Whitsundays

One must see place in Oz is the Whitsunday Islands. Located on the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays are a remote and beatiful way to experience northern Queensland. In order to get out to the islands you must fly into the small Whitsunday airport. No larger that a few terminals, the bagage claim department was a truck that they dumped all the bags outside. Still, we met a nice couple from the area who were willing to drive us, complete strangers into town, saving us $20 in cab fare. The locals here were nicer than anywhere else in Australia. Once we arrived in Airlie Beach, we met up with our cruise group for a tour of the islands. There are many different boats, ours ways the Atlantic Clipper. On the tour we did some snorkelling, scuba diving, and we visited the world-famous Whitehaven Beach. The sand at Whitehaven is almost pure scilica. The beauty in the Whitsundays is overwhelming. Every vista is filled with crystal blue water and unblemished tropical forests. Because of its out-of-the way location, the Whitsundays are hidden gems in Australian tourism. Absolutely check them out. The rates are good and the experience is unbelievable.