About Whitsunday Islands
Whales are a common site around the Whitsundays in winter.
Photo credit: J Heitman
Park features
These hilly islands were formed as rising sea levels, when the polar ice caps melted from 19,000 to 6,000 years ago, 'drowned' an ancient, mainland, coastal mountain range. Today, these (once) mountain peaks and the surrounding turquoise waters offer visitors many features.
- A walking delight with many walking track options and often with spectacular views.
- Great camping areas.
- Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet with their white silica sand.
- A boating paradise.
- Coral cays and inshore reefs, with vividly coloured coral structures.
- Ngaro Aboriginal rock art at Hook Island’s Nara Inlet.
- Rare plants and animals like the Whitsunday bottle trees and the unadorned rock-wallabies.
- Marine turtles, whales, sharks, rays and hundreds of darting and dashingly colourful reef fish.
- Long beaches and a turquoise sea like no other.
The islands and surrounding waters are protected by the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Learn more about the nature, culture and history of the Whitsundays.
Looking after the park
Be pest-free!
Our precious Great Barrier Reef World Heritage islands are among the most pest-free islands in the world. They need your help to stay this way.
- Be pest-free! brochure
- Be pest-free pre-visit information (short video)
Before you visit, please check that your boat, clothing, footwear and gear are free of soil, seeds, parts of plants, eggs, ants and insects (and their eggs), spiders, lizards, toads, rats and mice.
Be sure to:
- Unpack your camping gear and equipment and check it carefully as pests love to hide in stored camping gear.
- Clean soil from footwear and gear as invisible killers such as viruses, bacteria and fungi are carried in soil.
- Check for seeds in pockets, cuffs and hook and loop fastening strips, such as Velcro.
While you are on the islands, remove soil, weeds, seeds and pests from your boat, gear and clothes before moving to a new site. Wrap seeds and plant material, and place them in your rubbish.
Everyone in Queensland has a General Biosecurity Obligation to minimise the biosecurity risk posed by their activities. This includes the risk of introducing and spreading weeds and pests to island national parks.
Be Reef Smart Don't throw food scraps or fish waste into the water from the beach, at anchorages, or where people are swimming. Don't swim where fish are being cleaned.
See the guidelines on caring for parks for more general information about protecting our environment and heritage in parks.
Please also read looking after national park islands in the Whitsundays.
Park management
Read about managing national parks of the Whitsundays.
Tourism information links
Read Tourism information links for national parks of the Whitsundays.
- There are currently no park alerts for this park.