The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, north of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands are off the coast by Proserpine. The island group is centred on

Whitsunday Island Whitsunday Island is the largest island in the Whitsunday group of islands located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia. History Whitsunday Island was inhabited by the sea-faring Ngaro people for around 8,000 years prior to British ...

, while the commercial centre is Hamilton Island. The traditional owners of the area are the

Ngaro people The Ngaro are an Australian Aboriginal group of people who traditionally inhabited the Whitsunday Islands and coastal regions of Queensland, employing a seafaring lifestyle in an area that archaeologically shows evidence of human habitation since ...

and the

Gia people The Gia people, also known as Giya, Kia, Bumbarra, and variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland. Little is known of them. Language The Gia spoke Giya/Bumbarra, a dialect of the Biri language, belongs to the Prose ...

, whose

Juru people The Juru people also known as the ‘Yuru’ people are the proud Aboriginal people of the state of Queensland Country In Norman Tindale's estimate, the Yuru had some of land, extending northwards from Bowen to the Burdekin River at the site of ...

has the only legally recognised native title in the

Whitsunday Region The Whitsunday Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas with a history extending back to the establishment of regional local governmen ...

. The islands are within the locality of

Whitsundays The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands are o ...

and the local government

. In 2009, as part of the

Q150 Q150 was the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of the Separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859. Separation established the Colony of Queensland which became the State of Queensland in 1901 as part of the Federation of Australia. Q15 ...

celebrations, the Whitsunday Islands became one of the

Q150 Icons The Queensland's Q150 Icons list of cultural icons was compiled as part of Q150 celebrations in 2009 by the Government of Queensland, Australia. It represented the people, places and events that were significant to Queensland's first 150 years. ...

of Queensland for their role as a natural attraction.

Naming

On Sunday 3 June 1770, (the day

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Ho ...

—

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

was celebrated on the Christian calendar)

Captain James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

sailed his ship H.M.B. Endeavour, through a broad expanse of islands which provided an unimpeded passage to the north. Cook named the passage "Whitsundays' Passage". Cook's recorded times and dates are often questioned. Time quoted is simply local time (calculated at Noon), the Date recorded is a little more confusing. Cook recorded Marine Time (PM comes before AM or GMT+12 hours). Considering the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...

, and knowing today's date on the East Coast of Australia is calculated at GMT+10 - Cook's recorded date is fortuitously correct. Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia

Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, Australia

There is some contention as to exactly which islands are within the informally named Whitsunday Islands, in particular those at the southern extremity and the inclusions to the west. What is certain is that they lie within the chain named Cumberland Isles by

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

(now officially the Cumberland Islands) and a reasonably defined section of that chain and surrounding waters have become known worldwide as The Whitsundays, based on a contraction of the Whitsunday Islands designation.

Tourism

The Whitsunday islands are a popular tourist destination for travellers to Queensland and the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

with the area being one of the most popular yachting destinations in the Southern Hemisphere. The islands received about 700,000 visitors between March 2008 and March 2009. The Whitsunday Ngaro Sea Trail is a mix of seaways and short walks, crossing South Molle, Hook and Whitsunday islands. The tracks across the islands are linked by seaways suited to kayaking, sailing or powerboating. Camping is available at eight camping areas on the three islands. Several islands have large resorts, offering a wide variety of accommodation and activities. Chartering a yacht or

bareboating Bareboating is the act of chartering a sailboat that one lives upon, navigates, and operates for a vacation from an owner or a charter company. Common bareboating locations are the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Whitsundays. To charter a sa ...

is a popular way to explore the seaways, beaches and coves. The Ngaro Whitsundays Underwater Art Trail is a series on sculptures of Turtle, Manta ray, Maori wrasse, Coral polyp and a traditional piece named Bywa. They are located in shallow water depths assessable for snorkelling.

Components

There are a total of 74 islands and islets among all the groups in the Whitsundays.

Whitsunday group

The most notable islands in the main Whitsunday group are named

Dent Dent may refer to: People * Dent (surname) * Dent May (active 2007), American musician * Dent Mowrey (1888–1960), American composer, musician and music teacher * Dent Oliver (1918–1973), international speedway rider Places France * Dent d' ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Hayman,

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

and

Whitsunday Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the H ...

which features the white sands of

Whitehaven Beach Whitehaven Beach is on Whitsunday Island, Australia. The island is accessible by boat, seaplane & helicopter from Airlie Beach, as well as Hamilton Island. It lies across from Stockyard Beach, better known as Chalkie's Beach, on Haslewood Isl ...

Lindeman group

The best known island in the Lindeman group is its namesake

Lindeman Island Lindeman Island is an island in the Lindeman Group of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The island was named by Captain Bedwell after his sub-lieutenant, George Sidney Lindeman whilst aboard the Royal Navy vessel ...

({{Coord, -20.4456, 149.0425, type:isle_region:AU-QLD, name=Lindemann Island). However the largest island in the group is Shaw Island ({{Coord, -20.4867, 149.0756, type:isle_region:AU-QLD, name=Shaw Island).{{Cite QPN, 30595, Shaw Island, island in the Mackay Region, access-date=31 August 2021

Molle group

The most notable islands in the Molle group are

Daydream Island Daydream Island is one of seven islands of the Molle Islands, Molle Group, a sub-group of the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia. The island is small, measuring 1 km in length and 400 m at its widest point. The highest point on ...

(formerly West Molle Island),

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

and South Molle Island.

