Hamilton Island Is A Great Place To Stay If You Are Visiting The Great Barrier ReefHamilton Island in Queensland is the gateway to Australia's Great Barrier Reef and a unique holiday destination in its own right - a vibrant modern resort set amid a patchwork of forested tropical islands, fringed by fine sandy beaches, azure waters and incomparable coral reefs for snorkelling and scuba diving. Get a better feel for this scenic and sunny haven by watching this video from Hamilton Island Holidays. The isle of Hamilton is the commercial centre of the Whitsunday group, an archipelago of 74 islands between the Queensland coast and the outer edge of the barrier reef. The area is protected as a national park and only eight of the islands are inhabited. The Whitsundays are situated in the tropical zone, at about the same latitude as Mauritius, and enjoy warm weather all year round. In the hottest summer months of December, January and February - the maximum temperatures are around 30 Celsius. In the winter months (June, July and August) the maximum temperature is about 23 Celsius. Hamilton Island is heavily forested with native Australian bush and surrounded by bays and beaches. The island offers holidaymakers every facility expected of a world-class resort destination, with a range of accommodations and entertainments to match every holiday style, from rustic bungalows to the luxurious Beach Club. Hamilton is especially popular with families, and the resort organises activity programmes for children. There is also an outdoor go-karting track, a wire-driven paragliding experience named the "Wire Flyer", and a wildlife park with kangaroos, wombats, and crocodiles. Hamilton Island also is one of the few places in the world where visitors can hug a koala - a unique encounter with one of Australia's iconic animals. The Hamilton Island Golf Club and its world-class 18-hole championship course are on nearby Dent Island, a five minute ferry ride away. The resort also offers a programme of beach sports including volleyball and aerobics, and facilities for wind-surfing, sea-kayaking and jet-ski tours, fishing trips, and para-sailing. Hamilton is the only island in the Whitsundays with a commercial airport, and there are direct flights daily from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns. Ferries also sail to the island throughout the day from Shute Harbour on the mainland. The few cars on Hamilton are used by resort staff, but a fleet of rugged electric golf carts are provided for visitors who want an easy way to get around the island. There are also quad biking tours along the island's fire trails to the lookout on its highest point, and kid-sized quad bikes are available for children. Many visitors take to the water to explore Hamilton Island and its neighbours. Almost every sort of vessel is available, including sea-kayaks, sailing dinghies, chartered yachts, and luxury motor boats. Adventure seekers can experience sailing on the trapeze of a 35 foot racing catamaran. The island is also home to a world-class sailing school and a yacht club with a full-facility marina. A Race Week is held every August, when more than 150 yachts from Australia and New Zealand gather for a week of races around the islands. For snorkellers and scuba divers looking for adventure underwater, this is an ideal location to explore the fringing reefs and underwater pinnacles of the Whitsunday Islands, and to journey further out into the intricate coral gardens and deep canyons of the Great Barrier Reef. The underwater visibility in these waters is legendary, and the reefs teem with unique sea-life. Sea turtles, dolphins and dugongs can be seen throughout the year. In the late southern winter, between July and September, pods of humpback whales and other whale species migrate from the cold Southern Ocean to the warm sheltered waters around the Whitsunday Islands to give birth to their calves. Return from Hamilton Island to Great Barrier Reef Information |
