Overview
Take a trip to Whitsundays on your Australia Vacation
The Whitsunday Islands are a popular tourist destination on Australia vacations off the central coast of Queensland, comprised of a collection of 74 islands spread across the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. Most of the islands are deserted but there are eight that offer accommodation and tourist facilities.
Enhancing any Australia vacation, the Whitsundays also offer great beaches and an intimate atmosphere and can be visited either by taking a cruise or staying at one of the many resorts that dot the islands.
Whitsunday Islands Vacation Highlights
The Whitsundays are named for uninhabited Whitsunday Island, the largest in the group, which is home to the famed Whitehaven Beach. It’s easily reached via the numerous cruise tours that run from the nearby resorts and from Airlie Beach.The most important island to the tourism industry however is Hamilton Island. Despite being the most populated of the Whitsunday Islands, 70% of Hamilton Island is a national park, offering natural beauty and good scenic walks. There is also a quality golf course here.
Hayman Island is the most northern island and is the epitome of a tropical paradise. Activities include everything from bushwalks to excellent diving and snorkeling.
Daydream Island is a haven for wildlife lovers, where it's possible to hand-feed stingrays, sharks, and fish, and where it's not unusual to see dolphins and turtles in the nearby waters.
Long Island (no, not that one!) is closest to the mainland and is a great destination for hikers. Palm Bay is one of its secluded delights, showing off the Whitsundays at their very best.
Airlie Beach is located on the mainland itself and is the jumping-off point for many Whitsunday and Great Barrier Reef excursions. If you'd rather stay in a local community rather than at a resort, while still having the Whitsundays at your fingertips, Airlie Beach is a great option.
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Pacific Coast Road Trip: Sydney to Cairns
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays, Brisbane, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachSet off along Australia's captivating east coast, where vineyards meet golden sands. From Hunter Valley's wines to Cairns’ tropical allure, this classic road trip beckons.
20 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
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Australia & Tahiti Tropical Island Escape with Air
Moorea, Queensland, Whitsundays, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachAn air-inclusive escape to Australia and French Polynesia, blending vibrant reef adventures, misty blue mountain landscapes, and relaxing lagoon swims, all complemented by warm island hospitality and delicious local flavours.
15 days
From US$6,499/p.p.
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Rail, Reef & Islands: Queensland's Coastal Journey
Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, and WhitsundaysJourney along Australia's stunning east coast from Brisbane to Cairns. Enjoy two spectacular rail journeys, a Great Barrier Reef adventure, Fraser Island safari, and more.
11 days
From US$3,220/p.p.
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Ultimate Downunder: Australia & New Zealand
Auckland, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Queensland, Whitsundays, Victoria, and MelbourneA refined private-guided journey through Australia and New Zealand, pairing coral seas, wild coasts, fine flavours and alpine calm.
16 days
From US$11,663/p.p.
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Australia In Style: Sydney, Rock, Reef & Rainforest
Queensland, Whitsundays, Atherton Tablelands, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachExperience an unforgettable adventure in Australia, exploring Sydney's sights, the captivating Red Centre, and the stunning Great Barrier Reef, all in luxury!
12 days
From US$6,970/p.p.
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Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
Pacific Coast Road Trip: Sydney to Cairns
Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays, Brisbane, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Sydney, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachSet off along Australia's captivating east coast, where vineyards meet golden sands. From Hunter Valley's wines to Cairns’ tropical allure, this classic road trip beckons.
20 days
From US$4,785/p.p.
Request a Quote
Australia & Tahiti Tropical Island Escape with Air
Moorea, Queensland, Whitsundays, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachAn air-inclusive escape to Australia and French Polynesia, blending vibrant reef adventures, misty blue mountain landscapes, and relaxing lagoon swims, all complemented by warm island hospitality and delicious local flavours.
15 days
From US$6,499/p.p.
Request a Quote
Rail, Reef & Islands: Queensland's Coastal Journey
Queensland, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, and WhitsundaysJourney along Australia's stunning east coast from Brisbane to Cairns. Enjoy two spectacular rail journeys, a Great Barrier Reef adventure, Fraser Island safari, and more.
