Whitsunday Islands National Park
| Whitsunday Islands National Park | |
|---|---|
 Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island | |
  Whitsunday Islands National Park | |
| Location | Queensland |
| Coordinates | 20°3′37″S 148°52′27″E / 20.06028°S 148.87417°E |
| Area | 170 km2 (66 sq mi) |
| Established | 1944 |
| Governing body | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Official website |
Whitsunday Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 920 kilometres (570 mi) northwest of Brisbane. It contains Whitsunday Island and 31 others,[1] and lies within the greater traditional homelands, sea territory and waters of the Ngaro (and Gia; both Juru) peoples.[2][3][4][5]
Geography
[edit].jpg)
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.[6] Marine stingers are found in the waters of the islands between October and May.[6]
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.[7] The beach has camping and picnic facilities in its foredunes. A walking track links to Chance Bay.
Access
[edit]Access is by private or commercial boat from Airlie Beach or Shute Harbour.[1]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Whitsunday Islands". Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Queensland. "Nature, culture and history | Whitsunday national park islands". Parks and forests | Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Our Heritage - First Nations in the Whitsundays". Whitsunday Escape. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Lampton on behalf of the Juru People v State of Queensland [2014] FCA 736 | AIATSIS corporate website". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Native Title Tribunal (26 February 2025). "Notice of an application for determination of native title in Queensland: Colin Bowen & Ors on behalf of the Gia and Ngaro peoples v State Minister..." (PDF). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b Explore Queensland's National Parks. Prahran, Victoria: Explore Australia Publishing. 2008. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-74117-245-4.
- ^ Short, Andrew D.; Brad Farmer (2012). 101 Best Australian Beaches. NewSouth. p. 208. ISBN 978-1742245997. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Whitsunday Islands National Park at Wikimedia Commons
 | This Queensland protected areas related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |