airport. The Oatley family, who made their pile out of Rosemount Wines, paid $200 million for the island two years ago. The word is they are spending nearly as much again on refurbishment, a golf course on nearby Dent Island and the construction of what is touted as the region's first six-star resort, the Pebble Beach Club, which should open in August.

If you crave seclusion and quiet then Hamilton is probably not for you, unless you can afford the top-of-market Beach Club with its child-free zone.

Hamilton is really every person's island. The island comfortably accommodates upwards of 5000 in bungalows, cabins, hotels, houses and apartments.

One drawback with island life is the lack of variety and options for eating out, but at Hamilton there are 10 restaurants and numerous takeaway spots.

Families should look for "kids stay and eat free" deals or the all-inclusive tariffs you find at the more budget resorts.

Hayman is the most luxurious and only truly international-standard resort in the area. Hayman's five-star ranking is not at all pretentious or stuffy. Laid-back is a better description. It is another honeymooners' heaven. But even if you are old-timers at the marriage game, the staff and facilities do a grand job of making you feel special.

Under-12s eat for half-price and can stay in an adjoining room for half the rack rate. During school holidays, the island runs special activities for children including dining etiquette classes.

Peppers Palm Cove is a couples-only destination - no kids, of any age - which means they are free of raucous teenagers. The resort, which opened in 2005, is extremely private with only 21 beachfront bungalows.

At Voyages' Brampton Island you can bring the kids but there are no facilities for them.

Singles should look for fun and games at Club Med on Lindeman Island. It's a tried and tested formula and it works here despite the physical difficulties of the resort with its rocky ridges. As with all Club Meds, there are activities, the promise of parties, food and drink. And, of course, other singles.

Daydream bills itself as a four-star resort. It is a minnow of an island one kilometre long and 500 metres wide. To my way of thinking, it's a flop-and-drop location. Once you've done the walk along the spine of the island, played a round on the mini-golf course, that's about it, it's back to the beach or the book by the free-form pool.

South Molle makes no pretensions as to what it is. The resort's popular dinner show, the Flames of Polynesia, places it squarely in the family-friendly category; buffets are popular.

Club Croc on Long Island is for kids, both real ones and those not ready to grow up. It's a party place. Meek and mild Japanese tourists should not even think about it.

But the South Long Island Nature Lodge takes only 12 guests, no children, has no phones, TV, day visitors or Big Brother contestants.

With a couple of exceptions, the Whitsunday island experience is a three-star experience in five-star surroundings. Families should keep an eye out for package deals that offer full board or kids-eat-free deals. The romance of island life will win couples' affection. Singles should head for the party islands - Long Island or Lindeman.

By sea

One of the most romantic options is a bareboat charter. It's just you, your chosen companion(s) and the sea. But it is a big ask if you are not a salty dog. Those determined to go it alone are given instruction and then need to prove to the operators that they know their reefs from their rocks.

Alternatively, you can hire crew, either for a couple of hours or for the entire voyage, which could be a tad confining on smaller vessels. At present, most of the boats sail out of the Abel Point Marina.

Sailing tours are another option with more than 60 boats on offer, from a slew of famous racing yachts to square rigs, trawlers and cargo ships. You can also kayak, canoe or ride a rubberised raft out to the islands and reef.

Most day trips travel a well-worn route to a couple of islands and the famous Whitehaven beach - nine kilometres of pure white silica sand.

And the area's new traditional cruise ship, the Ammari, will be taking up to 60 passengers from Hamilton Island on three-day cruises.

Huge catamarans take up to 400 daytrippers to the Reefworld platform at Hardy reef, some 40 nautical miles off the coast. The Reefsleep option offers pontoon cabins for guests. Dinner and breakfast is served by the platform's crew and a couple of dives or guided snorkel expeditions are included in the price.

You can go to sea for a day or for a week, but if you are serious you have to make the effort to get to the outer reef. The fringing reef around the islands is but a primer for the real event.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, 13 13 04, www.epa.qld.gov.au. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, (07) 4750 0700 or www.gbrmpa.gov.au.

© 2007 The Age

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