11 days
From US$3,220/p.p.
Request a Quote
Ultimate Downunder: Australia & New Zealand
Auckland, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, Queensland, Whitsundays, Victoria, and MelbourneA refined private-guided journey through Australia and New Zealand, pairing coral seas, wild coasts, fine flavours and alpine calm.
16 days
From US$11,663/p.p.
Request a Quote
Australia In Style: Sydney, Rock, Reef & Rainforest
Queensland, Whitsundays, Atherton Tablelands, Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney Opera House, and Bondi BeachExperience an unforgettable adventure in Australia, exploring Sydney's sights, the captivating Red Centre, and the stunning Great Barrier Reef, all in luxury!
12 days
From US$6,970/p.p.
Request a Quote
Don't see the
perfect trip idea?
Request a custom quote.
Turn your travel dreams into reality with Goway. Our customized vacations take travellers to all corners of the world.
What do the experts say?
Tasmania is under the radar for many travelers, but it’s great for hikes, natural landscapes and now modern art!
Sydney and Melbourne are a great combination for first-time visitors to Australia, with Brisbane, Adelaide and/or the Outback added in, depending on how much time you have. Returnees should take in Perth, Darwin and the Kakadu National Park area and/or Tasmania if they can, plus spend some time in the cities they loved the first time around
It might sound cliche, but you really can visit year-round. Australia is a big country, so there is always somewhere with amazing weather!
Goway’s trips to Australia are not stock itineraries. We can put together trips of a few weeks or a few months, allowing you to see as much of the land Downunder as you can. And we offer a mix of travel options, from self-drives to train journeys to long stays.
Goway has partnerships with many unique inns and hotels in Australia. Among the most memorable are Qualia on Hamilton Island, Longitude 131 at Uluru and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island.
Whitehaven Island - famous for its white sand b...
Aerial views of the Whitsunday Islands
Humpback whale breaching
Swim-up bar in the tropical Whitsundays
Located 900km north of Brisbane between Bowen a...
Sea plane anchored on Whitehaven Beach
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ExcellentBased on 5,268 ReviewsI have had Melissa Moses plan our trips for us for quite a few years. She always finds interesting sights for us to see, the hotels are always beautiful and everything runs perfectly. Can't wait to get started on the next adventure. Andrea JonesJust returned from a two week trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest booked by Michael Keon at Goway
This was our second trip booked with Michael
Hotels were all excellent, in great locations, transfers to and from airports went without a hitch and train travel was exactly as planned.
As we worked through all the details of planning the trip, he responded to lib questions promptly, making finalizing the trip very easy
I would highly recommend him as a travel agent, and we will be using him again
Kevin BourkeKatie's knowledge and support were the primary reason the trip worked so well.
Everything went smoothly, and the vacation could not have been any better. The hotels were wonderful, the two tours we took went well, and there were no issues with flights or transfers.
GERARWe have used Goway Travel previously, and they are the best. Our travel specialist, Shalini Thakur, designed our trip to Italy exactly the way we wanted. They make traveling so low-stress. The itinerary is very detailed, giving you plenty of time to review prior to your trip. We have drivers that meet us at the airport and take us to and from all stops on our trip. No dealing with trains and buses and taxis and dragging your luggage all over.
They have great local guides for excursions, most in small groups of 10 or less. The trip is so much more meaningful with a knowledgeable guide to explain the history.
Our accommodations are always centrally located to our excursions, most of the time we are picked up at our hotel.
We like to keep busy on our trips, but Goway always plans a great balance that gives us time to rest a little after late nights or long days, so you don't get exhausted, which is nice as we are all in our late 60's.
Although we have never needed to use it, it gives peace of mind knowing Goway has 24/7 emergency contacts if you need anything.
We will definitely be contacting Shalini and Goway for our future trips.
David MerrifieldBig shout out to Melissa-Lee and her team at Goway. She crafted a personal adventure through Peru. We gave her our must see places and she nailed it.
