Whitsunday Islands National Park

Whitsunday Islands National Park
Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island
Whitsunday Islands National Park
Coordinates 20°3′37″S 148°52′27″E / 20.06028°S 148.87417°E / -20.06028; 148.87417Coordinates: 20°3′37″S 148°52′27″E / 20.06028°S 148.87417°E / -20.06028; 148.87417
Established 1944
Area 170 km2 (65.6 sq mi)
Managing authorities Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website Whitsunday Islands National Park
See also Protected areas of Queensland

Whitsunday Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 920 kilometres (570 mi) northwest of Brisbane. It contains Whitsunday Island and 31 others.[1]

Geography

Hill Inlet, 2009

The Whitsunday Islands lie midway along Australia's Queensland coast and are bordered by the Great Barrier Reef and the waters of the Coral Sea. Migrating humpback whales favour the waters around the Whitsunday Islands as a calving ground between May and September each year.[2] Marine stingers are found in the waters of the islands between October and May.[2]

The region spans from the beaches of Bowen in the north and Laguna Whitsundays in the south. All 74 of the islands are surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef and only eight of them are inhabited.

On Whitsunday Island is the six km long Whitehaven Beach.[3] The beach has camping and picnic facilities in its foredunes. A walking track links to Chance Bay.

Access

Access is by private or commercial boat from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "About Whitsunday Islands". Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Explore Queensland's National Parks. Prahran, Victoria: Explore Australia Publishing. 2008. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-74117-245-4.
  3. ↑ Short, Andrew D.; Brad Farmer (2012). 101 Best Australian Beaches. NewSouth. p. 208. ISBN 1742245994. Retrieved 7 March 2016.

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