Whitsundays Passage

The Whitsundays Passage is the waterway that carves through the middle of the Whitsunday Islands in the heart of northwestern Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. These famous islands, perhaps some of Australia's most popular tourist attractions, are named after the passage, which was given its title by the famed explorer Captain James Cook in 1770. The area was discovered on Whitsun, a Sunday feast day held seven weeks after Easter, thus resulting in the name. However, since the international dateline has now been established, it is now said that the day Cook discovered this passage would have actually been a Monday.
Within Whitsunday Passage, there are 74 islands in total, with the largest simply known as Whitsunday Island. Most of these islands have remained uninhabited or are, at the very least, protected by a vast system of national parks. The oldest settlement in the Whitsundays is the town of Bowen, settled in 1861. Later, in 1936, the city of Airlie Beach was established and it remains, in many ways, the heart of Whitsunday Passage. Today, the Whitsunday Passage is sailed constantly by tourists on chartered boats and cruises, while including some of the world's most photographed beaches.

Practical Info

Most visitors arrive in the Whitsunday Islands via flights to either Hamilton Island or Whitsunday Coast Airport in Proserpine, just a 25-minute drive from Airlie Beach. There are more flights to Hamilton Island with connections from Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. There are also a number of ferries that link the various islands of Whitsunday. The main hub of transport in the islands is Shute Harbour.