Whitsunday Island.
Australia's islands are home to some of the world's loveliest stretches of sand, such as the pristine Nudie Beach on Fitzroy Island, the 17 miles of white sand on Great Keppel, and the undeveloped beaches in the remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands. But if you want to relax on a beach that seems like it was plucked from a picture, head to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island in North Queensland. Whitehaven has won the titles of "best beach," "cleanest beach," and "most eco-friendly beach" from critics all over the world. Its 7 kilometers of blindingly white sand, turquoise waters, and lush jungle backdrop make it easy to see why. Oh, and that sand: its 98 percent silica content, the cause of its blinding whiteness, ensures that even on the hottest of Queensland days, your bare feet won't be scorched. Is it even possible for this location to be any better?
The wildlife of Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, 13 kilometers off the South Australian coast, is commonly referred to as "a zoo without walls" because to the large number of free-roaming creatures found there, including macropods, sea lions, and koalas. The island is the third biggest in Australia and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the waddling colonies of Seal Bay, endemic echidnas, and the 'roos that give the island its name. Rottnest Island, with its native population of around 10,000 goofy-smiled quokkas, is another wildlife powerhouse; in the extreme east, Fraser, the world's biggest sand island, is home to a huge population of purebred dingoes.
Bremer Island
Bremer Island, located in the Northern Territory off the coast of Eastern Arnhem Land, is a cultural and aesthetic feast for visitors to the Top End. Bremer is home to the Yolngu people, who work with the island's only hotel, Banubanu Beach Retreat, to provide guests a taste of local indigenous customs and traditions including basket making and crab collecting. Thursday Island, along with the other hundred or more islands in the Torres Strait, is located in the northeast and provides an in-depth look at Torres Strait Islander culture.
Heron Island is a great place to go scuba diving.
Heron Island (90km off the central Queensland coast) is a diver's paradise, with warm clear waters teaming with sharks, rays, sea turtles, whales, and more than 900 kinds of tropical fish. All skill levels may enjoy the marine national park, which is part of a Habitat Heritage site; a research center on a nearby island provides insight into Heron's distinctive underwater world. But don't just take my word for it; Jacques Cousteau ranked Heron Bommie, with its stunning coral forests and enormous schools of colorful reef fish, as one of his top 10 favorite dive locations.
Lady Elliott Island is a great place to go snorkeling.
Lady Elliot Island has some of the greatest snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, though the reef itself is magnificent. Getting here requires a charter flight because it is one of the Reef's most inaccessible coral cays, but the abundance of manta rays (there are an estimated 700 in the waters around the island), turtles, dolphins, whales, and hundreds of other marine-life species more than makes up for the inconvenience. Due in great part to Lady Elliot's position in a marine-'Green park's Zone,' which provides the best protection for its sub-aquatic species, the hard and soft corals here are robust, colorful, and flourishing.
Australia's islands are home to some of the world's loveliest stretches of sand, such as the pristine Nudie Beach on Fitzroy Island, the 17 miles of white sand on Great Keppel, and the undeveloped beaches in the remote Cocos (Keeling) Islands. But if you want to relax on a beach that seems like it was plucked from a picture, head to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island in North Queensland. Whitehaven has won the titles of "best beach," "cleanest beach," and "most eco-friendly beach" from critics all over the world. Its 7 kilometers of blindingly white sand, turquoise waters, and lush jungle backdrop make it easy to see why. Oh, and that sand: its 98 percent silica content, the cause of its blinding whiteness, ensures that even on the hottest of Queensland days, your bare feet won't be scorched. Is it even possible for this location to be any better?
The wildlife of Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island, 13 kilometers off the South Australian coast, is commonly referred to as "a zoo without walls" because to the large number of free-roaming creatures found there, including macropods, sea lions, and koalas. The island is the third biggest in Australia and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including the waddling colonies of Seal Bay, endemic echidnas, and the 'roos that give the island its name. Rottnest Island, with its native population of around 10,000 goofy-smiled quokkas, is another wildlife powerhouse; in the extreme east, Fraser, the world's biggest sand island, is home to a huge population of purebred dingoes.
Bremer Island
Bremer Island, located in the Northern Territory off the coast of Eastern Arnhem Land, is a cultural and aesthetic feast for visitors to the Top End. Bremer is home to the Yolngu people, who work with the island's only hotel, Banubanu Beach Retreat, to provide guests a taste of local indigenous customs and traditions including basket making and crab collecting. Thursday Island, along with the other hundred or more islands in the Torres Strait, is located in the northeast and provides an in-depth look at Torres Strait Islander culture.
Heron Island is a great place to go scuba diving.
Heron Island (90km off the central Queensland coast) is a diver's paradise, with warm clear waters teaming with sharks, rays, sea turtles, whales, and more than 900 kinds of tropical fish. All skill levels may enjoy the marine national park, which is part of a Habitat Heritage site; a research center on a nearby island provides insight into Heron's distinctive underwater world. But don't just take my word for it; Jacques Cousteau ranked Heron Bommie, with its stunning coral forests and enormous schools of colorful reef fish, as one of his top 10 favorite dive locations.
Lady Elliott Island is a great place to go snorkeling.
Lady Elliot Island has some of the greatest snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, though the reef itself is magnificent. Getting here requires a charter flight because it is one of the Reef's most inaccessible coral cays, but the abundance of manta rays (there are an estimated 700 in the waters around the island), turtles, dolphins, whales, and hundreds of other marine-life species more than makes up for the inconvenience. Due in great part to Lady Elliot's position in a marine-'Green park's Zone,' which provides the best protection for its sub-aquatic species, the hard and soft corals here are robust, colorful, and flourishing.