Northern group

Some of the islands in the Northern group are Armit, Gloucester and Saddleback. File:Whitsunday islands.jpg,

on Whitsunday Island File:WhitsundayIslandBeach.JPG, Hill inlet, north of Whitehaven Beach File:06. Whiteheaven Beach.jpg, Panoramic view of the Whitsunday Islands File:Planton_Island.JPG, Planton Island File:A206, Whitsunday Islands National Park, Australia, sunset over mainland from summit of South Molle Island, 2007.JPG, Sunset over mainland from summit of South Molle Island's Mount Jeffreys

Table of islands

Listed below are islands of The Whitsundays, divided by group locality. Named rocks and islets can be found listed within the entry for the nearest island to that feature. {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable", Island!!style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable", Capital !!style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable", Adjacent islets and features!!style="background: #CCC;", Area (km²) !!style="background: #CCC;", Population , -style="background:#F2E0CE;" , Lindeman Islands , ,

, , , , align="right", 30.34, , align="right", 10 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Baynham Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.074, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Comston Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.236, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Gaibirra Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.323, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Keyser Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.577, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

, , , , , , align="right", 6.789, , align="right", 10 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Little Lindeman Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.49, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Maher Island , , , , Jesus Point , , align="right", 0.94, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Mansell Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.177, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Other , , , , Ann Island, Cole Island , , align="right", 0.222, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Pentecost Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.25, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Seaforth Island , , , , North Beach , , align="right", 0.265, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Shaw Island , , , , Neck Bay, Burning Point , , align="right", 15.62, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Thomas Island , , , , Thomas Bay, Dead Dog Point , , align="right", 2.23, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Triangle Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.115, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Volskow Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.032, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#F2E0CE;" ,

Molle Islands The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands are o ...

, , South Molle Island , , , , align="right", 20.17, , align="right", 150 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

, , , , Coral Beach, Lovers Beach, Mermaids Beach, Sunset Beach , , align="right", 0.23, , align="right", 30 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Denman Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.095, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Goat Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.047, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

, , , , Base Point, Fire Point, Happy Bay, Paradise Bay, Pelican Beach, Peppers Palm Bay, Sandy Bay, Spit Point , , align="right", 10.6, , align="right", 80 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Mid Molle Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.13, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , North Molle Island , , , , , , align="right", 2.643, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Other , , , , Gunn Island, Repair Island, Shute Island, Tancerd Island , , align="right", 0.588, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Pine Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.063, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Planton Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.114, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , South Molle Island , , , , Bauer Bay , , align="right", 4.66, , align="right", 40 , -style="background:#F2E0CE;" ,

Northern Group Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

, , Gloucester Island , , , , align="right", 33.56, , align="right", 1 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Armit Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.05, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Double Cone Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.4, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Eshelby Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.13, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Gloucester Island , , , , , , align="right", 26.8, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Grassy Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.29, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Gumbrell Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.47, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Manta Ray Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.32, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Middle Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.43, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Olden Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.43, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Poole Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.19, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Rattray Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.23, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Saddleback Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.58, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Stone Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.24, , align="right", 1 , -style="background:#F2E0CE;" , The Whitsunday Group , , Hamilton Island , , , , align="right", 198.75, , align="right", 1409 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Bird Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.017, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Black Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.05, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Border Island , , , , Cateran Bay , , align="right", 3.066, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Cid Island , , , , Bench Point, Gilling Point , , align="right", 2.95, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Cowrie Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.024, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Deloraine Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.172, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Dent Island , , , , , , align="right", 4.13, , align="right", 2 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Dumbell Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.141, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Dungarra Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.094, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Esk Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.1, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Fitzalan Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.054, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Hamilton Island , , , , Crab Bay, South Head, Driftwood Bay, Coral Cove, Escape Beach, Broken Point, Sunrise Bay, Hideaway Bay, Catseye Bay, Pebble Beach, Airport Beach , , align="right", 7.98, , align="right", 1350 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Harold Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.345, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Haslewood Island , , , , , , align="right", 7.941, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

Hayman Island Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, off the coast of Central Queensland in the locality of Whitsundays in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. The island is . It is a private island open to the public, most ...

, , , , Dolphin Point, Tower Point, Rescue Beach, Groper Point, Arkhurst Point, Blue Pearl Bay, Royal Hayman Hotel , , align="right", 3.78, , align="right", 50 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Henning Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.496, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

Hook Island Hook Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland. The island is almost uninhabited, quite rugged and almost completely contained within a section of the Whitsunday Islands National Park. The isl ...

, , , , , , align="right", 54.87, , align="right", 5 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Ireby Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.046, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Langford Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.093, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Lupton Island , , , , , , align="right", 1.05, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Nicolson Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.163, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Other , , , , Buddibuddi Island, Yuindalla Island, Petrel Island, Arkhurst Island, Plum Pudding Island, , align="right", 0.904, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Perseverance Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.342, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Teague Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.558, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Titan Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.011, , align="right", 2 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" ,

, , , , , , align="right", 109, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Wirrainbeia Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.04, , align="right", 0 , -style="background:#AEE0F2;" , Workington Island , , , , , , align="right", 0.333, , align="right", 0 , - , -style="background:#F2E0CE;" , class="sortbottom" , Whitsunday Islands , , Totals , , , , align="right", 282.82, , align="right", 1570

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{Commons category {{Wikivoyage, Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Regional Council

Whitsunday Islands
at

NASA Earth Observatory NASA Earth Observatory is an online publishing outlet for NASA which was created in 1999. It is the principal source of satellite imagery and other scientific information pertaining to the climate and the Environment (biophysical), environment whi ...

Whitsunday National Park islands: Nature, culture and history
{{1stVoyageCookAus {{North Queensland {{Authority control Regions of Queensland Islands of Queensland