The team on the ground was exceptional. The guides were all very knowledgeable. The hotels were all chosen carefully and exceeded our expectations. Could not have asked for a better tour.
We will definitely use them again.JoanneI began planning my Italy vacation with Avery more than a year before we traveled, and I want to start by giving her the recognition she deserves. Avery did an exceptional job planning this trip. From the beginning, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to experience in Italy, and she listened carefully and captured it. The destinations, hotels, tours, transportation and overall flow of the trip were thoughtfully planned. Aside from three specific issues that I will address, everything came together extremely well.
One of the things I appreciated most was the attention to logistics. The hotels were conveniently located, our tour meeting points were generally close to our accommodations, and the routing between cities made sense. Those details may seem small during the planning process, but once you are actually traveling through multiple cities, they make an enormous difference. I especially appreciated the meet and greet services and arranged transfers because they removed much of the stress that comes with arriving somewhere unfamiliar. I did not have to constantly worry about where to go, how to get there or who I was supposed to meet. I was able to enjoy my vacation instead of managing the logistics of my vacation.
The people Avery arranged for us to work with in Italy were also excellent overall. Our drivers, guides and local representatives were professional, pleasant and easy to communicate with. We stayed at five hotels, and with the exception of Dharma Luxury Hotel in Rome, the other four were excellent. I loved them and would not change those selections. From a travel planning perspective, I would give Avery more than five stars. She listened, understood what I wanted and created the Italy experience I had envisioned. I would absolutely work with her again and recommend her to others.
There were, however, three specific issues during the trip that I believe deserve attention. These involved the third-party operator used for our Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti tour, our experience at Dharma Luxury Hotel in Rome, and the response from Goway’s emergency travel support. I want to separate these concerns from my experience with Avery because I do not believe they reflect the quality of the work she did planning our vacation.
My recommendations are therefore directed toward strengthening the third-party services surrounding the travel experience. I recommend that Goway review the operator used for the Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti tour, reconsider Dharma Luxury Hotel based on the maintenance and customer service issues I experienced and conduct a formal review of its emergency support provider, including whether the response to my request complied with the provider’s contractual service levels.
Overall, this was an incredible Italy vacation, and Avery deserves tremendous credit for making it happen. Planning an excellent vacation is important, and she accomplished that. At the same time, what happens when something does not go according to plan is also an important part of the travel experience. The three problems I encountered were specific and identifiable, and addressing those areas would make an already excellent travel planning experience significantly stronger.S MoolahKatie our travel agent planned a wonderful trip for us. Everything was taken care of and we didn’t have to worry about anything. I would highly recommend Go Way travel when planning a trip. 49ergirlI worked with Maria S. from Goway Travel to build a tailored trip to the Azores and mainland Portugal. Maria provided excellent, responsive and patient service, never pressured me into making decisions, offered multiple options for managing pricing, answered my many questions clearly and fully, and always met the timelines she would set to get back to me. Once I was on my trip, Maria checked in several times even though there was an operator on the ground at my destination; she even resolved a minor mix-up with one of my hotels and arranged for a special surprise on my birthday. I cannot speak highly enough of Maria's professionalism, follow-through, positivity, attention to detail and responsiveness. I highly recommend Goway and Maria for your travel plans, and will definitely use this company again for my future travels. Thank you so much for making my trip to Portugal so memorable, Maria! Michele B.Extremely delighted we took this trip to Bali with Goway. Ameet was fantastic. He helped me save on my flights and also guided me on the right hotel decisions. Extremely Charming and always a pleasure to chat to. We enjoyed the Komodo islands a lot thanks to our specialist who made the recommendation. Hid guidance on the places and restaurants was spot on and we and my gf enjoyed the trip so much. We will consider using Goway and Ameet for our Honeymoon as well.Garth CutosPrompt, professional service when booking our trip. Excellent suggestions to add to our experience. Shalini was very accommodating and went beyond our expectations to meet all of our requests. Loved the small group tour.Oscar
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