Walking Activities in The Whitsundays
Whitsundays Walks
Lt James Cook entered the passage on Sunday 3rd June 1770 during the Christian Festival of Whit Sunday and though there were beautiful islands everywhere, indeed 74 of them, green-topped and mostly ringed with golden beaches, he only named one, Pentecost Island.
The islands are the tops of all that remain of a coastal range, which was submerged when sea levels rose at the end of the ice age. Most of the islands have National Park status, such as the Molle Group, which has extensive walking tracks offering unsurpassed views over the surrounding islands and distant mainland.
Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday's; metamorphosing from a single-street village a few years ago. The centre is now a major tourist destination in its own right with superb community and infrastructure support.
Airlie Beach is now pedestrian heaven with scenic boardwalks joining the inlets and bays. This is a good introduction to walking in the Whitsundays.
The Whitsunday Great! Walk takes you on a 30 km trek through Conway State Forest, commencing at Brandy Creek and ending at Airlie Beach.
Highlights of the Whitsunday Great! Walk include: wandering through majestic tropical rainforest, relaxing by seasonal creeks, and looking beyond coastal townships to the Whitsunday Islands. Walkers will often see the blue flash of a Ulysses butterfly, or sense the smell of lemon myrtle flowers in summer and hear the distinctive call of the wompoo fruit-dove.
With tracks of varying distance and difficulty, everyone can explore the Conway Range. The entire Great! Walk is a three-day escape, but trekkers can choose shorter walks that are linked to the main track.
